What to do if you're struggling to afford groceries
If you're struggling to afford food at the moment, you're not alone. One in seven people have skipped meals due to the rising cost of living, according to the latest Which? Consumer Insight Tracker.*
One survey respondent, Jackie Rudd from West Suffolk, reported that rising energy prices have left less room in her budget for grocery shopping, leading to her skipping meals two to three times a week.
She said: 'The last week of the month, meals are missed. If you have no money for a loaf, then there's no lunch and if there's no milk, then there's no breakfast. Basic groceries have gone up to stupid levels - the loaf of bread I usually buy has gotten smaller and more expensive.'
Here, we set out things you can try if you're struggling to buy food and where to find help if your situation worsens.
Use up food you already have
Take stock of what you have in your fridge, freezer and cupboards, then try to use what you’ve already got to put meals together.
Supercook and Yellow Sticker Cookbook can be useful websites to help you discover recipes to try with ingredients you already have.
- Find out more: how to save money on food
Try surplus food bags
Too Good To Go has recently started a surplus food partnership with Aldi across all of its 990 UK shops.
The discounter is offering surplus food bags or ‘magic bags’ which contain a range of grocery products that are approaching their sell-by or use-by dates - and as a result you only pay a third of the price. The bags cost £3.30 each, and you’ll be getting at least £10 worth of food.
To get a ‘magic bag’ from Aldi, download the free Too Good To Go app, search for your nearby Aldi store and reserve a bag to collect from the store at an allotted time.
You can also get surplus food bags from supermarkets, cafés and restaurants including Budgens, Caffé Nero, Costa, Greggs, M&S Food, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s.
Are you worried about your finances?
Are you worried about your finances?
Get free food and help avoid food waste
Olio can get you access to free food near you. It’s a free app where people and businesses can give away unwanted food.
Once you’ve downloaded the Olio app and selected your local area, you can see what’s being offered near you.
You will need to collect any of the free food you claim, but there’s no referral needed, and it’s usually run on a first come first served basis.
- Find out more: how to save money on fruit and veg
Switch to a cheaper supermarket
Each month we track the cost of a basket of groceries at the biggest supermarkets and often find a big gap between the cheapest and most expensive.
Aldi was crowned cheapest supermarket in our latest analysis for a range of 43 branded and own-label groceries we looked at, costing an average of £74.81, compared to Waitrose which had an average basket price of £96.59.
- Find out more: supermarket prices compared
Take advantage of free and cheap food from supermarkets
Asda is running a 'kids eat for £1' offer that has no requirement to buy an adult meal at the same time, and anyone over 60 can get soup and a bread roll for £1 in its cafés. Both schemes will run until the end of March.
Morrisons has a permanent 'kids eat free' offer for every adult meal purchased over £4.49.
Make the most of loyalty schemes and targeted discounts
Loyalty schemes from supermarkets are free, and can go some way to helping you make savings on your grocery shopping.
Lidl gives Lidl Plus members £2 off , Nectar at Sainsbury’s gets you at least 50p, and Tesco Clubcard earns you £1 when you spend £100.
Some supermarkets also have targeted discounts. Over 60s, for example, can get 10% off their shop on Tuesdays at Iceland stores.
- Find out more: supermarket and retailer loyalty cards compared
Check if you're eligible for benefits
Give the EntitledTo or the Turn2Us calculator a go to check which benefits you might be eligible for.
Claiming benefits can help you unlock other help. For example, your child might be eligible for free school meals if you receive certain benefits in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. In England, your child(ren) will be able to get free school meals if they’re in a government-funded school in England and in Key Stage one (reception class, year one or year two).
In Wales, meanwhile, universal primary free school meals are currently being rolled out, starting with the youngest children in primary schools.
Cost of living payments are also linked to certain benefits. The £900 cash boost is available to those on means-tested benefits, including those on Universal Credit, Pension Credit and tax credits. Payments start in Spring and will go direct to bank accounts in three payments over the course of the financial year.
Universal Credit is the main benefit for most people of working age. If you are over 18, under state pension age and you have less than £16,000 in savings or other investments you might be eligible. It's worth checking if you can get Universal Credit, even if you are in full-time work.
- Find out more: Universal Credit explained
Try the Household Support Fund
You may also be able to get help with essential costs from your local council, through the Household Support Fund.
This is deigned to help if you’re struggling to afford food, essential items and energy and water bills.
Check with your local council to find out what support you might be eligible for.
Use the Healthy Start scheme
If you're over 10 weeks pregnant, or have a child under the age of four, you could get help from the government to buy healthy food and milk through the Healthy Start scheme.
The NHS scheme encourages a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies and young children from low-income households.
If eligible, you’ll get a card with money loaded onto it that you can use at certain shops and supermarkets, to help you buy milk, vegetables, pulses and infant formula.
Sainsbury’s is currently topping up the government-funded NHS Healthy Start scheme by £2, and it has also extended the Healthy Start coupon initiative to Wales and Northern Ireland until 11 April 2023. Eligible customers in England who use a Healthy Start card when shopping at Sainsbury’s will automatically receive a printed coupon worth £2 to use on their next shop.
If you live in Scotland, you may be able to get help under the Best Start Foods scheme.
- Find out more: money-saving tips for parents
Find out how to access your local food bank
Food banks are community organisations that can help if you can’t afford to buy the food you need.
You usually need to get a referral to a food bank before you can go to one. You can get a referral for yourself and any family members you live with, including your partner.
The Trussell Trust has the largest network with over 400 food banks in the UK - use its website to find your nearest one.
You can get a referral to access a food bank by contacting:
- Citizens Advice
- Children’s Sure Start Centres
- Jobcentre Plus
- Your GP
- A health visitor
- A social worker
- Your local council (which may also be able to help in other ways, including through small loans or food vouchers).
Make an emergency appointment with one of the above to explain your situation. Whichever organisation refers you to a food bank will give you a voucher and tell you where the food bank is.
The food bank will give you a food parcel, which usually contains enough food for three days, as well as essential toiletries.
Contact charities and organisations for money help
If you are in urgent financial crisis, there are a few organisations and charities you can reach out to:
- Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) can give you free, independent advice on dealing with debt.
- Money Advice Service (0800 138 7777) is a government-backed free money advice source.
Which? calls on supermarkets to do more
Which? has launched an Affordable Food For All campaign.
We're calling on supermarkets to commit to clear pricing, better access to budget ranges that enable healthy choices and more offers for those who need them most.
Do you want to see your supermarket take action to support you through the cost of living crisis? - sign our Affordable Food For All petition
* Online poll conducted monthly by Yonder on behalf of Which?. It is weighted to be nationally representative and has approximately 2,000 respondents per wave.
