Savvy shoppers share the easy ways they’ve slashed food bills by £100s…and it’s all about knowing exactly what to freeze

WE ALL need to attempt to avoid wasting cash the place doable, proper?!

Life is pricey and if you're fed up of throwing away meals that has gone previous its sell-by date, then hear up.

Tom Church is here to share his top tips that will save you hundreds of pounds a year on food shopping
Tom Church is right here to share his high ideas that can prevent a whole lot of kilos a 12 months on meals purchasing

The drive to cut back meals waste is larger than ever, with increasingly Brits seeing the worth in yellow sticker bargains and apps resembling Too Good To Go.

Nevertheless, many people aren’t seeing the potential our freezers have, selecting as a substitute to place plenty of our meals within the fridge.

Tom Church, co-Founding father of LatestDeals.co.uk, stated: “Many people, myself included, are responsible of forgetting about meals within the fridge infrequently, and as soon as it’s been sitting there for just a few weeks we usually throw it out.

“Nevertheless, after a chat with a few of our deal hunters, I’ve obtained an schooling on the best way to use fridge freezers and chest freezers to their full potential, saving £100s every year.”

So should you fancy saving your self a whole lot of kilos yearly, you have come to the best place.

Right here, cut price hunters give their high ideas for saving cash and lowering meals waste. 

Batch cook dinner to save lots of over £400 in meals waste

Batching cooking a number of meals after which freezing them, will prevent plenty of cash in the long term. 

It would appear to be a chore, however as soon as it’s finished, it is going to be price it.

Caroline Hoy stated: “I batch cook dinner meals like curry, chilli, mince for spag bol or cottage pie.”

Batch cooking is a great way to save money on food shopping and means you have little waste
Batch cooking is an effective way to save cash on meals purchasing and means you will have little wasteCredit score: Getty

Equally, Martina Naughton stated: “I batch make and freeze as a lot as I can. Usually bolognese, lasagne combine, pork and mushroom stroganoff, hen and mushroom pie combine, curry combine simply to call just a few. 

“Usually I handle no less than 6 meals for bolognese and stroganoff, no less than 2 lasagnes and usually 4 pie mixes plus no less than 6 hen curry mixes however I've a good sized chest freezer. Smartest thing we purchased.”

Tom added: “Getting a chest freezer is a stable funding. You will get a good one for round £150 should you store well, and also you’ll quickly get your a reimbursement within the financial savings you make every month.

“As an alternative of leaving leftovers or spare substances within the fridge, the place you would overlook about them they usually’ll go off, you possibly can freeze them as a substitute - saving them from being thrown within the bin and contributing to the large quantity of meals waste the UK produces every year.

“In line with The Eco Specialists, the typical family throws away £1.36 price of meals per day - which is the equal of round £40 a month, or £496 a 12 months. 

“Nevertheless, the annual price of working a freezer based on LEAP is £29. Even should you solely use your fridge freezer extra, which prices as much as £58 a 12 months to run, you’re nonetheless saving over £400 a 12 months by avoiding meals waste!”

Freeze recent fruit & greens - scale back 644million tonnes of waste

The fruit bowl is usually forgotten about, leaving us with rotting apples and black bananas. 

The identical is the case with greens if we slice open an onion or cucumber, then depart it within the fridge. 

Nevertheless, you possibly can keep away from these meals waste points by making use of your freezer. 

Make sure you freeze vegetables if you want to save cash
Be sure you freeze greens if you wish to save moneyCredit score: Getty

Samantha Goodship stated: “I freeze veg, particularly should you purchase it on a yellow sticker or throughout low cost promotional instances. I chop it then freeze.”

Liz Simmons recommends utilizing greens whereas they’re recent and freezing the meals: “Getting a £1.50 Lidl veg field is an efficient option to have do-it-yourself wholesome meals you possibly can portion and freeze, so you possibly can have a nutritious meal rapidly.”

Caroline additionally will get ingenious together with her fruit freezing: “Banana slices for milkshakes, or coated in cocoa powder as a snack. I additionally freeze half bananas as a snack for my canine!”

Tom added: “Fruit and greens are the commonest meals which go to waste - information from Too Good To Go exhibits that it includes a whopping 42% of complete waste per 12 months globally, which quantities to 644 million tonnes. By utilizing your freezer well, you are able to do your bit to cut back this stunning determine.”

Purchase lowered meals and freeze them - choose up 19p veg

Increasingly more persons are purchasing well by searching yellow sticker reductions in supermarkets and signing up for apps resembling Olio and Too Good To Go. 

Making use of your freezer may help to increase the lifespan of those merchandise even additional. 

Caroline Harrison stated: “I freeze quite a lot of leftover meals. Diminished meals like sausages and ham and bread. Additionally milk too.”

Buy veg when it's reduced and freeze them for another day
Purchase veg when it is lowered and freeze them for an additional dayCredit score: Getty

Equally, Zoe Mckenzie stated: “I purchase lowered meat and veg. After I get residence I make meals and put them in containers or freezer luggage and freeze them.” 

Liz Simmons had the same concept: “I at all times get lowered bread merchandise to stay within the freezer as again up.”

