A SAVVY shopper has revealed how she cut her weekly shop by over £70 by buying food past its “best before” date.
Blogger and deals hunter Holly Smith took to her YouTube channel to post her bargain haul from discount retailer Cut Price Barry’s.
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The mum-of-three, 35, said she got a box full of goods for £28.34, including delivery.
If she got the same items sold at their recommended retail price, Holly said the haul could set her back £99.29.
Most of the items she bought were perishable products that come in tins, packets and jars that were past their best before date.
If food has passed its best before date, it means the food is safe to eat but may not be at its best, according to Food Standards Agency.
What’s in the box?
HERE’S what Holly got in her bargain box plus how much she saved on each item.
Holly shared with The Sun how much she bought each item for, and the RRP (recommended retail price) for each product too.
It’s important to note that the price of the Costa flapjack isn’t listed on the menu online, but Holly priced the RRP of these items at £2 after feedback from followers.
With these prices added, Holly’s shopping comes in at £99.29.
Walkers Wotsits Really Cheesy Multipack Snacks 12 pack
Holly bought four packets.
- What Holly paid for each pack: £1.20
- RRP per pack: £3
- Saving: £1.80 for each pack
Dorset Cereals Choc Cherry Granola (500g)
- What Holly paid for it: £1.20
- RRP: £3
- Saving: £1.80
Dorset Cereals Classic Fruit, Nuts & Seeds Muesli (550g)
- What Holly paid for it: £1.20
- RRP: £3
- Saving: £1.80
Dorset Cereals Simply Oat Granola (550g)
- What Holly paid for it: £1.20
- RRP: £3
- Saving: £1.80
Alpen Original (375g)
Holly bought two packets.
- What Holly paid for each packet: 60p
- RRP per packet: £2
- Saving: £1.40 for each packet
Kellogg’s All Bran (375g)
- What Holly paid for it: £1
- RRP: £2
- Saving: £1
Kellogg’s Choco Wheats (480g)
- What Holly paid for it: £1
- RRP: £2
- Saving: £1
Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut (375g)
- What Holly paid for it: £1
- RRP: £2
- Saving: £1
Kelkin Mint flavoured Dark Chocolate rice cakes
- What Holly paid for it: 50p
- RRP: £1.50
- Saving: £1
Mrs Crimble’s 6 Big Jam Coconut Rings
- What Holly paid for it: 75p
- RRP: £1.40
- Saving: 65p
Mrs Crimble’s 5 Double Choc Lunchbox Loaf Cakes
- What Holly paid for it: 50p
- RRP: £1.50
- Saving: £1
Kelkin Gluten Free Oat Cookies White Chocloate
- What Holly paid for it: 75p
- RRP: £1.50
- Saving: 75p
Schar Gluten Free Curvies BBQ
- What Holly paid for them: 50p
- RRP: £2.50
- Saving: £2
Baking Buddy Whipped Fluffy Marshmallow Spread
- What Holly paid for it: 70p
- RRP: £2
- Saving: £1.30
Costa Gluten Free Flapjacks
Holly bought five of these flapjacks.
- What Holly paid for each flapjack: 10p
- RRP for each flapjack: £2 (according to Holly’s followers)
- Saving: £1.90 per flapjack
Delaviuda Chocolate Box
- What Holly paid for it: £2.50
- RRP: £10 (approximately)
- Saving: £7.50
Box of 18: Walkers American Hot Pizza multipacks 5 x 25g
- Holly paid for a box of 18 packets, which cost: £4.50
- RRP: £2 per pack (which makes 18 packets £36)
- Saving: £31.50
Two packets of Eat Real Crisps
- What Holly paid for each packet: 60p
- RRP per packet: £1.89
- Saving: £1.29 per packet
Price she paid: £28.34
RRP of all items (including Costa flapjack prices given by followers): £99.29
Saving: £70.95
Holly said she wasn’t able to get all the items she would usually need for her full weekly shop.
But she said shopping at a discount retailer like Cut Price Barry’s was a “great place to subsidise your weekly shop”.
Her haul included a 12 pack of Wotsits, which cost £1.20.
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She also bought a selection of Dorset Cereals boxes for £1.20 each, including Choc Cherry Granola, Simply Oat Granola and Classic Fruit, Nuts and Seeds Muesli.
Other bargains included Crunchy Nut cereal packs bought for £1; Mrs Crimbles Six Big Jam Rings for 75p; and Bran Flakes for £1.
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The video was posted by a bargain fan on the Extreme Couponing and Bargain UK group on Facebook.
Scores of shoppers gave the video a thumbs up and said they would look to shop there for a bargain haul.
Holly’s top tips on finding bargain groceries
BARGAIN hunter Holly shared her tips for saving big on groceries with The Sun last year.
Here is some of the best advice she shared with us, so you can shop savvy too:
- Check specialist food aisles at the supermarket. You’ll often find essentials like plain rice, lentils or spices stocked in those aisles are cheaper.
- Sign up to a meal subscription box. Companies such as HelloFresh, Gousto and Mindful Chef offer 50 per cent off in the first month, after which she advises cancelling the subscription and switching to another provider.
- Buy booze from bargain stores. Discount stores like B&M and Home Bargains have alcohol sections, where you can get some great bargains.
If you want to shop for bargain hauls yourself at Cut Price Barry’s, check out their website here.
You can check out more tips from coupon queen Holly here.
In the meantime, we’ve spotted other discount retailers selling foods after their best before dates, including Approved Food and bestb4foods.
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