Food is a basic human necessity, however in London, it can also be a luxury, an exploration opportunity, or even an Instagram content. With inflation rising, and prices rocketing lately, it is tricky to keep the cost of food under control and within budget so it does not eat up more than it should of your income. In this article, we give you our top tips and suggestions on how to lower your food shopping and outings costs so your pocket can survive in this bad economy.
1. Shop from supermarkets
Such as Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, the Coop, and so on, these also tend to be cheaper than Marks & Spencer and Waitrose, though you might have some preference in particular items of foods. For example, I like the M&S bread, so I get it from here, but I buy other items elsewhere. Supermarkets sell their own brands, which tend to be cheaper than the food from the suppliers they stock.
2. Buy in bulk
Unless it will go bad, you can shop in bulk. The bigger the quantity, the cheaper the price. Diapers and hygienic towels for example do not have expiry dates, and cosmetics and cleaning products tend to have a long expiry date, and you can save few pounds on these.
3. Take on offers
2 for the price of 1 or buy 2 get the 3rd for free is a great way to save money, particularly if you have space in your kitchen and freezer to store the extras or have a big family. This is great for more expensive items such as ice cream and cleaning products. This also applies to breakfast lunch time meals such as buy a sandwich and coffee for a set price.
4. Compare the prices
For the items you buy frequently, e.g. your weekly shopping, it is worth comparing the prices, as they could vary widely. This way you save every week. In most supermarkets and online, every item has its price per unit, for example per Kilogram, this is the number you need to use to compare the prices.
5. Do not shop when you are hungry
When it comes to food budgeting, use your head not your stomach in your decision making. If you shop while being hungry, you will end up buying more than you need. This is also bad for everyone who is watching out for those calories.
6. Shop online where you can
It is always better to see what you are buying specially for fruits, vegs, and meats. However, browsing can lead you to buying other items you were not planning to spend on. Unless you are a big food explorer, cut the temptation by sticking to what you need.
7. Set up a time for shopping
If you do your shopping the same time weekly for example, and assign say 30 min for this task, then you are less tempted to brows and sink into looking at items you do not need and overdo your budget buying extras. This also applies to clothing, electronics and so on.
8. No shame in using coupons
If you get an offer and it is for an item you need, then use it. If it is to just tempt you to buy a new product that you might not actually need, then do not use it, as this will be a trap to add unnecessarily addition to your shopping cart.
9. Avoid ready meal delivery orders
Though restaurants food is great, and it is tempting to order from Deliveroo, Just Eat, or Uber Eats after a long day at work, these are becoming more expensive as many restaurants are increasing their minimum order policies. To avoid blowing up your budget on last minute orders, plan your meals ahead, and set your personal expectations. If you are not into cooking, you can buy ready meal packs from supermarkets on your way home or get them ahead in your weekly shopping.
10. Save on beverage at work
We all need the caffeine fuel to survive, but as quantities are getting smaller, and prices higher, a simple single cup of coffee or tea daily can accumulate to a budget of £20 a week. Try to avoid buying coffee or tea frequently from cafes, get a flask and save a daily £4 on beverage, or put your favourite mug in your office and make your own drink. If you are into flavoured coffee, why not sprinkle some nutmeg, chocolate, or cinnamon on top, or get the toffee nut or caramel syrup from Starbucks shop or Amazon and sweeten up your day. This will save you the £5 per cup from a cafeteria.
11. Plan your outings
London is a gold mine of restaurants, cafes, diners, and food trucks serving any cuisine you can think of. Instangram has also been key in advertising many new places that you ‘must’ try in endless ‘top lists’ from London influencers. To avoid blowing your budget on food-based outings, make a list of all the places you want to try, pick 30 new places, which should on average be enough for the year. Mix them up between posh restaurants’ dinners, brunches, food markets, patisserie, or just coffee.
12. Stick to your budget
Finally, the most important thing is to be firm with your budget, for example if you are a family of 4 and your weekly food shopping is budgeted at £150. If you spend more this week, then this should come out of your weekly shopping allowance of the next week, and so on.
