With the cost-of-living crisis continuing to cause concern for families in Wales, we have looked at the best ways to save money on your weekly shop as part of our Your Money Matters campaign.

The average price of weekly food shops is on the rise as monthly wage packets are stretched even further.

Retail prices rose in February at their fastest rate in over a decade, figures show.

Food inflation remained the key driver behind higher prices, particularly for fresh food, which has been impacted by poor harvests, both in the UK and globally.

5 ways to save money on your weekly food shop

So as part of our campaign to help you save money, here are five ways you can cut your weekly food shop costs.

Use supermarkets instead of local stores

It might be that your local convenience store is closer, however, research from Which? found that over the course of a year, you could be paying 9.5% more for shopping at local stores as opposed to regular supermarkets. So, if you’re feeling frustrated by how much you’re spending on groceries, switching up where you shop could be the answer.

Head to your supermarket at the optimum time for yellow ticket savings

You’ll find the biggest bargains when you keep an eye out for those yellow stickers. Try heading to the supermarket at the following optimal times for reduced items:

  • M&S – An hour before they close
  • Morrisons – 6pm
  • Sainsbury’s – 6pm
  • Asda – 7pm
  • Waitrose – 6pm

While these can differ between stores, often going to the supermarket an hour before closing will offer the lowest reductions. If you want to purchase an item that is due to expire that day and you see a worker with the yellow stickers, there’s also no harm in asking them if it can be reduced.

Have some meat-free days

Research shows that meat-eaters spend an average of £752 on meat each year, alone. Just think of how much that could be reduced by implementing some vegetarian dishes into your weekly food plan.

Plus, with more and more people considering a plant-based diet, there are now lots of tasty meat-free recipes to follow online.

Start couponing

They appear in supermarket magazines and on packaging (like crisp packets and cereal boxes). You could even write to manufacturers to tell them how much you like (or don’t like) their products.

You never know, they might entice you back with vouchers! The trick is to only use coupons for things you’d normally buy anyway, or your shopping bill could soon add up.

Use loyalty cards

It’s a good idea to shop around, but at the same time, loyalty can pay off. Loyalty cards can help you to rack up points at your favourite supermarket, which can lead to some juicy savings.

Just make sure no deals persuade you into buying something you wouldn't normally purchase.