How To Meal Plan And Buy Groceries On A Budget

*AD- This is a collaborative post, but thoughts on how to buy groceries on a budget are my own

Food seems to be one of the biggest expenses for us each week. Especially this year when we’ve been in a lot more than usual. Three meals a day, seven days a week plus drinks and snacks can wrack up. And while I don’t mind spending money on good quality items it can feel like a lot.

If you buy groceries on a budget and just save £20 a week that’s a lot of money over the whole year and it all adds up.

How meal boxes can save you money

We’ve had meal boxes a few times before and it’s a great way to help you try new recipes and things you wouldn’t usually cook. But meal boxes can also help save you money. If you buy 2 or 3 meals a week from a service they’re likely to be your fancier or more put together meals. So it can help you curb the takeaways as you’re getting a better quality of food by cooking yourself. With meal boxes, you can choose your meals each week from popular choices and you can pick those more ‘takeaway’ style options like burgers, or curries.

You can keep your groceries on a budget because meal boxes come with everything you need for a dish. So you don’t need to go out and buy loads of spices, or sauces, or things you may never use again if you made the recipe without the meal box.

How to buy groceries on a budget

Meal plan in advance

If you want to buy your groceries on a budget then you’ll need to meal plan. By meal planning, you’ll know exactly what items you’ll need for your week’s meals. So you won’t impulse buy too much when you go shopping. Make sure you consider lunches and breakfasts when it comes to meal planning. Perhaps you can batch cook something for your lunches, or cook bigger dinners so you have leftovers.

Always check what’s in your freezer before planning

I’m definitely guilty of buying things to put in the freezer and either forgetting about them or not using them ‘just in case’. While it’s always good to have a few meals in the freezer you can just warm up don’t let it stop you from using things. We’ve probably got enough meals in the freezer to last a week. So every time I do my meal planning I try and add in a few freezer nights so things don’t stay there too long.

Buy groceries on a budget by checking out the last chance sections

All supermarkets have their last chance sections where things that go out of date soon are reduced. I don’t tend to get there at the right time to get the best deals but keep your eyes open. I’ve seen some great discounts from people who shop in Marks and Spencer that it just makes me want to go there a few hours before closing time. But when you’re buying these products consider can you either use them before it goes out of date or can you freeze it. There’s no point stocking up if you can’t use the items.

Use loyalty cards if the supermarket has them

If you shop somewhere that has a loyalty card use it as you’ll collect points and might get vouchers. I have a nectar card, Morrisons card, and Tesco Clubcard and always use them if I shop in those places. Tesco used to be my regular supermarket and when I was shopping there every week I used to get a lot of Clubcard vouchers and money off deals.

Don’t shop while you’re hungry

Classic tip but don’t go shopping when you’re hungry as you’re more likely to impulse buy and throw a load of things in your trolley just because you’re hungry. I’ve done this so many times before myself that I always have breakfast or a snack before going out to buy food.

Only bulk buy offers if they’ll last or you use the item a lot

Bulk buys and offers can seem like a great deal but only if you’ll use it all. This is especially important to consider products with a short shelf life. It might seem like a great deal but make sure the items will last long enough for you to use them. Or that it’s something you use a lot of. Again there’s no point saving money on your groceries if you’ll end up throwing it away in a few week’s time.

Buy groceries on a budget by buying their own brand

There are some things I will happily pay for branded versions of like ketchup or toilet roll. But consider buying own brand on some of the things that you may not notice the difference in. I tend to buy own brand with things like passata and chopped tomatoes as they’re always in recipes that I will season so I can add in extra flavour. But try things. If you don’t think the own brand is as good you don’t have to buy it again. But you may surprise yourself.

Do scan as you shop

My final tip on how to buy groceries on a budget is to do the scan as you shop option that most supermarkets have. This means you’ll know how much you’re spending as you go. And not be shocked when you get to the till. Seeing the total go up as you go may make you reconsider any additional purchases. Or it may cause you to change some of your items because the spend count jumps too high. It also means you’ll always know you have the money for your groceries.

Do y0u buy groceries on a budget?

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