What can you do to help cut costs when buying goods? How do we shop smarter and other information to help

Hello all

So, i've had a few PMs if i have any information or can i collate a thread on what you can do to cut costs when buying goods from retailers, shop smarter, make your money go further and other information. I've had a search around and tried to come up with a list of current offers and information but we are likely to see more due to the rise in the cost of living, including groceries.

If you have tips/tricks i've missed, and related to this topic, please comment and let me know

Some tips:

- Do you really need said item(s)? Rather than impulse buys, think about it first. (I have a drawer full of USB cables..)

- Don't shop when hank marvin / hungry, it's easy to fill your basket/trolley with poor / impulsive choices

- Always look for voucher / discount codes to get items cheaper

- Make a shopping list and stick to it

- Some services offer a 'try before you buy' , always worth thinking about.

- Meal plan where possible, will save you a good amount, rather than pre-packaged.

- Price compare, using the likes of Pricespy, camelcamelcamel, trolley.co.uk and more

- Use apps like Shopmium, CheckoutSmart , Quidco Clicksnap which you can get money back on certain products

- Eye tests: Many opticians have free eye tests if you ask or they send out vouchers via email and/or post

- Buying Frozen is nearly always cheaper than buying fresh

- Save those bags for life and remember to take them with you, you'll not only help save the enviroment but save on your pocket.

- Try to cut back on subscriptions, like TV etc. Sometimes when you try and cancel you get a better offer, note the date then repeat!

- Add your loyalty cards to the likes of Google Pay etc, you will then be less likely to 'forget them' and making sure you get those offers, savings and discounts.

- Use by dates indicate when a product may no longer be safe to eat. You should not eat, cook, or freeze it after the date displayed, even if it looks or smells fine. Best before dates are an indication of quality rather than safety

- Don't be fooled into thinking branded goods are better than supermarket own labels (Try a step down from a branded product to a supermarket own brand)

- Have a clear out and sell unwanted stuff at car boot sales.

- Many banking apps, like Starling/Monzo, have 'round up' features where if you buy something a certain % goes to a 'saving space', this soon builds up into a nice saving. You can usually have as many 'spaces' as you want/need and of course, still put £xx amount away each month.

- Those small DIY jobs, many could be easy fixes, lots of youtube videos/sites around BUT make sure confident and anything gas/electric related please get a qualifed person(s) to to the job.

- Take out a set amount of cash each week and spend that rather than using debit card for payments. When you see the money leaving your hand/wallet/purse etc makes it more real. Will also make you question purchases.

- Many supermarkets do 'Wonky Veg' boxes, bascially veg that isn't appealing to look at (mad i know) but you can usually get a big box for around the £1.50 mark.

- Look into switching to a water meter, especially if you live in a large house with low occupancy. The "rule of thumb" is, if you have more bedrooms than people living in the house, then it's worth considering. Clearly it's not going to benefit everyone (If it doesn't work out cheaper, you can switch back to the old system within the first year but check with your local waterboard for all your options)

- Facebook Marketplace can be good for picking up new/second hand goods, including clothing and furniture.

- Record your expenses, you'll soon see what your wasting money on.

- Check work place benefits to see if they offer discounts/ discounted gift cards.

- Check if your bank offers discounts (i.e Lloyds have ‘Everyday offers’)


Image Credit

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Retailers


ALDI

Download the free Aldi app today and you’ll have Everyday Amazing in your pocket all day long. It’s great for browsing the latest offers and the brand-new product ranges, and you can even shop some of your favourite collections, including Specialbuys, Wines and Spirits and Everyday Collections. Learn more below.

Amazon

Thee are some decent savings, when buying in bulk, using Amazon Subscribe and Save BUT remember to check before the next month as prices can go up, as well as down and that bargain may not be a bargain anymore

Also How to Share Your Amazon Prime with Others (Help cut costs)

Some Councils charge more, or maybe less, so it's well worth checking with your Local Authority first.

Approved Food

They specialise in surplus and short-dated stock, food that is either near or just passed its 'best before' date - allowing us to pass on huge savings to our customers.

We have over 2000 products including - Big Brands, Cupboard Fillers, Ex Supermarket & Department store products across a wide range of Food, Drinks, Household & Toiletries, Gifts plus much more.. all at huge discounts.
They state, they do not sell anything anything past its USE BY date.

ASDA

10% off for Blue Light Card Holders

Over two million people who play critical roles in our communities, in the emergency services, NHS, social care, and armed forces have a Blue Light Card and we're proud to show our support to them by offering 10% off their shopping in store, which we plan to run until October 2022, and we know this will go a long way to helping them fight the rising cost of living.

New 'Just Essentials' Range at Asda

Also

Good things come to those who scan.Unlock everything that Asda Rewards has to offer by scanning your in-app card every time you shop. You’ll never miss out on Mission or Star Product earnings – building that all-important Cashpot.

Checkoutsmart

View exclusive offers on all your favourite grocery brands

Shop in-store or online - Get your shopping from any supermarket and keep your receipt

Get paid- Upload a picture of your receipt, and we'll put cashback into your account

on iOS and Android

Co-op food

Co-op have launched a 15 min walking delivery service, which is ideal for those who struggle to leave their homes, friends/neighbours can pick up and of corse with rising fuel costs may save them a few ££'s.

co-op have also held the price of around 2300 products to help keep the price of shopping down.

Save with offers -Access offers to use in Co-op Food stores every week.
Scan your card - Earn or spend rewards and claim offers with your contactless digital card.
Support a cause -Choose or change the cause you support and see how much they’ve raised.
Track your rewards - See how the rewards we put back into your membership account are adding up.
Donate your rewards - Give all or some of what you’ve earned to help create lasting change in communities.

Also, co-op usually have free magazines instore, which most of the time have some sort of voucher/discount.

Usually you can get a family meal deal / 'freezer fillers' for £5 or less

COSTCO

Costco usually do cheaper goods in bulk, like washing power, food stuffs and other goods like TV's and Furniture

You need to be a member but you can pay as little as £15 a year Membership info

Also Costco UK Individual Membership £33.60 inc. VAT + x2 £10 shopping vouchers to spend online for Blue Light Card holders

DEPOP

Depop is the fashion marketplace app where the next generation come to discover unique items. With a global community buying and selling on Android and iOS

Ebay

Ebay is a common one, where you can and sell new and used goods. If seeling you need to think about any fees + delivery costs. Every few weeks their seems to be some sort of promo regarding max fees at £1 etc, so if you have quite a bit to sell, it's worth holding on for.

Freecycle

The Freecycle Network® is made up of more than 5,000 local Town groups with over 9 million members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Membership is free, and everything posted must be free, legal and appropriate for all ages.

See here

Greenjinn

Select coupons & shop in-store or online
Snap a photo of your receipt on GreenJinn
Cashback to your Paypal or bank account

On iOS and Android

Farmfoods

Farmfoods have vouchers, which you can sign up via email for, and usually offer £xx of a £xx spend,

See website, on right of webpage.


Iceland

10% off for over 60's every Tuesday until October

The 10% discount will be available to those over sixty every Tuesday and will apply across all products. The 10% discounts will be available in-store only and to receive the over-60s discount, shoppers simply need to show proof of age at the checkout, which could be a driving license, senior bus pass, senior rail card or Freedom Pass.

£1 back for every £20 you save*
Exclusive Bonus Card prices
Free Home Delivery in-store & online*

Minimum order of £25 required to use online order in store delivery service. Free delivery for in store orders over £20 and online orders over £40 (£3 delivery charge otherwise payable). £109 saving is based on saving £2 on your Bonus Card per week, plus receiving a £1 bonus for every £20 saved over a 1 year period. Visit iceland.co.uk/terms for further details.

** Please note: When you sign up for a Digital Bonus Card online you will not receive a physical Bonus Card. Your digital card can be used in exactly the same way as a physical card, in store and online.

Possible £12 off a £60 spend (New customers) using code ICETWELVE

LIDL

LIDL is usually seen as one of the 'cheaper' supermarkets but you can also download the LIDL Plus app and get various discounts/vouchers for money off certain products. These are usually targeted but sometimes they do bigger discounts like £10 off £100 spends etc, so worth keeping an eye on, usually coupons update every Thursday.

Also LIDL do 'Wonky Veg' boxes for £1.50 see here

Marks and Spencer

We'll give you personalised offers based on the things you love
Whenever you scan your card, we'll donate to your chosen charity
Every week we'll surprise some lucky customers with a little gift
Every week in store, we'll treat a Sparks customer to the shopping they're buying for free
We'll be giving away thousands of pounds to spend at M&S, in store or online. Imagine that!

Your Sparks card is also digital:
Download the M&S app to scan your card straight from your phone, and keep track of offers and rewards.

Marks and Spencers usually do some from of dine-in meal deal like dine in for 2 or family offers


Morrisons

Morrisons redued to minnimum spend by £15 on C&C, from £40 to £25

Morrisons launches one of its biggest ever price cut campaigns

Morrisons is launching one of its biggest price cuts in recent years by reducing prices on over 500 products and introducing new and improved multi saves.

The lower prices cover six per cent of Morrisons total volume sales with products from all across the store being reduced. Items cover cupboard essentials, fridge staples and frozen favourites and include cereal, cooking sauces, chicken and sausages. The average saving is 13 per cent with key volume lines being eggs, baked beans and rice.

