How to save money on groceries: 5 habits that work

By Saadat Rafiq · 2 min read · 5 steps · Updated 4 October 2026

Step pictures

4 of 5 steps, our drawings

Checked

October 2026

Sources

1, linked below

These five habits and their figures come from MoneyHelper, a UK government-backed money service. The page was last updated on 15 June 2021, so read the pound amounts as examples from that time.

Step by step

1. Take a shopping list

   60% of people who take a shopping list with them to the supermarket say it saves them money.

   Done

2. Be careful of deals

   Offers are hard to judge: in the MoneyHelper test only 40 out of 2,000 people, just 2%, could correctly identify all of the best deals.

   Done

3. Shop around

   You can reduce your bill by 30% simply by shopping around. Buying own-brand products saves money as well.

   Done

4. Avoid distractions

   Pressure from children adds an average of 15.50 pounds of goods to the basket, and three in five people said they spend more when they are hungry or tired.

   Done

5. Use or freeze leftovers

   Keeping an eye on expiration dates and using or freezing leftovers can save the average family 720 pounds a year.

   Done

Good to know

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The pictures on this page are our own drawings, not photos. The prices in the drawing are an example of a 30% saving. Every figure in the text comes from the source below.

In short: A shopping list, care with offers, shopping around and own brands, no shopping hungry or tired, and using or freezing leftovers.