I do the ‘big shop’ once a month & only pay £122

WITH our council tax and energy bills set to rise again in the coming months, most of us will be feeling the strain on our budgets. Especially during the current cost of living crisis which is seeing the prices of household essentials continuing to skyrocket.

Image Credit: The Sun [Shopping cart full of groceries.]

So finding ways to keep costs down on other things like our food shop and supermarket bills is key. And one way I do that is by going for one huge monthly food shop rather than jumping into the supermarket every week. With two jobs, a house to run and a wedding to plan, it can be too hard to find the time to jump in every week to stock up.

Image Credit: The Sun [Sainsbury's receipt showing a grocery purchase.]

So doing it once a month not only saves time but also saves cash as well. My fiance Ryan and I always go to Sainsbury's for our food shop - not only does it have high-quality food but the prices are hard to beat and it has impressive deals on all things from meats and fish to snacks and juice.

Image Credit: The Sun [Reduced price British chicken breast.]

We then go to M&S and B&M to top up on a few extra things that are cheaper there. And on our latest trip, our food shop came to just £121.36 in total for four weeks, with our Sainsbury's bill coming in at £105.36 - including our toiletries. Our trolly was packed full as we took advantage of a number of things on offer and foods that were reduced with yellow stickers.

Image Credit: The Sun [People outside a Sainsbury's supermarket.]

We picked up a number of different fruits and vegetables, with some as cheap as 69p a pack. We also nabbed a pack of chicken for two for just £2.39 and a pack of 12 meatballs for £2.56. But that's not all, we also made sure to stock up on plenty of ready meals for those days when we are on the go, like a chicken balti curry with rice and a chicken tikka curry with rice, which were just £2.50 each.

Image Credit: The Sun [Woman with shopping cart full of groceries in a supermarket.]

As well as this, we made sure our cupboards would be full to the brim as we bought plenty of rice and dried pasta, which were only 85p and 65p respectively. We then found the sauces and wraps which we got for £1 and £1.50 which will actually last us for much longer than four weeks as we don't always need to pick them up on a monthly shop.

Image Credit: The Sun [Package of Sainsbury's 10% fat beef meatballs.]

Not only did we nab a large selection of cupboard items, but we also stocked up on juices as well - with cartons of fruit juice at just £1.75 and a pack of 24 Pepsi Max cans for £8.50. And to ensure we had plenty of options for snacks and breakfast we got plenty of Weetabix, trifles, snacks and muller rice pots.

Image Credit: The Sun [Frozen Pukka pies and Sainsbury's ready meals on display with prices.]

The cheap prices at Sainsbury's were just one of many different factors that contributed to how we managed to keep our food shop costs low. It's all about shopping around, planning means in advance, looking for yellow-sticker bargains and signing up for loyalty programmes for the best discounts - like the Nectar card.

Image Credit: The Sun [Receipt showing a Nectar points summary and a total of £105.76.]

For example, some toiletries are cheaper in B&M which is why we went to the bargain retail giant for a few items. We spent £8.10 picking up a jumbo pack of kitchen rolls as well as shower gel and toothpaste. But we picked up shampoo, conditioner, make-up wipes, cotton buds and other painkillers in Sainsbury's because the price was better.

Image Credit: The Sun [Shopping cart filled with groceries.]

We also really enjoy the chips in M&S which is just £2.50 for a pack that feeds two. So we bought three and paid £7.50. Ryan and I also save cash by searching for yellow-sticker bargains and meticulously planning our meals in advance. We went for our food shop on a Friday, which is an ideal time to go because there are usually more items reduced because the expiration dates are up at the end of the week.

Image Credit: The Sun [A hand holding a bag of Sainsbury's fusilli pasta.]

Supermarkets tend to put the prices down on these items even though the food is absolutely fine and can be put in the freezer. In our last shop, we managed to pick up things like a pack of two boneless Scottish salmons for £3.94, two 400g British fresh diced chicken breasts for £2.39 and an Italian-style chicken breast for two for just £3.59.

Image Credit: The Sun [Hair products, cleansing wipes, and cotton buds.]

It's small savings, but when you pick up enough of these it can take tens of pounds off the total bill. Planning ahead of time what meals we are going to make throughout the week can make a huge difference to her bank account. As we pick things up, we check the dates and everything super fresh that needs eaten first gets cooked that week.

Image Credit: The Sun [Two rolls of paper towels, a bottle of Original Source Zesty Lemon & Tea Tree shower gel, and a box of Oral-B Luxe Glamorous White toothpaste.]

But anything that is reduced or has a much-later use-by date gets put in the freezer. Aldi: Look for red stickers near closing time, offering up to 75% off perishable items and 30% off damaged packaging goods. Asda: Discounts happen twice daily, in the morning and evening. Early risers can find fresh produce for as low as 10p.

Lidl: Price cuts occur first thing in the morning and before closing. Use the Lidl Plus app for additional weekly promotions. M&S: Reductions often occur near closing time. Monthly in-store offers and combo deals, like the £12 Dine In for Two, provide extra savings.

Morrisons: Yellow sticker discounts appear throughout the day. Register for a More Card to get specific day-based discounts, like 20% off fish on Fridays. Sainsbury’s: No set discount times; look for yellow ‘reduced’ stickers. Register for Nectar prices for nearly 50% off weekly offers.