With just a few changes to your buying and cooking habits you can cut the cost of your food shopping bill without compromising on nutrition or flavor.

Have a look at our top tips to cut your food bill:

• Know the difference between use-by date and best-before date. Past use – by date? Bin it. Eating food beyond that date is risky. Past best- before? Still edible, but may lose some flavor and texture.
• Switch brands. Can you tell the difference between big brand names and cheaper alternatives? swapping from big brand labels to supermarkets own or value range can save you lots of money on your shopping bill.
• Check your cupboards before you shop. Buying through habit can result in spending cash on things you don’t need.
• Do your food shop online. Shopping online can help you see what you’re spending as you shop and reduce impulse purchases.
• Opt for meat free meals. One or two meat free meals a week can have a big impact on your food bill as well as having health and environmental benefits too!
• Switch supermarkets. Shopping around or changing supermarkets could save you lots of money.
• Grow your own. Growing your own fruit, vegetables and herbs is a great way to reduce costs of buying fresh produce at your supermarkets.
• Don’t shop when you’re hungry. Going shopping when you’re hungry makes you more likely to buy more, purely because you’ll be tempted by items that look appealing at that moment.
• Opt for frozen fruit and vegetables. Frozen fruit and vegetables will reduce waste but are often more affordable too.
• Buy products in bulk. Buying Essential and regular used items in bulk size packs and quantities can offer a significant saving when compared to buying individual small packs and portions. This works best with a long shelf life such as pasta, coffee, laundry detergents and tinned foods.
• Stick to a budget. Work out how much you can spend on food each week and stick to it! This will encourage you to seek out cheaper alternatives and question if you really need that expensive snack.
• Plan your meals in advance. This will help you buy only what you need for meals and reduce impulse buys.
• Sign up to apps that reduce waste and save cash. ‘Too good to go’ is one such app that connects consumers to supermarkets, restaurants, bakeries with surplus food at a reduced price, that would otherwise be thrown away.

If you find yourself in a crisis situation and have no food and unable to afford to buy any food, you can get a referral to the food bank from your local council, childs school, doctor or local Citizens Advice.