Saving money in the run up to Christmas is on everyones mind. While we enter the festive period, we'll be spending more money on our energy bills, presents, and of course, food.
How to save money
With the cost-of-living crisis pushing food prices up by an average of 14.7% this year, according to the data analysts at Kantar (2022), this could see your annual grocery bill rise by £682! This is due to a combination of COVD-19, Brexit, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict pushing up the price of commodities such as fertiliser, fuel, and packaging.
But, did you know there's a really easy way we can all save some money?
Imagine buying three bags of shopping and throwing one of them in the bin when you get home. That sounds crazy right? Well, it is. But unfortunately the average UK family throws away one third of the food they buy. Sounds like bad news right? Well, maybe. But the good news is this means you could easily save up to £730 per year by reducing your food waste (WRAP UK, 2022)!
This is great news for both your bank account, and the planet! By reducing household food waste in the UK, we could reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by the same amount as taking one in three cars off the road - thats a whopping 10 million cars emitting around 25 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This is contributing to climate change. Scary!
It may sound scary, but this means we can all play our part in reducing our environmental impact by using my top money saving AND planet saving tips below:
Tip 1: Shop intentionally
Plan your meals for the week so you know what you need
Make a shopping list before going out and stick to it
Make sure you aren't shopping while hungry as this leads to impulse purchases
Use the reduced section, saving money and preventing it from going to landfill
Buy wonky fruit and veg - this stuff is just as good and its cheaper
Stick to single items if you know you won't finish a multipack
Tip 2: Smart food storage
Keep your fridge at or below 4°C
Keep your freezer at or below -17°C
Store fruit and veg in jars of water in the fridge
Use your freezer for things you don't need immediately
Put older items at the front of your fridge to use first
Chop herbs, mix with oil, and freeze in ice cube trays for instant flavour
Tip 3: Sharing is caring
Use apps like TooGoodToGo and Olio to get discounted food from retailers that would otherwise be thrown away
Share extra food with friends, neighbours, or even donate it
Tip 4: Get creative!
Challenge yourself to make a meal using ingredients already in the house
Get inventive and use every part of your produce, try these potato peel crisps
Learn how to pickle and ferment to extend the shelf life of produce
The more you do this, the better you'll get = less food waste
If you'd like to read more about food waste, check out my last blog post on the topic here. You can also check out some of my food waste reducing recipes below:
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