Some top tips to being a Savvy Shopper.
- A supermarket’s job is to make us spend.
Common tricks:
❏A scent that supermarket uses makes us buy more.
❏Sweets and magazines placed by where the tills are.
❏Store layouts make us walk the whole shop floor to get regularly bought items.
❏Eye-level products are the most profitable ones- always look up and down walking through the aisles.
2. Ask yourself “On my £…. Budget, what can I afford?”
Plan your budget wisely- prioritise food shopping.
3. If something costs more, it doesn’t have to be better.
Try giving family members a blind test with no packaging. Do not fall into words like “luxury, basic, premium, finest and extra special.” if you can’t tell the difference between the lower brand level goods, then why pay more.
4. Try “downshift challenge too!” (Link) and watch a video online.
Video: YouTube: search: Supermarket Downshift Challenge- Martin Lewis.
5. Create your own shopping list on or just make your own list.
6. Downshift cleaning products and toiletries too. Use old style cleaning methods (Link)
7. Never shop hungry.
If you are hungry, you are more likely to buy things you don’t need.
8. Make the most of coupons and vouchers.
9. Consider lower price supermarkets like Lidl or Aldi.
10. Get Cash back
If you want to buy something online or sign up to a finance product, rather than going direct, click to the company via a cash back site and you get paid for it. The amounts range from pennies for retail items to - at the top end- more than £100 for some mobile or broadband contracts.
11. Look for BOGOF offers. Buy one get one free.
12. Loyalty schemes don’t give something for nothing.
They are designed to keep us in their store. Choose where to shop on price, not because you get points, but always gets points when you are spending there anyway.
13. Reclaim old club card vouchers.
There is an easy way to claw back the last two years of unused vouchers. (log into Reclaim Tesco Vouchers)
14. Price match Policies
Supermarket offers price promise. If you find the exact grocery item is priced lower anywhere, most of supermarkets will match the price.
15. Yellow sticker discounts for products that will expire soon.
Up to 50% after 5pm. 75% usually after 8pm.
16. Do not waste food. The average household wastes £470 a year / £700 with Children - about £60 a month.
●The use by date- bin it.
●The best before date- still edible
●Display until and sell by- instructions for shop only.
17. Get a free fridge memo print out.
18. Plan ahead what you want to buy.
Be mindful of “top up” shopping- bring the correct amount of cash so you don’t overspend.
19. Try cooking larger quantities and freeze your meal for another day.
Try a pressure cooker or slow cooker.
20. Write a meal plan. To make shopping more effective create a meal plan for a week. A great way to get the family involved with meals and discussions on healthy and what to buy.
21. Make your own meals and make the most of your leftovers.
Recipes-
Meal Planner-
22. Check out market stalls. A channel 4 investigation found that local markets groceries were up to 35% cheaper than a supermarket.
July 2018