25 ways to save money on food shopping

Writing a list and sticking to it is a good strategy to make sure you stick to your budget. Here's an even quicker way to remember everything you need to buy:

Before you rush out the door, take a photo of the contents of your fridge and your food cupboard. That's it!

The picture will help you check what you already have and where the gaps are that need filling. Plus it'll ensure you don't waste money buying duplicates of cumin, oregano or tumeric you already have.

The average family throws away £60 of food every single month.

Much better to have that £60 in your pocket and not in the food recycling bin.

Meal planning takes a bit of time and though. Make it easy with the Netmums budget meal planner .

If you prefer a blank meal planner where you can write down everything from scratch, we love this 2-in-1 weekly meal planner AND shopping pad.

Plus, it comes with two built-in magnet strips so you can conveniently keep it close, on your fridge door.

Sign up for 'scan as you shop' at your local supermarket but not got round to it yet? It's quick and easy to register for and will save you time as well as money. You can use the devices in-store or the app on your phone.

By scanning each item as you go, you can check you're being sold it at the right price (no discounted goods scanned as full price!) and see a total of what you've spent so you can stay within budget.

Simple: Go cash-only. Leave your purse and credit cards at home and only take the amount of cash with you that you're prepared to spend.

Going cash-only is a guaranteed way to ensure you don't get sucked in by buy-one-get-one-free deals or impulse purchases that you probably don't need.

So many of our Forum members say they saved money when they've switched to doing their shopping online.

It is so much easier to keep track of what's going in the basket, plus you're less tempted to make impulse purchases.

Booking off-peak online shopping delivery slots brings the cost down and some are even free when you spend over a certain amount.

Consider what you'd spend on parking, petrol, time and how susceptible you are to deals and offers ... often even a few pounds delivery charge can be cheaper in the long run.

Supermarkets are sneaky and have special ways of targeting hungry shoppers by offering free tasters and wafting delicious smells around the store.

Don't be sucked in.

Always, ALWAYS shop on a full stomach or buy a quick snack on your way in to the store to keep hunger and cravings at bay!

You'll find it much easier to steer clear of all the offers designed to make you spend, spend, spend.

Bigger is not always better when it comes to your shopping trolley.

Look at your list and visualise how many bags it will fill. If there's more space in your trolley or basket, you might be tempted to fill it.

Another trick: only take the amount of shopping bags to suit your list. If you're packing as you go, you'll be less likely to toss things in if your bag, trolley or basket is already full.

Is that bargain you've just grabbed REALLY a bargain? Look at the small print of an offer you fancy to see what the saving actually is.

Two for £1 sounds fabulous, but when you look at the shelf ticket and see that actually you're only saving 5p, maybe it's not such a bargain after all. Especially if you don't even really need it.

Examine the per-unit price and be sure to compare larger versions with smaller packs. We often see 2 of a smaller pack is cheaper than 1 of the big one, when comparing cost per 100g.

Also, be wise about BOGOFS, too. How long is the item in date for? Do you really need two and will you use them before they expire?

There's a really good reason that supermarkets place snacks, cereals and sweets at a child's eye level. It's all part of a careful plan designed to harness 'pester power' – when kids demand treats so often and loudly that parents give in out of sheer exhaustion.

If you can, shop when your kids are at school or nursery, or leave younger children with your other half or a friend.

If your children are shopping with you, agree in advance to one treat – and make it something that you'd planned to buy anyway. Get your child to put it on the list and then stick to that.

Another hack: Distract them with a job, kids can't get enough of the self scanner!

Supermarkets can be sneaky and place the most expensive items at adult's eye level, counting on the fact that those in a rush will just grab what they need quickly and head for the checkouts.

Make sure you check out the highest and lowest shelves to ensure you're getting the best price and deal for what you need.

If you don't want to be distracted from your list, avoid the end of aisle displays – this is the premium place for supermarkets to get you to spend more and buy items you never knew you needed!

When it comes down to it, there's often hardly any difference between the more expensive branded products and a supermarket's own-brand range. Don't let yourself be shamed into buying more expensive products by the stark branding on value, basic, or saver options.

Money-saving expert Martin Lewis suggests trying the Downshift Challenge : When buying products, try dropping one step down the brand ladder. If you're buying a few tins of beans, replace one of the more pricey branded products with a cheaper supermarket version.

If you can't really tell the difference, you know you can safely replace it when you next do a shop. This can save you hundreds of pounds a year if you apply it to your whole shop.

Despite the ads on TV about price matching, some supermarkets are just cheaper overall than others. While you might not get quite as much brand variety at discounters like Aldi and Lidl, you'll still find pretty much everything you're looking for, and usually at a lower price.

It's not just supermarkets either, as you can find plenty of your general cleaning products, baby essentials, and even branded items at a much lower price at your local pound store.