There's also usually a new customer code floating around but not seeing any right now.

We’re all about bringing Good Things to our customers, and we believe My Morrisons will do just that. With a new way to enjoy rewards, check out some of the amazing perks of our loyalty app below.

Personalised offers - tailored digital vouchers with money-off your next shop
Instant activation - one-tap to activate
Scan the app - scan your digital in-app card at the till for automatic savings
Find out first - about our events and offers

If you have a physical card, you can still continue to swipe to receive money-off coupons at the till to enjoy your My Morrisons rewards. View our FAQ


OCADO

Get £20 off a £60 spend for new customers (T&Cs apply) or try code VOU5089741 (Same value)

OLIO

The food waste app is OLIO

Join millions of neighbours all over the world who are using OLIO to share more, care more and waste less.

Give & get free stuff, borrow & lend household items, and shop homemade – all directly from your community.

On iOS and Android


See here for information

Quidco Clicksnap

Save money whilst shopping with ClickSnap cashback and deals! Simply click get cashback, shop as normal and earn rewards in your Quidco account.

Simply browse our regularly updated offers, buy the featured products at your local supermarket, snap and upload a copy of your receipt and have cashback automatically credited to your Quidco account and then paid into your bank of choice.

Offers can be redeemed multiple times at top supermarkets including:


- Tesco
- Asda
- Sainsburys
- Waitrose
- Morrisons

on iOS and Android

Sainsbury's

Have their own 'locked price' products* and 1600+ items (at time of writing)

*Price Lock means prices of the products marked with a padlock won’t go up for at least 8 weeks from each cycle, the current cycle being from 23/03/22. Occasionally, the price may go down. Selected products & sizes, subject to availability. Not all products available in Northern Ireland. Excludes centrals & locals

Also £15 off your first £60+online grocery shop For orders delivered on or before 30/06/22* using code SPPC22JUN15

Full terms here

Collect 1 point per £1 on all qualifying spends at Sainsbury's supermarkets and at sainsburys.co.uk.
You can also collect 1 point for every 1 litre of fuel when you fill up at Sainsbury's petrol stations.
500 points are worth £2.50 at Sainsbury's. You can spend your points in store or online, simply login to get started.

See the app.

Tesco

Tesco launches new Delivery Saver schemes: Same day from £6.99pm , a new Click & Collect for £2.49pm / off-peak delivery from £4.99pm

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1 month free Tesco Clubcard trial

Subscribe to Clubcard Plus and get 10% off your groceries in-store, twice a month, as well as 10% off F&F all the time. All for just £7.99 a month (After the free trial)

Remember to cancel, if you do not wish to be charged/continue the service.

Use your Clubcard and collect points on food, fuel, fashion and more, in-store and online

150 points turns into £1.50 in vouchers - for savings on shopping or with our Reward Partners
Get up to 3x your voucher value with over 100 Reward Partners
Unlock exclusive deals just for Clubcard members

Also, if you're charged the wrong price at Tesco, you'll get double the difference back!

We do everything we can to make sure that you should never be overcharged. So in the unlikely event that we charge you more than the price advertised on the shelf edge or on the product, please visit any store’s Customer Service Desk (excluding Express stores) with your receipt. A member of our team will be more than happy to offer for a “double the difference” refund.

Shopmium

Shopmium is a simple and free way to get exclusive offers on everyday brands found in the supermarket. With new offers every week, you can find great deals on everyday products and even FREE products. We’re swapping paper coupons for an app that gathers great discounts in one place. Just find the products you like, buy them in stores, take a picture of your receipt and get your money back.

on iOs and Android


Too Good To Go

On the Too Good To Go app, restaurants, cafes and bakeries list leftover food that would otherwise be thrown away. Users can then browse the map for food near them and pick up a ‘magic bag’ for a fraction of the original retail cost.

The only thing is you usually don't know what you're going to get, i've used this a few times and probably had one 'poor' bag filled with sarnies but the majority of stuff is good, and if you get too much bread etc you can always freeze most of the goods.

On iOS and Android.


Vinted

Sell and buy second hand clothing

One community, thousands of brands, and a whole lot of second-hand style. Ready to get started? Here’s how it works see here and on iOS, Android and Desktop/Laptop

Waitrose

Although Waitrose can be seen as expensive to some, they do have 'everyday pricing' on various products and also have a mywaitrose scheme which can give personalised offers and other discounts

e.g If you’re a myWaitrose member and you have a Vitality health or life insurance plan, you can now get up to 25% cashback on Waitrose products with the Good Health logo.

