How to reduce food bills
Rising food costs are eating a bigger chunk of our monthly incomes, but there are a few ways you might be able to reduce your weekly spend.
Latest inflation numbers from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that food and drink prices rose by 4.4% in the year to May, up from 3.4% in April. This is the highest recorded figure for food inflation since February 2024, when the rate was 5%. If you have a sweet tooth the news is even worse, as the price of chocolate jumped by 17.7% in the year to May - the steepest since 2016 when ONS records began. This is mainly down to poor weather affecting harvests in cocoa-producing countries.
Here we look at some of the best ways to keep your food bills to a minimum.
Write a weekly meal plan - and stick to a list
Meal planning is one of the simplest ways to save money and reduce food waste. You could even rotate a few weekly plans based on what’s in season or what’s on offer. A good tip is to shop your cupboards first – you might already have the base for a stew or stir-fry lurking in the back.
Once you’ve planned your meals for the week and written down the food you’ll need, make sure you stick to your list once you get to the supermarket. Shops are designed to make you spend – that’s why the essentials are often placed at opposite ends of the store. If you find the temptation to shop off-list too great, try shopping online or using click-and-collect instead.
It’s worth swapping out some of the big brand items you normally buy with own brand supermarket brands when you do your shop. You might find they taste just as good but cost a fraction of the price.
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Cook once, eat twice
Batch cooking can be an excellent way to save you both money and time. Make extra portions of chilli, curry or soup and freeze them. It’s like creating your own ready meals – only cheaper and usually much healthier as your food won’t be processed. Slow cookers and soup makers can be really useful for batch cooking as not only do they help you use up odds and ends, but they’re also cheaper to run than ovens.
Love your freezer
Buying frozen food rather than fresh can cut a significant amount from your food bills, with the added bonus that it won’t go off nearly as quickly. According to research carried out by Nomad Foods, owner of Birds Eye and Findus, nearly a third of people (29%) are using the freezer now more than they did five years ago, with almost half (47%) stating that it helps them throw less away. Stéfan Descheemaeker, chief executive officer at Nomad Foods said: “The freezer is no longer just a place to store food; it's becoming the cornerstone of a more efficient, sustainable, and nutritious lifestyle.”
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Make apps your ally
There are several apps that can help you reduce waste and bag a bargain. Too Good To Go, for example, sells ‘magic bags’ of surplus food from shops and cafes, usually at a heavily discounted price. Olio lets neighbours share unwanted food, and Kitche helps you track what’s in your kitchen and find recipes using those ingredients.
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