A WEEKLY SHOP FOR UNDER £20

Food campaigner Jack Monroe told social media how she compiles a strict ‘stock take’ shopping list before she sets out to shop in order to avoid duplication and buying things that she doesn’t need.

I get an A4 sheet of lined paper and divide it into four vertical columns: proteins, carbohydrates, fruit and veg, and the end column is split into two, flavours and snacks. Then I go through the fridge, freezer and cupboard and note down every single thing I have in.” Doing this she says means that, “my shopping list for the week is made up of ‘gap filling’ – so if I’m running low on fruit and veg, I’ll prioritise that. If I’m short on whole grains, I’ll pick up some brown rice.”

Jack took to Twitter to explain the process to achieve a family food shop for under £20.

HERE’S HOW IT’S DONE...

BE A SAVVY SHOPPER

Getting the best from your supermarket shop.

Former Gavin and Stacey star Joanna Page helps peoplechange they way they shop in BBC’s Shop Well For Less.

BBC

If you’re concerned at the rising cost of living issues in the news lately, you can get help to manage your budget.

We looked at what some experts say we can do to make our funds go further.

CROUCHING SHOPPER – HIDDEN BARGAIN

Oli Townsend and Georgia-May Collings from Money Saving Expert say they’ve found, “the cheapest non-branded items tucked away on the bottom shelf.” They caution that “this won’t be true for every store or shelf – but from the large and medium-sized supermarkets we visited, we found this tactic to be widespread.” For more tools and tricks to slash food bills visit moneysavingexpert.com

DITCH THE LOYALTY

Tom Church, of LatestDeals.co.uk, says he gets the best prices by going to different stores. He told national newspapers that he saves: “about £200 a month on my family’s shopping by comparing prices and going to the cheapest supermarket whenever possible for each item.” Compare prices online by using Trolley.co.uk

FIND THE BEST BARGAINS

Try to do your shopping later in the day (ideally an hour or so before closing time, or at about 7pm in 24 hour stores).

SHOP ONLINE

Doing your food shopping online is one of the best ways to cut your spending by reducing those impulse buys.

PLAN AHEAD

Making a weekly meal plan before going food shopping and writing out all the ingredients you need could help you cut the costs of your shopping.

OWN BRAND

Search out own brand products. Set yourself a bit of a challenge, and next time you go shopping, only buy the supermarket’s own name brands. You could save a chunk of money.

BUY IN SEASON

Buy seasonal fruit and vegetables when planning your meals for the week, have a think about what food is in season.

BECOME A FLEXITARIAN

Ditching the meat for just a few days every week can save you money. There are loads of great veggie recipes out there to try, it’s just a matter of mixing things up a bit. Vegetarian Society: vegsoc.org

NEVER SHOP FOR FOOD WHEN YOU’RE HUNGRY

You’ve probably heard this one a zillion times before, but how often have you broken the golden rule and ended up spending an arm and a leg on tempting snacks?

LAST MINUTE DEALS

Always check the reduced section you may find more there than just food that’s approaching its best before date.

BE WARY OF BAD SUPERMARKET DEALS

It really pays off to stay on your toes and do the maths on so called “special offers”. Don’t just trust the brightly coloured discount signs that are designed to make you think you’ve found a bargain – it may not add up.

ONLINE HELP

Compare prices online by using Trolley.co.uk

For tools and tricks to slash food bills visit: moneysavingexpert.com

HELP WITH DEBT:

Citizens Advice: citizensadvice.org.uk Step Change: stepchange.org

Source: savethestudent.org