Towards the end of each day, big supermarkets offer big reductions on products which are about to expire.  Most goods are simply coming up for their "sell by" date but will not simply 'go-off' because  they are marked down. The vast majority will be completely fine to eat. If you want to make even more savings try approvedfoods a website selling only sell-by date bargains.

Consider buying supermarkets own brand goods. Supermarkets make their own brands as uninviting as possible, so that their customers pay more for the nicer looking alternatives. There can be a huge difference in price between branded and unbranded goods, even though the products are generally the same (compare ingredients to double check). In simple terms, consumers choose the best-looking products on the assumption that what looks the best also tastes the best. Supermarkets own brands can also be better for you in terms of the salt and sugar which they contain. For example, The Co-op's own branded food contains no hydrogenated fats, are never tested on animals, and are often locally sourced and fair trade.

There are many foreign supermarkets in Britain, such as Aldi’s, Lidl and Netto.  Sometimes the branded goods offered in these stores are identical to the British version but are simply packaged to suit a European market instead. Consider using specialist supermarkets, such as Asian supermarkets, for staples such as rice and noodles – the savings can be massive.

Be aware that the supermarket brands are often made by their well known brand comparators. For example Marks and Spencer’s own brand soup is alledgedly made by Baxter’s. In the discount supermarkets you may encounter well-known brands at a vastly reduced price – this may because they are packaged for foreign market or the instructions have not been translated, hence they are sold off at a reduced price.