8 Clever Hacks to Cut the Price of Your Food Shop

With the cost of living still putting pressure on households across the UK, many people are looking for simple ways to spend less on their weekly food shop without compromising on quality.

The good news? A few smart habits can shave pounds off your bill every single week. Here are eight clever, realistic hacks that make a genuine difference.

1. Plan your meals, but keep it flexible

Meal planning is the foundation of a cheaper food shop, but it doesn’t have to be rigid or time-consuming as we like to eat varied and delicious dinners.

So instead of planning every meal down to the minute, outline a loose plan based on what you know you’ll eat and what you already have in the cupboard/fridge.

A good approach is to:

• Base meals on ingredients you already own rather than fresh everyday.
• Choose recipes that share ingredients. For example stews and curries could easily have the same produce in them.
• Allow “mix-and-match” nights where you use leftovers (without going overboard).

This way, you’re less likely to buy duplicates, or too much, and far less likely to waste food.

2. Make an inventory before leaving the house

One of the biggest culprits behind unnecessary overspending is simply forgetting what’s in the fridge, freezer, or cupboards.

A five-minute inventory check prevents impulse purchases and ensures you build meals around what you already have.

Try keeping a running list of:

• Fresh food that needs using soon and frozen items you’ve forgotten about.
• Tinned or dried goods that can bulk out meals.

The aim is to treat the food you already own as your first shop.

3. Use loyalty cards strategically

Almost every supermarket offers some form of loyalty card these days, and the potential savings can be significant if used wisely.

While it’s not essential to sign up to every scheme, it is worth using the one for the store you visit most often.

To maximise savings:

• Activate digital coupons in the app before you shop
• Check personalised offers based on your usual purchases
• Use your loyalty account for fuel, home goods, or seasonal items when promotions overlap

Just avoid buying something only because you’ve been offered points on it—it’s only a saving if it’s something you actually needed.

4. Downsize on a few items

The “downsize” method involves swapping a few branded or premium items for a supermarket’s own label or value range equivalent.

Most people don’t need to downshift everything—just a few regular purchases add up to a decent saving.

Good categories to experiment with include:

• Pasta, rice, and grains.
• Tinned tomatoes, sweetcorn, and beans.
• Herbs, spices, and baking basics — these will all be the same companies anyway.
• Cleaning and laundry products if you don’t have sensitive skin.

You may be surprised how little difference you’ll notice, especially in recipes where flavours are combined.

5. Shop seasonally and embrace “simple swaps”

Seasonal fruit and veg are naturally lower-priced because they’re more plentiful and don’t require long-distance transport. If you can shift your weekly menu around what’s in season, you’ll save without trying.

When prices spike, use the “simple swap” method:

• Swap fresh for frozen veg and meat, or swap meat cuts for cheaper alternatives
• Swap out-of-season produce for something similar. You’ll still get variety and nutrition, just at a better price. Strawberries in winter simply don’t make sense, fiscally.

6. Go Big on Bulk (but only if it makes sense)

Buying in bulk can be a brilliant saving tactic, but it only works if the item is something you use regularly and can store properly. Focus on items with a long shelf-life or stuff you won’t use straight away.

Some good candidates include:

• Toilet roll, kitchen roll, and cleaning essentials as you can store them indefinitely.
• Dried pasta, rice, pulses, and baking ingredients (though maybe store the flour in an air-tight container as no one wants weevils).
• Tinned goods you can reliably work through like tomatoes and beans.

Avoid bulk-buying anything that could go off before you finish it as it isn’t a bargain in the bin.

7. Reduce food waste with clever storage habits

Many households throw away more food than they realise. A few small storage tweaks can significantly reduce waste and stretch your weekly shop further.

Useful habits include:

• Storing herbs in a glass of cold water in the fridge.
• Freezing bread, wraps, and rolls to use as needed.
• Keeping food that needs using soon at eye level — as you’d be surprised how much food goes to waste simply because you can’t see it rotting in the salad drawer!
• Portioning leftovers into labelled containers and using for work or packed lunches the next day.

Wasting less means buying less, which is an immediate saving.

8. Cook once, eat twice

Batch cooking isn’t just for busy parents or meal-prep enthusiasts. It’s one of the easiest ways to cut costs. When you cook in larger quantities, you use fewer ingredients overall, less energy, and spend less time in the kitchen.

Good foods for batch cooking include:

• Stews, soups, and casseroles.
• Pasta sauces.
• Curries and chillis.
• Oven-baked dishes like lasagne or cottage pie.

Freeze portions for future meals, and you’ve got instant, delicious, and budget-friendly dinners waiting.

What we think

Cutting the cost of your weekly food shop doesn’t have to mean sacrificing taste or variety. A few consistent habits — like planning ahead, using loyalty cards wisely, reducing waste, and being flexible with ingredients — can slice a surprising amount off your bill over the course of a year.

Start with just two or three of these hacks, and you’ll see the difference almost immediately.