Tom added: “It’s simpler than ever to search out lowered gadgets within the grocery store and even get them totally free through the use of Olio. I picked up some carrots for simply 19p in Tesco the opposite day and I received bread just a few weeks in the past with Olio. I froze each after utilizing what I wanted and that can assist me save much more cash!”

Cook dinner and freeze sides - save on electrical energy prices

As an alternative of turning the oven and hob on each time you need to cook dinner a meal, why not lower the electrical energy price by conserving sides within the freezer? 

Derry Dynes stated: “I cook dinner further greens and roast potatoes, placing no less than half each time in parts within the freezer. When you're cooking meat within the oven, I put the veg & potatoes in for a fast and simple dinner. Saves on pans and heating.”

Equally, Caroline Hoy stated: “I lower french sticks into parts for soup or sliced in half for garlic pizza bread!”

Save on electricity costs by using your freezer
Save on electrical energy prices through the use of your freezerCredit score: Getty

Jemma George freezes sides and extra: “I freeze practically every thing I can, I make chips, and roast potatoes for the freezer, herbs, bread, butter, grated cheese, something to cease me losing meals that can go off. I additionally batch cook dinner and freeze.”

Tom added: “Not solely does having ready-made sides for meals scale back the electrical energy price, it additionally saves you effort and time. Plus, should you’re getting a takeaway, why not freeze any leftovers - and even purchase an additional portion and divide it up within the freezer - then use it sooner or later? Fish and chip takeaways are notably good for this.”

Get good with packaging

It’s one factor to place as a lot as you possibly can within the freezer, however should you’re tight on house or haven’t taken look inside it shortly, you would possibly discover that what you’re storing is taking over quite a lot of pointless house. 

Mandy Lam got here up with a wise trick for wraps: “Freeze tortilla wraps however first take all of them out of the packet, roll every one up tightly after which put all of them again within the packet. A lot simpler to only take out what you want.”

Jo Stewart had methodology for freezing meat: “Sluggish cooker works higher with low cost cuts of meat, make further for useful prepared meals, freeze in ziplock luggage, lay flat in your freezer, takes up much less house and defrosts rather a lot faster.”

Throw away packaging - cardboard boxes take up too much space in your freezer
Throw away packaging - cardboard packing containers take up an excessive amount of house in your freezerCredit score: Getty

Tom added: “It’s shocking how a lot house packaging can take up within the freezer. Why not take a day to empty your freezer, take away any plastic or cardboard you don’t want out of your gadgets and repack every thing in the easiest way doable? You’ll be shocked how a lot free house you’re left with!”

Flip herbs, spices & condiments into ice cubes

We often affiliate herbs and spices with the meals cabinet, but when a recipe requires recent garlic or ginger it may be all too simple to retailer the leftovers within the fridge - then overlook about them. 

Wendy Crowther stated: “If I see garlic and ginger on particular or if it is going low cost..I course of it in a blender collectively and freeze it in ice dice trays then pop them out and bag it up…like those you should purchase prepared frozen.

"I additionally freeze complete chillies and after I need a hit of chili on one thing I grate it over it.”

Liz Simmons has a technique for making cheese last more: “Get more durable cheese - you possibly can grate then freeze and add to issues frozen.”

In the meantime, Jennifer Davies suggested: “Freeze recent ginger and chillies and grate from frozen. No must take away pores and skin.”

Tom added: “I’d by no means have considered freezing these things however I’ll be shifting them right here any longer!”

Freeze substances for inventory cubes, breadcrumbs & extra

When you’ve developed the behavior of utilizing your freezer extra, it’s time to get ingenious. 

Helen Hutchinson stated: “I made an actual custard on the weekend. I froze the egg whites to make use of one other time. They take up much less room within the freezer than the meringues I used to be going to make.”

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Em Peel-Rice added: “You can also make do-it-yourself pasta sauce and freeze it. You may additionally use leftover bones to make your individual inventory cubes and freeze them in ice dice trays.”

Liz Simmons stated: “Leftover recent herbs may be chopped and added to grease and frozen in ice dice trays prepared so as to add to cooking.

"Additionally, outdated bread may be saved to make breadcrumbs. What’s extra, leftover wine may be frozen in ice dice trays and used for sauces or gravy.”

Jodie Louise Fowler was pondering equally: “Freeze grapes to make use of in wine reasonably than ice cubes... does not soften and in flip does not dilute the wine.”

With these money-saving tips, you will save £100s every year
With these money-saving ideas, you'll save £100s yearlyCredit score: Getty

In the meantime, my accomplice and I by no means have takeaways or purchase manufacturers and we’ve saved £20k in 10 months – right here’s my high ideas.

Additionally, I drew on my wall with a pen two years in the past to save lots of a whole lot on wallpaper, persons are at all times amazed at the way it appears now.

If that wasn't sufficient, my purchasing habit left me £38k in debt – that is how I’m SAVING cash in 2022… and all you want is an envelope.

In addition to this, I used to be quoted £16K to rework my overgrown backyard however did it myself utilizing B&M and The Vary bargains & saved hundreds.

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