So by now you’ve taken down the last Christmas decoration, gone up a notch on your belt and after a sideways glance at your bank statement gone into a state or mild panic, or is that just me? Anyhow January is the perfect time to reign in the spending after the expense of Christmas so if you’ve never joined in the Credit Crunch Munch linky (which I run with Helen of Fuss Free Flavours) or are a regular contributor now is the perfect time to join in and share your thrifty dishes. I’d love to see some leaner dishes this month as I think I may have eaten a year’s worth of chocolate over the festive period and really need to get back to some healthy eating.
In recent month’s I have become a bit of a bargain shopping expert sharing my spoils over on Instagram and Facebook with the hastags #CreditCrunchMunch and #FabFoodBargains. If you like to share your bargain finds with me then do tag me – @fabfood4all – I’d love to see them! I’m often asked for my shopping tips so I thought I’d share a few with you today!
10 Money Saving Shopping Tips
- Most serious bargains appear on the shelves after 4pm and in many cases around 7pm. Get to know your local supermarket’s reduction habits as they all vary. On a Sunday 2pm onwards is a good time.
- Don’t buy more than you can eat over the next few days or freeze. It’s not a bargain if you end up throwing it away!
- Always check the world food aisle before buying any spices, tinned beans/tomatoes or grains or any sort plus more exotic ingredients like sriracha or tahini paste, they are always cheaper here!
- Don’t go shopping when you’re hungry.
- Don’t take your kids shopping with you, nine times out of ten they will want to try some new yogurt/cereal/drink that after one mouthful they will tell you they dislike intensely!
- Have a shopping list for your basics but be flexible, have an idea of what you’d like to cook over the following days but if you see cheap fresh ingredients then adapt your menu! If you don’t know how to cook something or it’s new to you then Google is your friend and you may discover a new ingredient that you love!
- Try to stick to the healthy raw ingredients that are on offer or discounted, bringing home all the cheap donuts and cream cakes is tempting but stay focused!
- Watch out for 3 for £10 type offers as you’ll often still get the discount at the till even on reduced items (but not always so check your receipt). This way you end up with mega bargains.
- Get to know your fellow bargain hunters, be generous with them and they will return the favour. No one likes a hoarder! I like nothing better than letting other shoppers know where there’s a fabulous bargain to be had!
- Finally don’t ignore the “Value” brands in your supermarket, staples like basmati rice, pasta and flour are far cheaper with no tangible difference in quality.
So back to this month’s Credit Crunch Munch, things you might like to consider could be:
Dishes using cheaper ingredients – cheap cuts of meat or vegetarian
Meals using leftovers
Meals using up the ends of packets
Substitutions of cheaper ingredients
Packed lunches
Meals that use less energy to cook
Pressure cooking
Slow cooking
Faster cooking – less oven time for example
Batch cooking for the freezer
Sustainable foods
Food you have grown yourself
Meals from reduced food in the supermarket
CREDIT CRUNCH MUNCH
To take part, simply blog about any money saving idea or recipe that is vaguely food related. We do a full round up so I will be mentioning all the recipes that are submitted.There are a few rules
Please link to this post, and the Credit Crunch Munch page on Fuss Free Flavours
Please use the Credit Crunch Munch Badge
Tweet using #CreditCrunchMunch and tag @FabFood4All & @FussFreeHelen
Closing date – last day of the month – 31st January 2016
You are welcome to link up one or two old posts, but please republish them
By entering you are agreeing to let us use an image from your entry on this site, and to pin to Pinterest
If blogging a recipe from elsewhere on the internet or a book please be mindful of copyright
But feel free to send to as many other events as you like, let’s help everyone save money!
Please visit a few other blogs who take part plus comment and share
This is a blog hop so please grab the code and share the linky on your site too.
We look forward to seeing your entries!
Rachel
The bargain shelves at my local are useless, but if you go right to the back of the store where they hide the dented tins, you can find allsorts of things x
Camilla
Yes, it can be pot luck sometimes.
Renna
I follow most these tips. However, I do fail every now and then….especially shopping hungry! That is lethal ! Haha
Or I go at lunch time, and stupidly buy lunch and walk around with it…naughty!
Camilla
Excellent Renna but do sit down when you eat, never good to eat while on the move I was always told:-)
Jacqui @ Mummy's Little Monkey/MLM Life & Style
I LOVE getting a good bargain and have had some amazing ones by shopping late on a Sunday afternoon. A little planning can save a lot of money, can’t it? x
Camilla
Yes Jacqui, I think I used to turn up just before closing on a Sunday and wonder why there were no bargains, it’s a bargain learning curve!
WhatLauraLoves
I’ve really enjoyed your tips today and reading your post. I’m on holiday at the moment but when I’m back in going to put into practice some of your ideas as I’m always chucking away food or spending too much xxx
Camilla
Excellent Laura, that’s so lovely to hear:-)
Kate | The Veg Space
Some fantastic tips here Camilla, thanks for sharing! I’m always envious of your amazing Tesco hauls, but thought of you the other day when I got some incredible post-Christmas veggie bargains in my village’s Co-op – mostly under 10p! Hope 2016 is full of even bigger bargains for you!
Camilla
Thanks Kate! I spread my bargain net far and wide now since Tesco stopped doing their 1p bargains, there are simply too many supermarkets for the number of people around here so there are bargains everywhere:-)
Ana De- Jesus
Haha so true never take your kids shopping as they will completely rinse you. I never did when I was younger I didn’t like to ask for anything.
Camilla
You’re just like me then Ana, I never asked for anything either and just waited to be asked. I haven’t changed much LOL:-)
Eb Gargano
This is so useful!! Especially the one about the world food aisle…so true!! I am always impressed by your bargain spotting ability. I have another tip to add: shop online – I’ve found I can save quite a bit doing my shop online as I am not sidetracked by offers, tempting ‘naughty’ food and things I just don’t really need. Plus I can go and check my cupboards if I’m not sure…thus avoiding buying something I’ve already got. And if I think my spend is too much I can go back over my list and decide what I don’t really need this week. The downside, though, is that you don’t get the reduced offers like you do in the real shop. Hope to have something to link up to #CreditCrunchMunch soon. Eb x
Camilla
Yes Eb an online shop is good in certain respects but as you say you miss out on the yellow stickered items. I also find I spend hours doing an on-line shop as I will get distracted looking at all the offers and then there’s the delivery charge, but I have used this when I’ve been ill and then it’s a god send.
Cathy @ Planet Veggie
Great ideas. That ‘don’t go shopping when you’re hungry’ is one I try to stick to but don’t always manage – then I come home with a bag full of crisps and biscuits!
Camilla
Yep that’s the danger Cathy:-)
Jenni - Odd Socks and Lollipops
Great tips – I am terrible if we go shopping when I am hungry – I just want to buy everything. And I totally agree about the value ranges – we have bought lots of items from them and you save so much and most of the time I can’t taste the difference!
Camilla
Thanks Jenni, you do have to watch out between the brand though as we love Value Baked Beans from Tesco but the Sainsbury’s ones are not like here!
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours
I wished we had a Lidl or Aldi near to us. When I do buy their products I am always so impressed.
Camilla
Yes I went to Lidl in Kingston at Christmas and was totally in love with in particular their fresh baked good, so good and so cheap plus all their other things!