Making the most out of your weekly shop

With the ongoing cost-of-living crisis increasing financial anxiety, many people have found themselves having to leave things on the shelves and stripping back to basics. A recent government report has highlighted that the annual inflation rate for food and non-alcoholic drinks has risen to 19.2%, with prices in this category rising at the “fastest rate in more than 45 years in the 12 months to March 2023”. So, it’s no surprise that financial anxiety has significantly increased. However, there are ways you can make the most out of your budget…

Planning ahead allows you to spend your budget wisely. We’ve all been guilty of walking into the shop and coming out with things you didn’t really need. Planning can help prevent this – decide roughly what meals you will make in the upcoming week, and which essentials need replacing, and hopefully you can be a lot more restricted when it comes to the shop.  

My next tip would be to find the cheapest supermarkets. Whilst prices have risen everywhere, supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl still seem to work out cheaper than other shops. For example, Tesco's extra mature cheddar cheese costs £3.40, compared to Aldi’s at £2.79 – a big difference once everything is totalled. This can, however, be difficult for students if there aren’t any big supermarkets near the city centre – in this case, deliveries may be your best option, especially if you can place an order collectively as a house. 

This is probably an obvious one, but swapping out brands for supermarkets own-brand or basic products can help you really make the most out of your food shop. Personally, I love Aldi’s own branded substitutes; not only are they cheaper, but they taste the same – if not, better. I find it most financially beneficial to buy a few different meat or fish products in one shop and freeze them straight away; they last significantly longer and means that only my fresh produce needs replenishing.

Rising supermarket prices have inevitably caused a lot of stress, especially with rising inflation rates. Try to prioritise what you buy, look out for coupons and deals, and get rid of those branded products! 

If you need support managing your finances or the stress associated with it, the Newcastle University Student Financial Support team have a range of support and advice to offer.