"How I Save £360 a Year on Food Using One Simple Trick”
- Chloe Ann-Louise, 25, loves using the Too Good To Go app for discounted food
- Some of her best bargains have included a £2.79 Spar bag stuffed with groceries
- Chloe says blanching and freezing ingredients ensures she always has affordable ingredients available
In today’s cost-of-living crisis, finding easy ways to save money on everyday essentials is more vital than ever.
And one savvy woman has revealed how she saves £30 a month on food by using a simple trick anyone can copy.
Chloe Ann-Louise, 25, from Tamworth, regularly gets discounted bags of food from the Too Good To Go app.
The app helps reduce food waste by connecting shoppers with food businesses like restaurants, supermarkets and bakeries that have leftover food at the end of the day.
These businesses offer leftover food at a slashed price, allowing consumers to purchase meals or ingredients that would otherwise go in the bin - and all for a fraction of their usual cost.
Chloe told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk: "I first discovered Too Good To Go bags through a Facebook ad offering discounted food and I decided to give it a try. Ever since, my partner and I have been using it at least once a week.
“You pay a small amount for a bag of food that would otherwise go to waste. In exchange, you get a mix of fresh fruit and veg, meats, bread, and more.
"Living above a pub that we run in Tamworth, my partner and I have made the most of the discounted food by incorporating it into the meals we prepare.
"Some of the items are used to create specials for our pub’s menu, while others are turned into dishes at home.
"We’ve received some fantastic items in the bags. For example, we got three bags of Chinese stir fry mix, which we turned into a vegetable soup.
"We’ve also used gluten-free, vegan cereal to make treacle tarts, and loaves of bread for a chocolate orange bread-and-butter pudding. We got some pork, which got turned into a Cantonese-style pork sizzler!
"We’ve had lots of good bags. A recent standout was a £2.79 bag I received from Spar, which included a whole extra large chicken, two Pukka pies, two Rustlers burgers, garlic bread, a loaf of bread, pineapple, cream cakes and tins of tuna. It was an incredible deal.
"If we receive meat close to its expiration date, we either cook it or freeze it for later.
"Vegetables are typically frozen or blanched and stored, depending on the type of produce. This helps reduce waste and ensures we always have affordable ingredients available even if we don’t need them immediately.
"One of my favourite things about the bags is that they offer a mix of items that we can use in different meals.
"Whether it’s vegetables that we can freeze or meat that we can cook and store, there’s always something that saves us money and reduces our food waste.
"The savings add up quickly: we estimate that Too Good To Go helps us save about £30 per month. That’s £360 over the course of the year, which is a huge help.”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “These are trying times for so many families, and getting into a routine of small but regular savings can make all the difference.
“Making time to grab a Too Good To Go bag even once or twice a week can not only help you save on your big supermarket shop, but may even introduce you to new ingredients or cuisines you don’t usually eat.
“I’d also recommend making the most of voucher codes to stock up on long life essentials - for example, Sainsbury's is currently offering £18 off your first order over £60 with our code."
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