Food shop savings: How to save on your grocery bill

Written by: Ryan O’Connell
Published on 24 September 2024

With inflation on the rise and it getting more and more difficult to save any of our income, it seems like the whole world is looking for ways to save on the absolute essentials. One of those essentials that can take up a good bit of our budget is our grocery bill. Finding ways to save on your food shop is a great way to have some more disposable income left over to spend on something fun or even just put away for a rainy day. However, saving on groceries certainly seems easier said than done. Thankfully, Voucherbox is here to help. Here are some of our favourite tips for savings on that all important food shop.

Budgeting, Budgeting, Budgeting!

Ok this one may seem a touch obvious, but you’d be amazed by just how many people do not set a budget for their food bill each week or month. Setting a budget for yourself is not only important in managing your money, but it can also work as a tool to help you take other steps that will reduce that all important grocery bill.

Obviously, your grocery budget will vary depending on exactly how many people you’re shopping for, what supermarkets you have access to, and how much groceries you need. However, setting a budget is an essential step to take when you want to save on your next shop.

Create a food plan

There is a bit of a trend between our first two tips, but planning is the best way to execute a goal. As they say, “fail to prepare, prepare to fail”. Setting your budget and creating a food plan can go hand in hand as you can base one on the other if you need.

Planning your meals means you will avoid buying a random array of items once you’re in-store shopping. Creating a plan for your meals and snacks will allow you to check what items you have at home and create an accurate shopping list for the items you need, streamlining your weekly food shop. This will also mean you won’t forget anything you need, cutting back on random trips to your local grocery shop and potential impulse purchases.

Avoiding food waste

Creating a food plan will go hand-in-hand with this step, but making an active effort to avoid food waste will significantly help your wallet out when it comes to groceries. Whether it’s a couple of bagels at the bottom of the bread bin or a bag of salad in the fridge, many of us forget about some of groceries and have to throw them out. This is both a waste of food and a waste of money. A number of households also throw out leftovers, which should be a huge no-go for anyone looking to save.

With a little planning, you can ensure to minimise food waste. Consider how you’re utilising your freezer. Foods such as bread or meat can easily be separated and frozen if you don’t think you’ll get a chance to eat them before they go out of date. This is also a great way to save leftovers if it’s a thing you don’t want to eat the same thing two days in a row.

You could also consider meal-prepping large batches of your favourite meals to freeze such as chilli, curry and more. This will also save you time when you need something quick for dinner.

Keep an eye out for special offers

Another tip that may seem obvious, but special offers can be a great way to save on your favourite items. However, the key to this is keeping an eye on all your local supermarkets. Many of us have a preference when it comes to where we get our groceries. Maybe you’re an Asda person or maybe you’re a Tesco person. Nonetheless, shopping around can mean getting the best deal.

Many supermarkets will publish their discounts and offers in leaflets or online beforehand so make sure to check around in case there are any great offers on your favourite products. You can also check for grocery discount codes including the latest voucher codes for Iceland, Tesco, and Morrisons.

Join grocery loyalty schemes

Another way to find the best special offers and savings is to join your local supermarket’s loyalty programme. Most of the UK’s most popular grocery chains have a loyalty club or rewards scheme such as Tesco Clubcard, Iceland Bonus Card, and Sainsbury’s Nectar.

Although many grocery shop’s loyalty programmes have different benefits, the majority of them allow you to earn points which can be converted into vouchers or money to spend. They also typically offer exclusive prices and offers on items that are only available to members. It’s also usually free to join your favourite supermarket’s loyalty programme. Some of the most popular UK Supermarket loyalty schemes include:

• Tesco Clubcard: Tesco Clubcard is free to join allows you to earn points which can be converted into vouchers to spend. For every 150 points, you will get a £1.50 Tesco voucher.

• Sainsbury’s Nectar: Sainsbury’s Nectar is free to join and earns you 1 point for every £1 you spend. For every 500 points, you’ll get a Sainsbury’s voucher code worth £2.50.

• Iceland Bonus Card: Also free to join, the Iceland Bonus Card earns you £1 for every £20 you add to your card. This £1 Iceland voucher can then be spent in-store.

• Morrisons More Card: Morrisons More Card is completely free and also gives you points for spending in-store. 5000 points will give you a £5 Morrisons discount on your next shop.

Try a Recipe Box

If you struggle to stick to a budget or plan your meals, you could consider trying a recipe box subscription. Instead of doing an entire grocery shop each week, you can order a subscription which arrives with all the ingredients for your meals each week. Most of these subscription boxes allow you to customise which meals you’d like, allowing you some variety and decision making. You can try out some recipe box discount codes for HelloFresh, Gousto, and Mindful Chef to save on your subscription.

As you can see, there are tons of ways to save on your food shop, with or without a grocery voucher code.