FAMILIES are getting clobbered by soaring food prices – but supermarket expert Charlotte Jessop explains how to beat the hikes.
Inflation has soared to 6.2% as a cost of living crisis continues to squeeze family budgets to the max.
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When inflation goes up, so does the price of everyday essentials and services like fuel, energy, transport – and food.
According to the latest ONS data, fridge staples have rocketed in price by up to 37.2%.
It means families will be wanting to know how to lower their grocery bill to ease the pinch on their finances.
That’s why The Sun sat down with shopping expert Charlotte Jessop, founder of finance blog lookingafteryourpennies.com, to get her top tips on how to be a savvy shopper.
From planning your route around the stores beforehand to planning your meals, here’s how Charlotte’s supermarket hacks could save you £48 a month.
That’s a saving of £576 a year.
Keep a rolling list
Writing a shopping list might be something you do at the last minute just before you nip to the stores.
But Charlotte said writing a list throughout the week is a much better way of keeping tabs on what you really need.
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“Stick a list on the fridge and whenever you run out of something, write it down.
“You can also keep a list on your mobile if you’re worried about losing a paper list, or you find this easier.”
She said to check your cupboards, fridge and freezer before you go out shopping to remind you of what you have.
“We have so much frozen veg in the freezer I forgot we had – I then made meals out of what I already had instead of buying more food unnecessarily.”
Make monthly meal plans – £10 a month
You might already plan ahead for meals you’ll be cooking for the week – but Charlotte said you can make the most savings by making one that is monthly instead.
That’s because you can then buy in bulk what you need for the whole month ahead – a Sun investigation found that you can halve your shopping bill by doing this.
“You can then get food in bulk – like pasta – instead of buying four smaller packets throughout the month, which will cost you more,” Charlotte said.
“You could save a tenner a month from bulk buying – particularly when it comes to stocking up on loo roll, detergent, rice, and big bottles of ketchup.”
Choose your shop wisely – save £10 a month
When it comes to picking which shop to go to for your groceries, Charlotte said you need to choose wisely.
“You’ll want to balance the costs of going to a store further away that’s cheaper against going to your local one, and saving on fuel costs which are going up.”
You’ll also want to compare prices to weigh up which shop to go to as well.
“A lot of shops have prices for food online.
“You should make a note of how much your usual items are being sold cheapest at to your list, and use it to decide what shop will work out cheapest.”
Charlotte said you could save up to £10 a month from doing this.
Go to bargain retailers – save £5 a month
It’s not just supermarkets you should be going to for your food shopping.
Planning a trip to bargain stores like B&M and Farmfoods can bag you savings.
“These shops can be good for cupboard staples like sauces, snacks,, cakes, crisps and tinned food.
“There could be deals on bulkier items like laundry detergent, soap and shampoo too.”
Making an effort to stock up once a month could mean you save yourself a fiver per month.
Book a delivery – save up to £3 a month
Fuel prices are rocketing – which means it will be hitting your balance when filling up at the pump.
That’s why it might make more sense to book a delivery slot instead of driving to the store for your shopping.
“Sometimes you can get delivery slots for £1 from Asda which is cheaper than driving in some cases.
“Make sure you calculate how much it will cost you to drive there and back.
“My nearest store is a 12mile round trip – I’ve calculated I save £2 to £3 a month by ordering online instead and cutting back on filling up.”
Look at price per quantity – save £10 a month
You should check the price per kg/lb/litre when comparing offers on food so you’re making a like for like decision.
This is because although you might be tempted to pick up the box that looks bigger, it might not actually be the best deal, Charlotte said.
You can save up to £10 a month from doing this.
Avoid supermarket marketing tricks – save up to £10 a month
The Sun revealed that supermarkets use six sneaky tricks to try and coax shoppers into spending more money.
These secret hacks include keeping essential items like eggs hidden so you walk past as many products as possible and placing bargains on the bottom shelf so you pay more for brands.
Charlotte said she avoids this mind games by mapping out her route around the supermarket.
“I plan my shopping list in order of way I want to travel around the supermarket – I don’t miss anything, I get what I need and I miss tempting offers.
“Avoid ends of aisles in particular – shops will put best sellers and offers there which might not actually be saving you as much as you think.”
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