I save £50 a month on my food shop - here's my secret anyone can copy

Many of us dread the weekly food shop, where more often than not the bill at the till is a hair-raising amount. But one savvy woman has revealed how she’s slashed her bills in half - from around £100 a week to £50 a week - by yellow sticker shopping.

Anna Lykova, 42, says getting to know which shops - including Tesco in Dudley - reduce products at what time is key to grabbing good bargains. She’s bagged everything from duck for £3 to prime rib joint for about £7, and now makes yellow sticker shopping part of her routine to ensure consistent savings.

"I started yellow stickers when I was a poor young professional back in London about 20 years ago," Anna told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk. "There was a Tesco on my way home that did reduce food, and that’s what fed me. A lot of getting good bargains is luck and also knowing when shops do it."

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"I freeze everything we buy, and using vegetables is a great way to make a meal last longer. If I get a reduced chicken, it will do us a meal, and the rest will go into soup with whatever veg we have."

"Sometimes it will last three days, and if you add reduced noodles, it’s great and healthy. I’ve had some great bargains from Aldi last Christmas, including a duck for around £3."

"I’ve had prime rib joint for about £7. One is still in the freezer. I never clear a shelf but see a lot of people doing it. I never judge - as long as I have a meal, others should have a chance too."

"I once got knocked down by a woman in Tesco during a Sunday reduction. This was before they introduced queues and restrictions on items.

"I find Poundland fantastic for sandwiches - most mornings, there is a selection of sandwiches for about 50p. I’ve always asked staff at the store when they reduce so I know when to go.

"Places like B&M and Home Bargains are great for cleaning stuff. I use Zoflora and Air Wick plug-ins, and they are so much cheaper."

"Tesco with a Clubcard is brilliant but I use the Latest Deals app to make sure I compare prices. I have also found butchers to be cheaper than supermarkets at times."

"We save about £50 a week on average thanks to yellow sticker shopping. My biggest tip is being polite to the staff who reduce as they will remember it."

"Don’t be greedy and if you’re nice to staff they will tell you when the reduction is. I feel so happy saving so much money as bills keep rising so any saving is amazing."

"Grabbing a bargain makes everyone happy!"

Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: "Anna’s persistence with yellow sticker shopping really pays off: as she says, getting to know what time your local supermarkets reduce items is a key ingredient to bagging the best deals. Don’t forget to check out household goods too - you may find brilliant deals on cleaning products like Anna has."

"Anna also mentioned how good Tesco Clubcard deals can be. I’m also a big fan of Sainsbury’s, where at the moment you can get £15 off an £80 spend if you’re a new customer."