I’m a yellow sticker mum and save £1,000 a year on my food shop using three no-brainer hacks
WITH Christmas just days away, most of us will be feeling the pinch after forking out on presents and gifts for our loved ones.
And with skyrocketing bills, soaring costs and the current cost of living crisis, it’s no wonder that we will be feeling the strain on our budgets.
So finding ways to keeping costs down on other things like our supermarket bills will be key over the festive period.
Luckily, one savvy mum has shared her three hacks which help her save £1,000 a year on her food shop.
And for those who are struggling to make ends meet, Dominique Dyer’s top tips couldn’t come at a better time.
The mum-of-one, 38, makes small but reglaur savings at a time that slowly builds up over the year.
She saves vital cash by searching for yellow-sticker bargains and meticulously plans her meals in advance.
Dominique also subscribes to loyalty programmes for the best discounts.
It’s worth every penny that is saved as I can feed my household on average for £15 to £20 per week without having to say no to snacks or personal indulgences
Dominique Dyer
The Home Ownership Officer, from London, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: “I decided to start yellow sticker shopping to save money and for ethical reasons such as preventing food wastage that would most likely end up being discarded by supermarkets even though it is perfectly fine.
“Over the course of the year I have managed to save on average at least £1,000 by buying reduced produce.
“So far in my hauls I have managed to buy things such as a boneless lamb shoulder joint for £2.84, beef ranch steaks for two for £1.49, seabass fillets for £1.49, a large gammon joint for £3.24, lamb mince for £0.79p, eight chicken fillets for £2.74, organic king prawns for £0.99p, crayfish for £0.99 and oxtails for £1.49.
“These items were all good quality. It’s worth every penny that is saved as I can feed my household on average for £15 to £20 per week without having to say no to snacks or personal indulgences.”
Dominique also revealed that planning ahead of time what meals she is going to make throughout the week can make a huge difference to her bank account.
This because it helps her keep wastage to a mnimum and make use out of everything she picks up.
She explained: “I make sure that prior to purchasing, I think of meals that the products I am picking up can make.
“While doing this I factor in cooking the items that are most likely to perish first and decide to cook those first, as you never know what you will come across reduced.
“This can offer a nicely varied diet and allows me to try new things that I would never know existed, or thought to purchase.
“When doing yellow sticker hauls, I freeze a majority of the food, so this saves me having to visit supermarkets daily, works out more cost effective than shopping monthly and some of the items are already pre-made or pre-seasoned so on lazier days.
“Or if I’m working late I can pop the meals into the oven without having to cook for a couple of hours.
“My top tip is to always portion out meats enough for one meal at a time and put them into freezer bags.”
She added: “Always plan your meals ahead so the foods that cannot be frozen will be consumed promptly so there is no wastage.
“I tend to visit Sainsbury’s at certain hours for discounts of up to 70%, and Coop offer discounts throughout the day.
“Always ask a member of staff if the item you’ve selected is due to be reduced further and if it is ask them if they can reduce right then.”
One thing that shoppers may not consider doing is signing up to shop’s loyaly schemes.
Dominique said that this helps get bonus discounts which all add up over the course of the year.
She said: “Another tip is to sign up to store loyalty cards.
“My favourite is Nectar who are in partnership with many other businesses.
“Each time I shop in Sainsbury’s or fill up at their petrol station I earn Nectar points.
“They also use algorithms based on your shopping habits to offer further discounts or additional bonus points on products you purchase regularly as well other products you may be interested in.
“They also set shopping challenges in which you can claim additional bonus points and have Nectar prices on products in general.
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
“This way the more you collect, the more eligible you are for further discounts or money off with other organisations.
“With Nectar they also provide an analysis of how much you have saved over the course of the year, as well as how many points you have, the monetary value and where you can redeem items.
“Also subscribe to mailing lists such as LatestDeals.co.uk and look out for deals around Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year’s, Easter and Black Friday.”
Reacting to Dominique’s savvy shopping, Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: “You may not think it’s much if you’re saving a tenner or so every week on your food shop.
“But Dominique’s incredible yearly savings just show how much, in the words of Tesco, every little helps.
“Dominique is a big fan of Nectar points, as am I.
“It’s a no-brainer to join loyalty schemes and collect points wherever you can, as you’ll be rewarded as you go.
“To start off your Nectar journey, you can get £15 off your first grocery shop over £80 at Sainsbury’s.”