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Some ideas about possible ways to reduce the amount of money you spend on eating and drinking:
- Eating in school or university canteens will usually be cheaper than commercial cafes or restaurants
- Cooking for yourself will be cheaper than buying ready-made meals
- When travelling, consider taking some snacks or a picnic with you
- Eating local and seasonal food is cheaper; it may be more expensive if you try to eat in the same way as in your home country
- It is cheaper to buy alcohol in a supermarket or in a drinks shop, but you cannot open it there (they are known as "off-licences")
It is usually cheapest to buy food from a large supermarket such as:
Tesco: http://www.tesco.co.uk
Sainsbury's: http://www.sainsburys.co.uk
Morrison: http://www.morrison.com
Asda: http://www.asda.co.uk
Waitrose: http://www.waitrose.co.uk
Marks & Spencer: http://www.marks-and-spencer.co.uk
When you pay for your shopping in a supermarket and pay using a debit card (such as Switch), you may be asked, "Would you like some cashback?" Cashback is just a way of obtaining money, equivalent to using a cash machine.
Some ideas about ways to save money for regular food shopping:
- If you use the same supermarket regularly, you should apply for its loyalty card; show this each time you shop to collect "points" which can later be used to buy things.
- Check "best before" or "use by" dates to make sure that you don't waste food. Supermarkets may sell fresh food cheaply if it is close to its "use by" date, especially just before a day on which the shop is closed.
- Goods sold using the supermarket's own label may be cheaper than branded goods, and the quality is often similar.
- Supermarkets often have special offers such as "two for the price of one". You can find details on their websites.
- It is often cheaper to buy larger packs than individual portions. You may want to shop together with a friend and split larger packs between you.
- Fruit and vegetables are usually cheaper and fresher if bought from a market (see Markets) or at a greengrocer's rather than from a supermarket |
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