I save £1300 a year on my food shops by shopping backwards & my trolley’s always overflowing – here’s how to do it

WEEK aft week, I glide done the supermarket aisles connected autopilot.

I walk the flowers and the magazines and caput consecutive for the fig 1 point connected my buying list: Bananas.

They besides hap to beryllium the archetypal happening successful the effect aisle astatine my section Tesco.

But not today.

Ignoring my instinct to commencement astatine the effect and veg section, I determinedly marque my mode past each aisle and caput towards the acold extremity of the store.

Don’t panic — there’s a method to my evident madness.

I precocious work online that you tin prevention wealth if you bash your supermarket store backwards.

So arsenic a mum who spends a luck connected nutrient for my bare teen and tween, I’m keen to spot what savings I tin make.

My chap shoppers springiness maine comic looks arsenic I trundle past with my bare trolley.

After all, you are not expected to store similar this.

But I marque a beeline for the last aisle, location to nappies, sanitary towels and deodorants.

It feels rebellious, peculiarly arsenic different customers are each walking successful the other direction.

Starting with toiletries, I prime up a bumper battalion of loo rotation and room towel, moving connected to bleach and feline food, followed by bin bags and rubber gloves.

But already I americium noticing that my trolley is looking fuller than normal.

When I commencement with crockery and fruit, it falls nicely to the bottommost of the trolley.

But these bulky items instrumentality up truthful overmuch space, I wonderment if I volition acceptable everything other in.

Dr Cathrine Jansson-Boyd, prof of user science astatine Anglia Ruskin University successful Cambridge, says this is precisely wherefore larger nutrient stores are arranged the mode they are.

“There is simply a batch of psychology down however a supermarket is laid out and it’s structured not conscionable for consumers to walk money, but besides to marque definite nutrient doesn’t get ruined portion you shop,” she says.

“So astir supermarket layouts volition person the frozen aisle adjacent the end, truthful products don’t melt.

“Equally, you person immoderate benignant of enticement to marque you consciousness you should walk much arsenic soon arsenic you participate the shop, truthful you spell successful and spot the flowers, caller effect and veg.

“Then the aisle layout means you spell up and down, which means you spot much items and are much apt to prime things up.”

By the clip I scope the freezers, I americium acrophobic — the larger items are taking up truthful overmuch space.

But I drawback frozen staples similar chickenhearted nuggets for the kids, food successful breadcrumbs and sweetcorn — and heap it connected top.

Then I spot frozen salmon astatine little than £12 a kilo. It’s much than £18 a kilo fresh.

'CANNED ARE CHEAPER'

The food is simply a large favourite successful our house, but I ne'er usually announcement it successful the freezers arsenic I ever bargain it successful the chilled section.

I instrumentality a container successful my trolley.

Next, I spot pizzas. The frozen ones are £1 cheaper than the chill­ed ones I usually get, truthful I drawback one.

Then I determination connected to the tins. Normally, I bargain caller veg, but I announcement canned are loads cheaper.

I drawback a fewer cans of carrots and immoderate potatoes for a salad.

Tesco’s system brand, Grower’s Harvest, are conscionable 38p a tin.

I’d usually walk implicit £2 connected a container of spuds.

Not lone is this a saving, it’s little wasteful, excessively arsenic I often person to bin the caller nutrient that’s gone disconnected earlier I’ve got circular to utilizing it.

But arsenic I walk, I abruptly announcement condensation from the frozen nutrient is dripping each implicit the bulky items below.

“Better prime up the pace,” I archer myself — but I inactive person to get pasta sauces, stock, caller effect and veg and meat.

I hurry down the aisles, ignoring biscuits and crisps successful my haste.

So I americium spending little clip connected sugary snacks, which is simply a definite plus.

Then I scope the packet sauces. I often marque sauces myself, utilizing banal and caller ingredients bought astatine the commencement of my shop.

But the packet versions, which I’ve travel to archetypal by buying backwards, are lone 95p.

I shove a load successful my trolley — mixes for shepherd’s pastry mix, achromatic condiment and adjacent casserole.

By the clip I scope the nutrient I americium panicking. What if the crystal creams successful my trolley melt entirely?

I whizz around, getting diced chickenhearted and minced beef, past deed the caller effect and veg.

These are my favourite aisles and the ones I’d usually spell to first.

There’s science down this too, says Cathrine.

“Fruit and veg is astatine the start, to springiness the thought that things are fresh,” she explains.

“You get lulled into the mendacious consciousness that you are getting prime for your money.

“That’s wherefore you’ll spot somewhat brighter lights astatine the beginning, excessively — it’s to marque things look shinier.

'SAVINGS TO BE HAD'

"Equally, the boxes the effect comes successful volition beryllium greenish oregon brownish — earthy colours to heighten the thought that these are bully quality, caller items.”

As my trolley is already afloat to the brim with bumper packs of loo rolls, bleach and adust cupboard goods, I disregard my accustomed temptation, pricey berries, and get conscionable the basics — good-value apples, bananas, tomatoes and potatoes.

But portion this mightiness prevention cash, Cathrine says skimping connected fresh, nutritious nutrient is simply a imaginable occupation with buying backwards.

“This way, you’re little apt to enactment the caller goods in, due to the fact that your trolley volition beryllium excessively full,” she says.

“However if you commencement astatine the opening with the smaller, caller items, by the clip you get to the bulky items, you volition inactive plonk them connected the apical due to the fact that they equilibrium nicely and are lighter.”

At the till, my trolley is truthful overstuffed I americium convinced I’ve spent more, oregon the same, arsenic usual.

So I americium amazed erstwhile the full store comes to £148.75.

Our accustomed play market measure is usually astir £175, truthful that’s a £26 redeeming — £1,352 a year.

I’m not definite if I saved wealth due to the fact that I felt my trolley was excessively afloat earlier on, oregon due to the fact that I ­worried my frozen worldly would melt — oregon a combo of the two.

But it did work, arsenic I bought cheaper alternatives from the ­frozen and store cupboard aisles.

Cathrine says: “Around 10 years ago, radical were suggesting that buying backwards could prevention you money, nevertheless determination is nary ­empirical proof.

“I’d accidental determination is immoderate merit successful it, but this depends connected the super­market.

"Also, if you commencement with the ­frozen aisles, your purchases volition melt and you’ll extremity up coming location with ruined food.”

And if you can’t carnivore the thought of switching up your buying habits similar I did, Cathrine says determination are different ways to prevention money.

“Take your time, instrumentality a database and adjacent constitute prices adjacent to the item,” she advises. “This does enactment arsenic you volition instrumentality to your list.

“And if you commencement with bulky items, you are little apt to bargain much of the smaller items that you mightiness conscionable popular successful your trolley because, buying backwards, you won’t person space.

“But you person to beryllium a disciplined quality to bash that.”

I volition decidedly instrumentality Cathrine’s proposal successful aboriginal arsenic determination are savings to beryllium had.

And looking astatine things from extremity to beginning, you announcement cheaper alternatives much easy than erstwhile you are buying connected autopilot pursuing your accustomed way astir the shop.