SAVVY shopper Jane Macadam has shaved £2,500 a year off her supermarket shopping bills by using an “addictive” website.
The 61-year-old is one of millions struggling with high food prices due to soaring inflation.
But Jane, from Arnold, in Nottingham has cut her bill from £120 every 10 days to just £50, by using a website where you can buy food that is near or past its “best before” date, instead of major supermarkets.
The website – Approved Food – sells the surplus stock from shops at rock bottom prices.
She said: “I have always been careful with money, but what worries me now more than ever is the increase in energy costs, it’s important for me to find ways to reduce expenses whenever possible, and that’s where Approved Food comes in.”
“Understanding the distinction between the ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates are crucial.
“I used to be cautious about eating anything past the ‘best before’ date, but after learning more and realising that it’s completely safe, I am now addicted.”
The food is totally safe to eat. That’s because best before relates to the quality of the product, not safety. Whereas “use by” means it will not be safe to eat after the date has passed.
After a product’s best before date, the food is generally safe to eat but may be past its “best”.
Jane first found out about Approved Food by Googling discounted food shops and stumbled across its website.
She’s been using it for the last three years – meaning she’s saved £7,500 in total since switching from major retailers.
She buys all kinds of products from the website, including alcohol, crisps, biscuits, baked beans, coffee, dog treats, shampoo and conditioner and vitamins.
But Jane warns, using Approved Food doesn’t guarantee that her shop will be cheaper.
“I usually open the Tesco website at the same time and compare my shopping baskets to Approved Food’s, and then I can clearly see that I am significantly saving,” she said.
She also uses other retailers to pick up fresh produce.
“I visit other supermarkets to top up my shopping when I need a certain ingredient urgently, for example some fresh fruit or vegetables that I might need to make a certain meal,” she said.
“For everything else, I always check Approved Food first.”
The savvy shopper has also subscribed to Approved Food’s newsletter so she can get alerted about new bargain.
Plus, we finds it’s cheaper if you wait longer – such as every fortnight – to do your shop, as you have to pay a £3 delivery fee on orders worth £55 or less.
If she’s feeling a bit adventurous, she also picks up a “lucky box”, which costs £1 and comes with surprise items inside.
Jane said: “Previously I have received a very pricey Italian virgin olive oil in the box which would have been £7.
“One only recent lucky boxes included mainly skincare products and when I looked up their price, I discovered that these products would have normally cost me £90.
“Most people don’t realise Approved Food sells high-end beauty products too, including Olaplex and Elemis which are great gifts.”
Jane also said while most of the time she picks up food and toiletries, she has nabbed kids items too.
She added: “Additionally, I have purchased colouring books and kids’ games, which have made wonderful presents in the past.”
These are the top five items Jane buys from Approved Foods. All prices are from the time of writing:
There are a host of websites and smart phone apps where you can get food and other supermarket items at massively discounted rates.
Olio is an app you can download on to your smart phone for free that lets you pick up free food and non-food items.
It works by businesses such as shops, cafes and offices giving away items they have at the end of each day to volunteers.
These volunteers then post any items they have on the app and wait for people nearby to come and collect them.
Everything used to be free to collect via the app but there is now an option to pay for certain second-hand items.
There’s a useful feature on the app that lets you see how far away certain products are and how many people have viewed a certain batch of goods.
Too Good to Go works similarly to Olio, except any member of the public can give away food for free.
Discountdragon.co.uk works like Approved Food, by selling produce near its best before date at massively discounted prices.
Shoppers have previously found pet treats for just 1p while you can pick up branded goods such as Heinz, Marmite and Special K on the cheap.
You can shop across a number of different categories including health and beauty, soft drinks, alcohol and home and cleaning.
One downside is that you have to spend a minimum amount to qualify for delivery – this is currently £30.
SUN Savers Editor Lana Clements explains how to find a cut-price item and bag a bargain…
Sign up to loyalty schemes of the brands that you regularly shop with.
Big names regularly offer discounts or special lower prices for members, among other perks.
Sales are when you can pick up a real steal.
Retailers usually have periodic promotions that tie into payday at the end of the month or Bank Holiday weekends, so keep a lookout and shop when these deals are on.
Sign up to mailing lists and you’ll also be first to know of special offers. It can be worth following retailers on social media too.
When buying online, always do a search for money off codes or vouchers that you can use vouchercodes.co.uk and myvouchercodes.co.uk are just two sites that round up promotions by retailer.
Scanner apps are useful to have on your phone. Trolley.co.uk app has a scanner that you can use to compare prices on branded items when out shopping.
Bargain hunters can also use B&M’s scanner in the app to find discounts in-store before staff have marked them out.
And always check if you can get cashback before paying which in effect means you’ll get some of your money back or a discount on the item.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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