I’m a super shopper and save over £500 a year on my food shop with a simple trick – here’s how I do it
A SAVVY woman has revealed how she saves over £500 a year on her food bills.
So if you’re looking to cut costs and save money on your groceries, then you’ve come to the right place.
Donna West, 57, a mum-of-six and grandmother-of-seven from Middlesbrough, explained that thanks to her simple trick, she is now hooked on nabbing bargain buys.
Donna shared that in order to reduce the price of her weekly shop, she hunts for cheap yellow sticker buys.
She started such discount shopping by accident, but now, has found everything from beef reduced from £23.50 to only £3.50, to bottles of Innocent smoothies slashed from £3 to just 19p.
Now, Donna goes hunting for yellow stickers every single day and claims all the little savings really add up to make a big difference in her monthly outgoings.
Donna told money-saving community LatestDeals: “I love yellow sticker shopping.
“I found yellow stickers one day when doing my normal shop.
“I’d gone to Morrisons one day, roughly at 5pm and I noticed people standing around, then a tray of food items coming out reduced and people taking from it.
“I then saw the yellow sticker reductions. I saw pieces of beef reduced from £15 to £4.50 so I took two.
“I also got a birthday cake reduced from £11.50 to £1.50, which was amazing.
“I got some great reductions, and that was it – I was hooked on the amazing savings.
“I then showed my best friend what I’d got and we decided to go back the next day.
“Again we got an amazing haul: another beef joint slashed from £23.50 to £3.50, saving me £20, and which was big enough to cut in half for two meals.”
After feeling impressed with her savings, Donna continued: “I found I was saving lots of money doing yellow stickers so now I do it a few times a week or if I see one randomly which is worth it, I grab it.
“I’ve saved lots doing yellow stickers and these days it’s the way to go.”
There may be a few people pushing and grabbing but you can still get good deals
Donna West
And don’t worry if you’ve got limited space in your fridge, as Donna expressed: “I freeze the majority of my hauls and things like eggs I used in baking cakes or pies.
“I bulk cook then freeze it also. I’ve made meals like chicken casserole and worked out I’d spent £1.45 on all the ingredients including the chicken fillets! It’s a great way to save.”
Donna typically shops in Morrisons, as she shared: “Different stores will start reducing prices at different times.
“Our local Morrisons start their big reductions from 5pm daily and from 2pm on a Sunday.
“I usually get Too Good To Go bags also – they’re really worth the money.”
When to bag yellow sticker bargains
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.
Marks and Spencer: 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.
Tesco: No fixed discount times. Check the “mark-down section” in 300 stores for reduced-price items like salads, bread, and meat.
For those looking to cut costs, Donna advised: “To save money, make sure you freeze your food wherever possible.
“Don’t worry about sell-by dates – as long as you freeze it by the last date shown it will be fine.
“Doing yellow sticker shopping saves time too as you’re not up and down the aisles but in one place in the store, and you can get all sorts.”
I’ve always got a chest freezer full of food through yellow sticker shopping
Donna West
According to Donna, who is unable to work due to a long term illness, shoppers might push and shove, but it’s worth it to nab the best bargains.
The super shopper added: “There may be a few people pushing and grabbing but you can still get good deals.
“I’d say to others to ask nicely at their local stores what time reductions are and go from there.
“I go to my local One Stop shop daily as they have some amazing reductions and they know me now so tell me what’s going out the next day!
“I also share my hauls with friends and family – after all we’re all in the same boat trying to save a few pennies.
“I can’t work due to long term illnesses so doing yellow sticker shopping is a great help.
“I’ve always got a chest freezer full of food through yellow sticker shopping.
“I’ve lost count of how much I’ve saved over time – my last count for the year was over £500!”
How to save money on your food shop
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save hundreds of pounds a year:
Odd boxes – plenty of retailers offer slightly misshapen fruit and veg or surplus food at a discounted price.
Lidl sells five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50 through its Waste Not scheme while Aldi shoppers can get Too Good to Go bags which contain £10 worth of all kinds of products for £3.30.
Sainsbury’s also sells £2 “Taste Me, Don’t Waste Me” fruit and veg boxes to help shoppers reduced food waste and save cash.
Food waste apps – food waste apps work by helping shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses shift stock that is due to go out of date and passing it on to members of the public.
Some of the most notable ones include Too Good to Go and Olio.
Too Good to Go’s app is free to sign up to and is used by millions of people across the UK, letting users buy food at a discount.
Olio works similarly, except users can collect both food and other household items for free from neighbours and businesses.
Yellow sticker bargains – yellow sticker bargains, sometimes orange and red in certain supermarkets, are a great way of getting food on the cheap.
But what time to head out to get the best deals varies depending on the retailer. You can see the best times for each supermarket here.
Super cheap bargains – sign up to bargain hunter Facebook groups like Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK where shoppers regularly post hauls they’ve found on the cheap, including food finds.
“Downshift” – you will almost always save money going for a supermarket’s own-brand economy lines rather than premium brands.
The move to lower-tier ranges, also known as “downshifting” and hailed by consumer expert Martin Lewis, could save you hundreds of pounds a year on your food shop.
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals, commented: “Donna is a super shopper!
“She is proof that small savings over time really do add up and make a huge difference.
“I see Donna is a fan of Morrisons’ yellow sticker reductions.
“One of my favourite tips is to use voucher codes such as for Morrisons to save money. You can often get £20 off your first online shop.
“It’s always good to keep your eyes peeled and see what your favourite retailers are offering, as more often than not there’s a discount or code to help you save that bit more on your shopping.”
How to save at Morrisons
Buying a delivery pass can slash the cost of shopping online if you’re a Morrisons regular.
You also get priorities for Christmas delivery slots.
How much it costs depends on which you get anytime or mid-week, and if it’s for the year, six-months or monthly.
You’ll need to work out the cost compared to how much you spend on delivery without one to see if it’s worthwhile.
Morrisons does a range of wonky veg that can work out cheaper than the main range.
Check websites like Quidco and TopCashback BEFORE you place your order.
Cashback websites PAY you to shop. All you have to do is click through their links and the money is added to your online account.
Search for discount codes on websites like MyVoucherCodes.co.uk and VoucherCodes.co.uk to see if you can get money off at the till.
Follow your favourite shops on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and sign up to its deals newsletter to get the latest on any offers. We post the best deals in our Sun Money FB group too.
Try switching all of your branded or premium goods for lower level ones and see if you notice the difference.
Morrisons regularly adds new products to its ‘own-brand “savers” range.
This is its value range where prices start from as little as 20p.
It includes all sorts of products including peas, spaghetti, marmalade, jaffa cakes and washing up liquid.
Swap your usual items for savers alternatives and see if you can tell the difference.
Shoppers can earn points with the More Than loyalty scheme when they spend online or in store.
How many points you earn will depend on the offers available at the time, plus you get five points for every litre of fuel at Morrisons petrol stations.
Reach 5,000 points and you get £5 off your shopping, plus there are other offers and coupons and the checkout and via the app.
Shoppers also get cheaper prices that are just for members.