Shop smart.

My grocery bill has been quietly creeping up.
Some of this is no doubt due to the general rise in price of fuel and the knock on effect on food costs, but I seriously wanted to knock the price down a bit.
I mean its not BAD.
It usually works out at around £20-25 per person, that's 21 meals plus snacks, plus household things like toiletries and washing liquid, but its still a lot of money for a family on a budget to fork out each week.
So this week I really tried hard to shop smart and of course I'm going to share with you!  

1. Stock take. I am terrible for just doing the shopping without checking what we already have. Its not unknown for us to have several bags of pasta and 4 jars of dried basil. So this time, before shopping, I had a good look at what we really needed, what was running low, what store cupboard essentials were still OK.
2. Make meal plans. You don't have to stick to them, but having a rough idea of what you'll eat for your main meal throughout the week really helps concentrate the mind on the food  you need. It also cuts down on those evenings stood in front of a cupboard full of food wailing "there's NOTHING to eat!".

3. Make a list. You're fooling no one with your "the lists in my head" skit. 
4. Shop online. I can't stress this enough. If  you're using a supermarket for your bulk shopping shop online! Not only are these places hell to visit but they are masters of manipulation. you WILL spend more  than  you need to if you walk through the door! Online you can take your time and take control of your shopping.
5. Check your online basket frequently. As you shop online keep an eye on the price. I often do a rough shop, like a first draft, then go back and see what I can omit or change to bring the price down.
6. Use special offers but take care. Buy One Get One Free (BOGOF), 2 for 1 etc can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Its worth noting that most offers are brand names (they work out deals with the store to prominently advertise them with offers) and often dubious brand names like Unilever and  Mars. Sometimes though there are offers on things like fruit and veg and other products you might get. Follow the rules. Is it cheaper? Sometimes it looks cheaper but isn't, check those £ per kg's! Is it something you were going to buy? Don't buy it if its not on your list. If its NOT on the list and you still want it, see if you can swap something on the list for it. I manage to save enough on offers to "pay" for my delivery. 
7. Be aware of packaging. Not only from a re-cycling aspect but from a re-usable aspect. If a brand of tea bag has a free tin with it that week maybe its worth the extra few pence? Some Coffee comes in jars with fancy lids and seals, perfect for dry goods storage later.

8. Take a close look at what you buy usually. where can  you cut costs? If you buy heaps of individual yogurts (soya for me of course ;) a switch to large pots of plain with jam mixed in can cut a good couple of £ off your weekly bill. Do you buy heaps of cookies or muffins? Its cheaper, healthier AND often tastier to bake yourself. 
9. Buy food in season. Don't stick to the same foods all year. Fruit and veg (and sometimes fish and meat) come in seasons and are often cheaper when plentiful in this country. So save the strawberries till summer, the pumpkins till October and the apple until September.
10. Saving money isn't about buying crap. Don't go so far the other way that no one wants to eat at your house! A couple of years ago I tried buying all the cheap value ranges, spread that was foul, cereal like cardboard, bread as thin as paper. Ugh! Buy quality food and eat less of it.

So how did I do this week?   
Well I got the supermarket shop down to @ £15 per person for this week :)

What tips do you have to add to clever shopping?