Cost of living crisis: 10 hacks to save hundreds of pounds on your food shopping

Money saving tips: Vlogger reveals how she saved £14k

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The average UK family wastes eight meals and throws out £60 worth of food every week. However, with a few simple lifestyle changes they could save themselves £720 a year.

Andrea explained: “All you have to do is place any newly bought food items at the back of the fridge or cupboard and keep the products closest to being out-of-date at the front.”

People should also take a look at what foods they are guilty of throwing out, so that they can buy less in the first place.

Being organised also means writing a list before leaving the house – Britons who don’t do this end up spending three times more, according to research from the Money Advice Service.

Meanwhile, if people have ever been in a position when they’ve cooked too much spaghetti then there’s a really simple hack to help cook up the perfect portion size every time.

Andrea explained: “If you’re making spaghetti bolognese and require dry spaghetti, you just need to take a bundle and make sure it’s around the same diameter as a 10p coin. This is enough for two people.”

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Buying frozen fruit and vegetables could also save people a lot of money and is just as healthy.

Andrea explained: “Not only are frozen vegetables longer lasting and more convenient, but many studies show that they pack a stronger nutritional punch and retain the vegetable’s nutrients for longer due to being frozen.

“So next time you need to buy fresh peas, sweetcorn, broccoli, cauliflower or carrots, consider heading to the frozen aisle instead.

“Plus, they’re much cheaper – you can get a 1kg mixed bag of frozen vegetables from Sainsbury’s for 69p, whereas buying them all separately (carrots, cauliflower, green beans and garden peas) would amount to £2.28.”

While bread is one of the most wasted food items, people can waste less by storing bread in the freezer as soon as they buy it.

Andrea said: “A quick way of overcoming this wastefulness is to store your bread in the freezer as soon as you buy it.

“You then just need to take out a couple of slices at a time, depending on your use for the bread.

“Don’t be alarmed if your bread is still frozen when making a sandwich on a morning for a packed lunch – the bread will have defrosted by the time lunch rolls around, with no excess water involved.”

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Andrea shared her top ten hacks for wasting less food:

  • Add fresh herbs to ice cubes – perfect for future recipes
  • Be aware of which foods you regularly throw out and stop buying them
  • Use the FIFO method when organising your fridge
  • Buy frozen vegetables over fresh, as they’re healthier, cheaper and last longer
  • Regularly check the temperature of your fridge
  • Never go shopping without a list as you’ll spend up to three times more
  • Use a 10p coin to properly measure your pasta portion – this is enough for two people
  • Store your eggs in the right part of the fridge to stop them from rotting
  • Most fruit and vegetables can be eaten beyond the date on their packaging
  • Store your bread in the freezer as soon as you buy it and make frozen sandwiches.

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