Develop yoru own tick and flick-
Start by going through your cupbaords, fridge and freezer and listing what you have in categories. Not just food, general use items, toiletries etc too. Now I list the most used items on my tick sheet. This lives on my fridge, so the whole house can mark off when something is low or run out. I also use this to scour the weekly specials. I can then compare, on the spot and know where to buy what.
This may sound like an effort, but it can make a great amount of difference. Just because it has a sticker on it, does mean its the best price. These are common techniques used to lure customers into making uneccesary purchases. Items that we use regularly, like toilet roll or higher priced items- such as good coffee I buy in bulk or stock up when thier on special.
Go to your green grocer, local baker, farm shop/markets and butcher first. Cutting out the middle man can save you money and it will be a fresher product. As you know we do raise our own meat, but this is not always enough. Especially as we are getting started. And we do not have the room to rear all our own meat supply. So we still buy from different sources. Local producers (such as a piggery), local butcher- and you can usually buy in bulk or half a beast, if you have the storage space and are prepared to put in the work. This can be very cost effective.
If we do buy from supermarkets, we do try to buy free range- Chicken, Pork, eggs (not that I've bought any of those for some time). This is a conciencoius discission, I would personally rather eat less than buy factory farmed, but that's me. And I do take full advantage of reduced to clear meats, getting close to thier best before date. These only apply when its fresh, they will freeze and keep just as well as any other meat.
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