Shopping tips

• Plan ahead; make a list of meals for the week and other food items needed, this will help you from buying unnecessary items.
• Buy larger packs of meat, sometimes better value, freeze what you do not need straight away.
• Look out for offers on fruits and vegetables. Different shops and supermarkets will have various offers at one time.
• If you can, shop around for what you need, or make use of supermarkets online services to see the offers for each week.

Cooking tips

• Try to cook cheaper meals take a look at our credit crunch recipes for a few ideas.
• When cooking make larger portions and freeze half for another day, saving time and money.
• Organise your fridge and cupboards in order of use by date to limit wastage.
• Any leftovers, why not save for the next day, leftovers can be kept for up to two days, take a look at our food safety section for how to correctly store leftover food.
• If you have any fruit that is going past its best, why not whip up a smoothie, add your fruit and a bit of fruit juice then using a blender/hand blender blend to a consistency of your choice, a great way to achieve your 5 a day.