Jon's Blog
Practical tips to help you improve your credit rating and avoid expensive high interest loans
It sometimes seems that no matter how organised you are, how many lists you write, and how careful you try to be, it’s still easy to come home from the supermarket with far more than having spent far too much 😞
If you are lucky enough to have a choice of supermarkets you could use a website like My Supermarket to compare prices before you leave home. Here are ten other ways to reduce your shopping bill:
Although there might be a small charge to have home delivery you will still almost certainly save money 🚚
If you only need a small number of items, leave your purse at home and take cash 💸
This will limit how much you spend and you will make more sensible decisions.
A great and cost-effective way of buying fresh meat is to take advantage of items being sold at a reduced price and sticking them in the freezer when you get home ❄️
You can do the same with almost anything from bread to ready meals and cheese.
Nothing is more likely to make you overspend than bored children trailing after you 👩👧👦
If possible leave them at home so you aren’t tempted to buy them a ‘treat’ for being good.
Sometimes there are genuine 2 for 1 or buy two get one free offer that makes sense. If these are on non-perishable items you use all the time like toilet paper or soft drinks it makes sense to stock up.
If, however, the promoted items are perishable you’ll probably end up throwing half away.
We’re not suggesting you start drinking value cola but there are many own-brand items available that are just as good, if not better, than top name ones.
As I always add a dash of Worcester sauce to my baked beans, for example, it really doesn’t matter if they are Heinz or Sainsburys. It’s worth experimenting to see if you can find good quality items that taste almost the same.
Most people know not to do a big shop when they’re hungry but being tired can also affect your purchase decisions and you are much more likely to buy expensive ready to eat items or ‘comfort food’ to make yourself feel better 🥱
If you always buy Colgate toothpaste but Aquafresh is half price why not give it a try?
Habit buying can end up costing you a lot of money over time.
No matter how nice they look buying Strawberries from South America at £3 a punnet makes very little sense.
Buy seasonally and you’ll save a lot of money.
If you pass a shop on your way home from the school run or work try to buy only what you need for that day rather than stocking your cupboards full of items you won’t be using for weeks.
If you do have a lot of food at home trying searching a website like Good Food for recipe ideas based on what you have available. Think of it a bit like Ready, Steady, Cook and experiment!
We help people to find the most affordable finance if they have a pood credit history. It just makes good sense for everyone, to save money we here they can, so you have more money for the things you really value!