You do not have to give up the meals you enjoy to spend less on food. Often the saving comes from swapping one ingredient for another that does the same job for less money. Make enough of those swaps and your weekly spend drops without anyone at the table noticing much difference.
Here are the swaps we think are most worth trying, grouped by the part of your kitchen they come from. Try a few at a time and keep the ones your household is happy with.
Swap the brand, not the meal
The easiest change is to drop down one brand level. If you buy a premium range, try the standard supermarket version. If you already buy standard, try the value range. Many own-label products are made to very similar recipes, and for basics like flour, sugar, tinned tomatoes, pasta and rice the difference is often hard to spot.
A fun way to test this is a blind tasting at home. Put the branded and own-brand versions of something like baked beans or cereal into plain bowls and see who can tell which is which. Keep paying for a brand only where your family genuinely prefers it.
Frozen and tinned swaps for fresh food
Frozen vegetables and fruit are picked and frozen quickly, they last for months and you use exactly what you need, so there is far less waste. Frozen peas, spinach, mixed veg and berries are good value and handy for weeknight cooking. According to the NHS, frozen, tinned and dried fruit and vegetables all count towards your 5 A Day.
A few more swaps that work well:
- Tinned tomatoes instead of fresh ones in sauces, soups and stews.
- Tinned fish such as sardines, mackerel or salmon instead of fresh fillets for pasta, fishcakes and sandwiches.
- Frozen chopped onions or herbs instead of fresh if you often throw away half-used packs.
- Loose fruit and veg instead of pre-packed bags, so you buy only the amount you will use.
Cheaper cuts and ways to stretch meat
Meat is usually the priciest part of a meal, so small changes here go a long way.
- Chicken thighs instead of breasts. Thighs usually cost less, have more flavour and are harder to overcook.
- A whole chicken instead of portions. Roast it once, use the leftovers in wraps or a curry, then boil the carcass for stock.
- Slow-cooking cuts. Beef shin, brisket, pork shoulder and lamb neck become tender when cooked low and slow, and they tend to cost less than steaks or chops.
- Half mince, half lentils. Replace some of the mince in a bolognese, chilli or cottage pie with red lentils, grated carrot or mushrooms. The texture stays satisfying and the meat goes further.
Having one or two meat-free dinners a week also helps. Eggs, beans, chickpeas and lentils are filling, cost little and keep well.
Breakfast, lunch and snack swaps
The small items bought every day can add up to more than the big weekly meals.
- Porridge oats instead of boxed cereal. A large bag lasts for weeks, and you can add your own fruit.
- A packed lunch from last night's leftovers instead of a meal deal.
- Large bags of crisps or popcorn kernels split into tubs instead of multipacks.
- Tap water or squash instead of bottled water or fizzy drinks.
- Spices and rice from the world foods aisle, where larger packs are often better value per gram.
Cooking swaps that waste less food
Every bit of food you throw away is money in the bin, so how you cook matters as much as what you buy.
- Cook a large batch of something that freezes well and swap one ready meal or takeaway a week for a portion from the freezer.
- Keep bread in the freezer and toast slices straight from frozen.
- Use broccoli stalks, herb stems and veg peelings in soups and stocks.
- Turn leftovers into something new: rice into fried rice, roast veg into a frittata, overripe bananas into banana bread.
Cooking in a slow cooker or microwave usually uses less energy than heating a full oven, which helps with another big household bill. For more on that, see our guide to cutting your energy and water costs.
Making your food savings count
Once your swaps are saving you a few pounds a week, decide where that money goes, or it tends to get spent without you noticing. Moving it into a pot for a bill that comes once a year is one option, and our guide to planning for irregular expenses shows how. If food costs are a constant worry, Citizens Advice can tell you what local support is available, and our budgeting methods guide can help you get the rest of your spending in order.
