Making the weekly shop last longer also has the added benefit of saving money. If one has time shopping can become a matter of great strategy and skill.
First thing to remember is buying in bulk is cheaper than buying just what you want for the week only. A small can of beans will cost considerable more per bean than it will buying the largest can you can find. Some supermarkets these days sell catering size cans of the most popular vegetables like beans, peas and sweet corn.
Avoid buying pre-prepared salads which aren’t good value for money when on a budget. If you buy the different ingredients separately you’ll find you be able to make many more salads for the same price.
There is a certain snobbery with buying well known brands when shopping however, not many people realise the store brands which can be considerable cheaper are often main brand food canned or packaged for the supermarket and otherwise identical in quality. Two tins of supermarket branded beans will cost the same as one main brand tin of beans.
Baking bread can save an absolute fortune on buying sliced bread and a pound of flour will make many more than seven loafs for a fraction of the price.
Consider changing from butter to spread as spread will spread more thinly than butter, last much longer and be much healthier.
Take up the habit of cooking which can be fun and healthier than buying ready meals. Ready meals may look cheap but buying separate ingredients will make many times more meals for the same cost. You’ll also have the reassurance that you know what’s in the meal where on the whole you’ll have no idea what goes into a ready meal which may be laden with added salt and preservatives.
On hot summer days try watering down coke and other soft drinks by a third. This will save money and you’ll hardly notice the difference in taste. Once again you’ll be ingesting fewer substances like aspartame and the bottles of soft drink will go around much longer.
If you enjoy a drink of wine try giving up those sleek bottles of wine. Yes they look good on a candle lit table but a large carton of wine will save a fortune in money and may last several times as long. It’s good for the environment too and creates less recycling as there are no bottles to dispose of.