Supermarket strategies: getting more for your money

Supermarkets are designed so that you spend more than you planned: offers at the end of aisles, treats by the till, big packs that look like bargains. A few habits help you pay less for the same food. For consumer rights and general smart shopping, see the Money Basics module.

Compare the unit price, not the pack price

• Shelf labels in many countries show a unit price, such as the price per 100 g, per kg or per litre. An NHS trust's eating-on-a-budget leaflet recommends using it to see whether a multipack is really cheaper.
• Worked example: oats A is 500 g for 1.20 (0.24 per 100 g). Oats B is 1 kg for 1.80 (0.18 per 100 g). B is cheaper per 100 g, and oats keep for months, so B is better value.
• Worked example: a 1 kg bag of fresh spinach might be cheaper per 100 g than a 200 g bag, but if half of it goes slimy, you have paid more per 100 g you actually ate. For fresh food, buy what you will use, or buy frozen.
• Prices here are made up to show the method; it works in pounds, dollars, euros or dirhams.

Try own brands and 'drop a level'

• The NHS budget leaflet recommends supermarket own brands, and Staffordshire University suggests dropping one brand level to see if you can tell the difference.
• Start with basics where differences are small: rice, pasta, oats, tinned tomatoes, tinned beans, frozen vegetables, flour.
• Keep the branded version only for the few things where you really notice a difference.
• Halal note: own-brand products still need checking. Read the ingredients on stock cubes, sweets and desserts (see the halal lesson in this module).

Handle offers and multibuys carefully

• The NHS leaflet warns that special offers are not always the best value, so check the unit price.
• Before taking a 'buy 2, get 1 free' deal, ask: when exactly will I eat the third one, and will it go off first? Love Food Hate Waste suggests pausing at offers to ask exactly this.
• Good offers to stock up on: long-life foods you always use, such as rice, pasta, tins, oil and frozen vegetables.
• Bad offers for one person: big packs of fresh fruit, salad or bread you cannot finish or freeze.

Reduced items and end-of-day discounts

• Many shops reduce the price of food close to its date late in the day. The NHS leaflet suggests shopping at the end of the day for these discounts.
• Only buy reduced food you will eat or freeze before its use-by date: a bargain you bin is not a bargain.
• Reduced meat or chicken: freeze it the same day if you will not cook it in time. The FSA says you can freeze food right up until midnight on the use-by date.
• Times vary by shop. Ask a member of staff politely: 'Roughly what time do you usually reduce the chilled food?'

Loyalty schemes, apps and other places to shop

• Use loyalty cards and apps where they give discounts or points; Staffordshire University recommends reward cards that build up towards future purchases. Only join schemes for shops you already use.
• Buy in bulk with friends: Staffordshire University notes that essentials such as pasta often work out cheaper this way. Agree who pays what before you buy.
• Butchers can help: the NHS leaflet notes a butcher can advise on the cheapest cuts for your budget, and suggests cheaper cuts such as chicken thighs, drumsticks and minced beef.
• International and Middle Eastern or Asian grocers can be good places for rice, lentils, spices and halal meat; compare unit prices with the supermarket.
• Surplus-food apps (Too Good To Go is one example) sell shops' and cafes' leftover food at a discount in some cities; you usually cannot choose the contents, so check halal and allergy needs first.