BAG A BARGAIN
I never pay full price for food and know the exact times and days to get at least 50% off at Tesco, Sainsbury’s and M&S
Find out how to cut the price of your food bill on every visit to the supermarket
A SHOPPER has revealed how they cut the price of every shop by at least 50% at major supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury's and M&S.
As the price of a supermarket shop increases, savvy shopper Eleanor Rose, 22 from London, has revealed how she bags half-price groceries on every trip to the store.
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The shopper ensures she fills her basket with heavily discounted yellow sticker goods by hitting the aisles at exactly the right time – and only goes for the best deals.
She told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: "It was my fiancé who first taught me how to look for yellow stickers.
"He is and was a non-funded PhD student, so he needs to be thrifty. Now I am addicted to yellow-stickered food!
"I try to always get yellow stickers that are around 50% off or more.
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"If it’s only a few tens of pence off it’s not really worth the trouble, so I always try to save half the price of any given shop.”
Eleanor’s commitment to nabbing the best bargains sees her drop by multiple stores to get the best deals on offer.
She added: "Near my flat at the moment there is a Sainsbury's and a M&S within a few hundred yards of each other, so if I can't find yellow stickers at one I go to the other.
"I take what I like the look of – although I leave plenty for other people, as greedy shoppers aren’t looked upon kindly within the yellow sticker community.”
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The yellow-sticker expert explained that she finds she usually makes a saving of about 50%.
One Tesco shop should have cost £11.25, but Eleanor paid just £5.98.
Buying a Sainsbury’s discounted fruit and veg box saw her pay just £2 for £6.34 of produce.
How to find the best bargains at the supermarket
On other visits she’s picked up pancakes which were £1.75 for 44p, saving £1.31, bagels which were £1.50 for 39p, saving £1.11, and pizza which was £1.70 for 69p, saving £1.01.
She added: "I generally find the best yellow-stickered food in the evenings - not too late or the best bargains will be gone, but not too early or they will be marked down only a little - and on Sunday afternoons.
“I either eat it that day, the next day, or put it into the freezer. Most things can be frozen and then thawed which means that even if something is use by that very day, I can still save it and eat it another time.”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “Once you start yellow stickering, it’s addictive and hard to stop.
“Yellow sticker hunters find that they get delicious food at incredible prices.
“The trick to yellow sticker shopping is to get to know what time your local supermarkets reduce food, and to make sure you’re there on time to snap up the best bargains.
“Try to get to know the timings of two or three different supermarkets near you so you always have options!
“If you can only shop online, another way to get discounts is to hunt for discount codes.
“For example, Sainsbury’s is currently offering £15 off an £80 spend for new customers.”
Supermarkets typically discount food close to its use-by date by up to 75% to save on food wastage.
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Items discounted are typically highlighted with red and yellow stickers and placed together on dedicated savings shelves.
While most retailers have said they don't have set times for reducing prices, they often tend to be slashed in the morning and a few hours before closing.
How to save money on your supermarket shop
THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop.
You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they've been reduced.
If the food is fresh, you'll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time.
Making a list should also save you money, as you'll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
This means ditching "finest" or "luxury" products and instead going for "own" or value" type of lines.
Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they're misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
If you're on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too.
Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
Plus, you can join our Facebook group to share your tips and stories
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