You might be surprised by how much you can shave off your final shopping bill by the clever use of coupons. While you might still find coupons in the papers, or even proper coupon books, a lot of them can now be found online.

Do a quick web search for supermarket coupons before you head out to do your shop, and see how many you can find for the things on your list.

Don't forget to check your receipt from previous shops as well, as some supermarkets also print coupons for your next shop onto it.

If you don't have any worries about supermarkets learning about what you like to buy, then there's really no reason to not sign up for your regular supermarket's loyalty card.

Cards like Tesco's Clubcard and Sainsbury's Nectar card can help to cut a good chunk out of your total spend, and you can even earn rewards on some of them that you can use for your next shop or bigger goodies down the line.

That said, don't get suckered into buying things you don't need just because they're discounted if you have the card, or because of the points you'll get... that's how they get you!

Meat products are one of the pricier parts of grocery shopping, so if your family won't mind too much, try to cut down on your meat intake.

We're not saying that you have to become vegetarian, but by swapping out some of the meat you buy for veggie options you can save yourself a pretty penny. You can also feel good about cutting down on your carbon footprint!

Vegetarian and vegan options have got a lot better over the last few years, and are generally cheaper than meaty ones.

Most kids won't even be able to tell the difference ... try it and see!

Find loads of great, cheap veggie and vegan recipes here

Veg, meat, fruit, fish, you name it... if it's frozen, it's almost always going to be cheaper than buying fresh.

It's also going to last a lot longer, which will help you cut down on throwing out uneaten food that's gone off (and throwing the money you spent on it out too!).

Supermarkets are already starting to scrap 'best before' in favour of 'use by' dates, but it can still help you to save a few quid if you know that 'best before' is basically a suggestion of when a product is at its best.

If it smells/tastes/looks ok then there's no need to throw it out just because of the 'best before' date (though 'use by' dates are still worth paying attention to).

Ever since the charge was introduced on plastic bags, many of us have accumulated a massive 'bag of bags' stashed somewhere around the house. The trick is remembering to bring them with you when you head to the shops.

Whether you've shelled out for a bag for life (or 10!), or you have a load of scrunched up plastic bags under the sink, you'll save more than you expect if you can get into a routine of grabbing them before you head out to the shops.

If you've already followed the advice in #5 and taken your shop online, you might be able to save yourself a bit more by doing a 'click and collect' shop rather than paying for delivery.

Of course, this is cheaper the closer you live to the shops. If the price of delivery is less than you would use in fuel to get there, then you might be better off paying for it to be dropped to you.

As we've already mentioned, most families are wasting around £60 a month (that's £720 a year!) by throwing away unused food. One way to avoid this unnecessary loss is by learning how to store your food properly.

Fruit lasts way longer in glass storage and always keep bananas away from other fruit and veg.

Here's what else you should and shouldn't keep in the fridge, too!

Here's another way to cut down on the food you'd otherwise end up chucking: if you notice something is on the turn but it's still just about ok, then cook it up as soon as possible.

You don't even necessarily have to eat it straight away, as you can stick it in the freezer for when you need an easy 'here's one I made earlier' meal.

You've probably already seen the impressive discounts you can get at supermarkets on food that's about to go out-of-date. Knowing when to turn up to make the most of these 'yellow label' price cuts can make a real difference.

This can vary from one chain to another, and even from one individual shop to the next. Some supermarkets seem to have a policy in all of their stores, while others leave it to the manager's discretion.

Around 7-8pm seems to be a common time to find the biggest savings though, as they know they'll have to just throw it out at the end of the day anyway.

As we've pointed out, 'best before' dates are more of a guideline than a hard and fast rule. There's actually a website that sells food, snacks, and even alcohol for steep discounts because it's passed its so-called best.

Approved Food is best used when bulk buying, as there's a £3 charge per box and the minimum amount you can order is £22.50, but if you'll likely be impressed by how much you can get for your money.

If you have a local food market, you might well find that it's cheaper to get your food and veg there than at a supermarket. Be ready to do a bit of haggling to get the most from your money though, and you'll save even more!

Another handy tip here is to find out when the market traders start to pack up their stalls, and to turn up a bit before then. While there'll be less choice, you'll find some good deals on what's left.

While your local small Tesco Express or Sainsbury's Local-style shop might be more convenient than taking a trip to the full-size supermarket, chances are it's also going to cost you more.

This can vary depending on where you live, but take a look at your receipts and you'll probably see that the smaller shops are quite a bit more pricey for exactly the same products.

As long as getting there's not going to cost you more than you save in petrol, you're probably better off going to the bigger shops.

If you are looking for more ways to save try:

- How to cut the cost of bills
- Top tips for cheaper meals
- Download our meal planner
- Store cupboard basics
- Batch cooking