MARTIN Lewis’ MoneySavingExpert has revealed a little-known site where shoppers can get grocery essentials from just 9p.
In the latest MSE newsletter, it shared a special code to get customers even more money off the online grocery store.
1
Approved Food, a grocery clearance site, sells products that are near or past their best before date but are still safe to eat.
The saving experts at MSE have managed to blag a code offering an extra 10% off on orders totalling £22.50.
All you need to do is enter “MSETEN” at the checkout and the code is valid until 10am on Wednesday, March 15.
As part of the offer shoppers can bag some savvy bargains including Heinz Beanz for just 99p for three cans or 30p each.
MSE said the next cheapest price it found was £1 per tin at Tesco.
Using the code will get you a mini box of Kellogg’s Cornflakes for 10p – or 9p per pack when you enter the code at checkout.
The next cheapest found was 50p at Sainsbury’s.
You can also grab four bottles of Coca-Cola for £2, so 45p per bottle with the code – the next cheapest is £1 a bottle at Waitrose.
Shoppers can also get their hands on a pack of Persil Colour Laundry Washing Liquid Detergent, usually £5, but £4.50 with the code.
The next cheapest price was at Morrisons for £7.
Delivery starts at £3 for up to 25kg, but varies depending on where you live and the weight of your order.
Make sure to factor in the delivery charge before you make a purchase.
Of course if you’re buying items that are near or past their best before date you should bear in mind that they will need to be eaten pretty quickly.
A best before date is related to quality and there’s no harm in eating items that have gone past “best” if they have been stored correctly, like at the right fridge temperature.
This is different from the use-by date, which is very important in the safety of food.
You can eat food right up to the use-by date but not after, the Foods Standards Agency says.
Even if it looks, smells and tastes ok, food after its use-by date can still contain unseen bacteria that can make you ill.
Recently supermarkets have been making moves to reduce food waste by removing best-before dates on fresh products.
How else can I save on my supermarket shop?
There are a number of ways you can cut costs and drive down your grocery bills.
Making a list before you head out to do your food shopping is always a good start as you’ll be less likely to make any rash purchases.
Buying supermarkets’ own-brand goods instead of higher end more notable brands could save you a few pounds too.
Some supermarkets run “wonky” veg schemes, where you pay less for fresh produce that’s misshapen or imperfect.
Lidl, for example, has its Waste Not scheme where you can get a whopping five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50.
Checking how much a product costs based on quantity could save you some money.
You might be tempted to opt for a bigger box or packaging because you think you will get more.
But you should always check the price per kg/lb/litre so you’re making a like-for-like decision.
A lot of supermarkets run loyalty schemes, where you can build up points to spend on a later shop.
For example, Sainsbury’s has its Nectar Card and Tesco has its Clubcard.
Plus, look out for yellow or red stickers on food products that show they’ve been reduced.
But watch out for the stickers on fresh goods, as it means they are due to go out of date.
You can always freeze the food to make it last longer though.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk
