Caitríona Redmond: How I reduce my weekly grocery shop spend 

With food prices rising, here are some practical tips on how to decide where to shop and what to buy

To get out of an inspiration rut, I shop the discounts and yellow stickers in the supermarket first, and then plan my meals around what is on offer.

I’ve noticed since I started writing about living on a budget, if I bump into friends at the supermarket, I see them snooping in my trolley or basket. This is a great chance to share any bargains I’ve spotted and laugh about favourite foods, or cringe at any junk we might have sneaked into the weekly shop.

There’s solidarity in living through a cost-of-living saga together. Everybody knows how challenging it is, and it’s a great common topic to rant about.

You don’t need me to tell you  grocery shop is getting more expensive. It really feels like there is very little money left for treats, let alone some essentials. 

It’s clear grocery prices will increase between now and Christmas, and any increases in income tax or social protection payments won’t apply until January.

The three months between now and January feel both long and far too short to brace against rising food prices, but if we want to live well, it’s time to consider what we are eating and cooking so that we can thrive, not survive.

Start by checking what you’ve got, especially if you have a chest freezer. Anybody with a chest freezer knows how easy it is to fill, but far more difficult to get to the bottom of. If there is meat in the freezer for longer than two months, now is the time to start cooking what you’ve got and adding it to the dinner rotation.

Fresh meat really shouldn’t languish in the freezer for too long, and once you have a stock take of the freezer, write it all down and pop the list close by. A small whiteboard or sheet of paper will do; mark off what you use and write up items as you add them in. This will prevent you opening the freezer to see what you’ve got (this will save energy) and also help when making a meal plan.

The freezer is the ‘pause button’ in the household. This is so helpful when you’ve got fresh food that is nearly expired, but also if you shop for supermarket-stickered items.

When living on a budget, I sometimes think inspiration is the biggest culinary battle I have on my hands. The drudgery of planning family meals day in, day out can really wear me down. I gravitate towards tried-and-tested recipes, but over time, they become less enticing for me and the family.

To get out of an inspiration rut, I shop the discounts and yellow stickers in the supermarket first, and then plan my meals around what is on offer. This helps keep my food budget down and adds items I may not normally cook to the meal rotation.

This method depends on having space in the freezer, because I might be able to buy three pieces of protein on offer. With short expiration dates, though, I freeze whatever I don’t cook immediately, and return to it later on in the week.

Special offers are where my food budget really does well.

A budget mainstay like rice will rarely go on sale, so shop cleverly to save money. For rice, I go to my local international supermarket, rather than a big grocery store. I’ve learned I can save a fortune on quality rice if I buy it in 5kg bags and that size tends to last us about six-eight weeks.

Dishwasher tabs and washing detergent are frequently on special offer. When that happens, I buy two or three packages to take advantage of the lower price, and it lasts me a few weeks. That means I can hold out for the next run of offers.

To make the most of the supermarkets, I am signed up for every loyalty card there is. I have the loyalty cards saved in my wallet app on my phone because I’m more likely to have my phone than my purse with me in the supermarket.

Check the websites before deciding where you’re shopping, and choose the shop with the best special offer. Make sure to check for one-off coupons and vouchers in the supermarket apps as well.

I follow the offers to the shop, not the shop for their specials. If my favourite dishwasher tabs are on offer in Tesco this week, then I’ll stock up, but the next time the offer is in Dunnes Stores, then you’ll find me shopping there instead.

Doing the research really pays off. Don’t forget about the smaller shops either. Centra, Mace and even Spar can also have attractive special offers.

It may be a false economy to save €5 on your weekly shop if you also spend €5 on diesel or petrol. If you live a bit further from a major supermarket, remember driving there and back will use up fuel, so factor that into your shopping costs.

Sometimes we can sleepwalk into the weekly shop and put the same things into the trolley every week. Being more mindful about what you buy and eat will save you money, and remember, your money is better in your pocket in this economy.

That’s for sure.

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It’s getting a little colder, especially in the evenings, and many people will be considering turning their heating back on.

Before turning the boiler on again, make sure you bleed the radiator. If you can’t find your radiator key, you can pick one up in most hardware shops for about €5. Starting at the bottom of the house, fit the key into the top of the radiator and turn it to let any air escape.

Once you’ve bled all the radiators, check your system pressure, as you may have to top it up a little so the boiler is at the correct operating pressure.

Less air in the heating means radiators heat from top to bottom.