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Plan meals and check deals

Challenge yourself to use what you have in the cupboard and freezer as the basis for your week’s meals, to focus on what you actually need to buy. By planning your meals and taking into account what you already have in the cupboard you can avoid impulse buying and keep your eye out for the specific ingredients you need at the best price. Take advantage of BOGOF and new product introduction prices to stock up on the essentials and leave you with more margin on the more expensive items.

Consider subbing in vegetables where you might normally have meat; with vegetarianism and veganism becoming more common, there are loads of resources out there on swapping to a more plant based life and tasty switches that are kinder on your bank balance. Also, upping the vegetables in classic dishes like chillis can reduce the meat you need to use and make portions go a bit further.

Make the most of vouchers, either by looking online for money off, at the end of a shop for future trips or by doing your first online shop with a new supermarket where you can get a discount on your order.

Check the World food aisle

If you are looking for cheaper store cupboard staples, check out the World Food aisles in bigger supermarkets, which typically have great value options on herbs and spices,as well as essentials like tinned tomatoes and chickpeas found at lower costs. Sometimes they may be slighlty more but mainily they'll be a bag/tin etc.

Buy frozen meat

Frozen meat is often cheaper than fresh - you can get bags of chicken breasts and mince at a much cheaper price point, to bulk out your dishes. It's also worth visiting your local butcher, who can give you exactly the amount you need for what you're cooking.

Know when a deal is a deal

That said, don’t buy an item just because it’s discounted if you don’t need it. A good rule is to check the unit price displayed on the shelf to make sure the deals are actually worth having - if it’s a matter of a few pence and you don’t need the product in multiple, it might work out as false economy. Similarly, only buy what you need; whilst four chicken breasts might only be £1 more than buying two, if you have no plans for the extra one and know you’re unlikely to remember to freeze it, then steer clear.

The above also goes for online goods, check recent price history (see tips at top of discussion)

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Not a 'retailer' as such but as such high energy costs right now, i thought this was worth a mention.

Many energy companies offer help for those struggling to pay their bills.

Grants to help pay off your energy debts

If you’re in debt to your energy supplier, you might be able to get a grant to help pay it off.

The following energy suppliers offer grants to their customers:

• British Gas Energy Support Fund - apply for a grant on the British Gas Energy Trust website

• Scottish Power Hardship Fund - apply for a grant on the Scottish Power Hardship Fund website
• Ovo Energy Fund - apply for a grant on the Ovo Energy Fund website

• E.ON Energy Fund - apply for a grant on the E.ON Energy Fund website
• E.ON Next Energy Fund - apply for a grant on the E.ON Next Energy Fund website

• EDF Energy Customer Support Fund - apply for a grant on the EDF Energy Customer Support Fund website
• Bulb Energy Fund - apply for a grant on the Bulb Energy Fund website
• Octopus ‘Octo Assist Fund’ - apply for a grant on the Octopus website

If you can’t get a grant from your supplier, you might be able to get a grant from the British Gas Energy Trust. These grants are available to anyone - you don’t have to be a British Gas customer. You’ll need to get debt advice before applying - get help from a debt adviser.

Local energy grants

Check if you can get a local energy grant on the Simple Energy Advice website.

You might also be able to find grants or schemes run by your local council. Find your local council on GOV.UK.

If you can't afford to top up your prepayment meter

You might be able to get a fuel voucher. This is a code given to you in a letter or in a text message or email. You can use it to add credit to your gas card or electricity key. If you don't have one of these, contact your supplier to get one.

Your local council might be able to help you get a fuel voucher - find your local council on GOV.UK.

Note most, if not all of these grants, have some kind of criteria so make sure you read through everything first.

Also, not forgetting Council Tax Rebates of £150 (Has criteria attached)

Council tax rebate information

Still unsure? Find your local Council here

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Free school meals

You may be able to apply for free school meals

Healthy Start

If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, you may be entitled to get help to buy healthy food and milk

Tax Credits

You may be apply to apply for Tax Credits if on a low income

Wondering what else is out there to help those on low incomes?

Benefits and financial support if you're on a low income

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Jobseeker help:

Jobseekers can now get six months free broadband - Fibre35 (No contract)

If you're unemployed and looking for work, you may get discounted travel in London

Stagecoach - Half price tickets for jobseekers

Job Centre Plus website:

Job Centre Plus

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Also some other threads that can help cut costs:

Cost of living announcement - Payments for Pensioners and those with disabilities, Energy payments of £400, Windfall tax & more

The Best Loyalty Cards 2022 - Perks, offers, discounts, vouchers and more

Best times to get yellow sticker reductions across supermarkets plus online grocery shopping codes

Buyers Guides

Ten Top Tips on how to save at home - What ideas or tips do you have?

Tips & tricks to save money at the fuel pump

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