the richest man in atherstone

Grocery Shopping Part I
Grocery Shopping Part II
Grocery Shopping Part III
Grocery Shopping Part IV

Regular readers will know that I've spent the last month and a half working on ways to lower the cost of our grocery shopping.

On the whole, this project has been very successful, reducing the bill by over 20%, so I thought I'd share the strategies and tactics I've used by compiling a list of ten useful tips.

1. Make a shopping list - Write down exactly what you will be eating for each meal each day. Include a separate section for snacks and household goods (bleach, toothpaste, washing powder etc). Then, when you go online or to the supermarket, you'll know exactly what you require and won't under or over buy.
2. Set a target - Take a look at your previous shopping receipts and set a price target for your next shop. Having a goal to achieve will keep you focused. As an example, our shopping bill was around £43 a week for 2 adults and 2 young children. I aimed to get it down to £35 per week the first time and £32 the second time. I overshot my targets a little but it gave me something to aim for.
3. Stay in control 1 - Don't be tempted to buy something you don't need just because you fancy it. Stick to your plan from tip 1.
4. Stay in control 2 - In the same vein as the previous step, don't be tempted to buy something you don't need just because it's cheap. Stick to your plan in tip 1.
5. Buy more fruit and less chocolate - Fruit is generally cheaper and more filling than chocolate. I told my kids that they could only have chocolate on Friday's, Saturday's and Sunday's and in return they could choose what fruit we bought. They now love having fruit after meals in the week, partly because they feel like they've chosen it themselves and partly because they liked fruit anyway. Oh, and of course it's healthier too.
6. Look out for multi-buys - Many supermarkets offer 2-for-1 or 3-for-2 offers on various products. If there is something on your list (from tip 1) that is offered as a multi-buy, get it. However, make sure you'll be able to consume it before it's sell by date and you have enough space to store it, otherwise the exercise becomes futile.
7. Buy cheap no-frills brands - I've found many of the cheap products (the Smartprice brand at ASDA) to be as good as and somethimes better than the more expensive brands. And they're much cheaper, too. Try them, you'll probably like them and save money at the same time. For example, ASDA do 'Puffin' chocolate-covered biscuits that are almost identical to 'Penguin' bars but cheaper. However, some of the no-frills products are poor quality (baked beans, for example) so it will take a bit of trial and error to identify products with the best quality : price ratio.
8. Look at the quantities - It is easy to overlook the quantities of products but it is vital you do so for comparison purposes. For example, I was looking for some orange squash and found one brand was a bit cheaper than another. It wasn't until the squash was delivered that I realised I'd paid a little less for 1 litre when a few pence more would have got me 2 litres. Compare on price and quantity.
9. Search for discount codes - Many supermarkets offer discount vouchers that can reduce your overall bill. I used codes from this website get a tenner off when spending £50 or more. The MoneySavingExpert forums are also a good source of discount codes.
10. Don't make sacrifices - It is essential that you and your family don't feel as though they're losing out otherwise you'll be forced to go back to more expensive items. Make sure you get enough food to last until your next shopping period. There's no point starving to reduce your shopping bill. Explain to them what you're doing and ask them to let you know what they like and what they don't. They'll feel happier about it if they feel involved and can give you input. Talking from experience, I can say that it is possible (in fact it is quite easy) to reduce your bill without reducing the quality or amount of the food/drink you consume.

By following these tips, next time you go shopping you'll be able to make significant savings.

Good Luck.