‘Stop spending more than you need to’ mum yells as she shares 10 things to stop buying to ‘cut your food bill in half’

WE all know the cost of doing even a food shop has soared recently, but that doesn't mean you can't save money.

Mum-of-eight and budgeting whizz Jordan Page shared 10 things to stop putting in your trolley so you don't get a nasty surprise when you get to the till.

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Posting on her YouTube, Jordan said a few simple changes could cut your food shopping bill by as much as half.

Ready meals

There's a time and a place for ready meals, Jordan said, but if you make a habit of buying pre-prepared meals rather than cooking at home you're probably wasting way more money than you realise.

Rather than buying a microwavable pasta for your kids, take the extra 10 minutes to make it yourself, the mum said.

"If it's something from the frozen section, you can freeze it at home as well. You can make a tray of mac and cheese and freeze it, you can make a quiche and freeze it, then you have your own convenience meals you can pull out at a moment's notice," Jordan said.

Pre packaged snacks

They're great for on the go, school lunches or even on road trips, but if your go-to snack at home is in packet - you're wasting money, Jordan said.

She suggested still buying the snacks you love, but in bulk instead.

Then you can portion them into small servings and "avoid paying extra for the packaging."

"Buy the biggest size you can afford, store it, separate it yourself, you'll save so much money," she continued.

Individual protein drinks

If you're someone who loves a protein drink, don't bother forking out for the individual ones.

Instead, the mum recommended buying protein powder and making them at home.

And it's not just protein drinks you can do this for - milkshakes for your kids are also cheaper to DIY.

Bottled drinks

Whether it's a your favourite fizzy beverage or a bottle of fresh juice - any on-the-go drinks are hiking up the price of your weekly shop, according to the mum.

"Buy your own drink mixes, put it in a water bottle and there you go," she said.

Small packages of food staples

If you use something regularly, only buying small packages of it probably works out way more expensive.

Jordan explained: "Cheese is expensive, we use a lot of it in our house. If you are buying small packages of cheese, maybe just enough for a certain recipe, then another pack for another recipe, you are doing it the most expensive way, I promise."

Instead, buy things like cheese for the best price per pound, she added.

Pre chopped vegetables

Although they're convenient, the same you save probably isn't worth the extra money you have to pay.

Jordan showed a squash she bought for less than £2 and a packet of chopped squash weighing the same amount for over double the price to make her point.

"I'd rather save my money than save five minutes on this packet," she said.

Small packs of meat

"Protein often takes up a huge part of your grocery budget," Jordan said, but buying bigger packages of meat and portioning them out to freeze for later can work out loads cheaper.

You can either pre cook it to make meal prepping easier, or freeze it straight away, she added.

Salad dressing

It might taste good, but the mark up on most salad dressings is huge, the mum explained.

"It's so easy and so inexpensive to make yourself," she said.

And chances are you already have a few ingredients you need to whip one up in your cupboards.

Instant anything

Whether it's instant mash potatoes, instant rice, or instant oats - they're driving up your shopping bill.

Instant rice might save you a few minutes, but boiling regular rice is just as easy and will probably taste better too, Jordan noted.

Canned beans

Instead of buying cans of beans, Jordan suggested buying the beans dry and making your own sauce for them at home.

You'll get way more bang for your buck, if you can bare to wave goodbye to the convenience of the tins.