My Top Foodie Money Saving Tips

It's September, which means that Christmas is really only just around the corner. It can be one of the most expensive times of the year, and also one of the best times. I like to try and save money wherever I can throughout the year, but September to November is where I really step things up, so I can have the Christmas treats I like. Here I am going to share my top foodie money saving tips, in the hope that it can help you too!

1. Make the most of your freezer

It's no secret that I am a fan of batch cooking. It saves so much time, and also money. Spending a few hours at the weekend prepping up food for for the rest of that week or month can be a super cost effective way of cooking and eating.

Check out some of my meal prepping posts for more ideas.

Another great tip is to freeze things like fresh meat so that it can last longer. The amount of times I have bought fresh meat, only to realise that it was super short dated.

I've started freezing herbs in ice cube trays as well, it makes perfect little bite sized flavourings! Have a read of ways to freeze herbs in this post.

2. Plan your meals before you shop

Instead of writing up a list of things I need, I write out a list of the meals I want to eat that week. I then only list the ingredients that I need for each meal. It means I send much less, and prevent myself from picking up all those cool 'special buys' that push the total price of the shop up!

3. Shop around 

Although having the comfort of the same supermarket and layout is nice, it could be costing you more money. Switching up the shop can save you lots of money, as can shopping in 2 different shops.

I have 1 main supermarket that I go to for meat and vegetables, and then get the rest of my bits from one of the bigger brands,

4. Buy own brand supermarket products

There can be a certain snobbery when it comes to supermarket own brands. Personally, I have been using them for years- especially when it comes to ingredients for cooking.

For example, own bran Tomato Passata comes in at 20p a carton, in comparison to £1.50 for branded. I use websites such as mySupermarket to compare the prices of normal household items, to ensure I get everything at the best price!

This is also great for things like herbs and spices. Why pay more for the same thing?

5. Make the most of your leftovers

I have a really bad habit of cooking way more than my boyfriend and I can eat in one meal, so I have to make the most of my leftovers. Things like pasta are delicious as leftovers for a take to work lunch.

I love to cook a roast at the weekend, then feed us off the leftovers for days! Like this leftover beef that I turned into potato pancakes!

Sometimes though life can thrown the unexpected at us, unexpected car repair bills, broken appliances- anything can happen. For times like this, CashLady offer short-term loans and pride themselves on caring for their customers, want to ensure they have an easy journey and know all information about committing to a short-term loan. This way, you Christmas savings can be kept untouched all year, until the time comes to start decking the halls!

L x