Dad saves £1,000 a year on supermarket shops by getting free food – here’s how you can too
From shopping apps to coupons to yellow sticker discounts - Tom Bryant, who also founded freebie finding website Magic Freebies - reveals how he cuts the cost of food bills
DAD-of-one Tom Bryant saves around £1,000 a year on his food shop by using savvy tricks to cut his bills and nab freebies - here's how you can do the same.
"I save about £50 to a £100 a month on my monthly grocery shop, especially with the baby," said Tom.
"But a big family could save a lot more than more me - maybe £100 to £200 a month."
In fact 33-year-old Tom, who lives in London, is so "obsessed with getting stuff for free" that he set up his own website to help fellow deals hunters do the same.
Tom said: "I remember when I was about 11, someone in my class got something for free and they said they got it on a website on the internet.
"I went online to get it for myself and noticed there were other freebies out there but nowhere that compiled them all in one place. So I thought why not do that?
"So I managed to get up and running when I was at school and then I got obsessed with getting stuff for free, taking the website seriously when I left university."
While Tom's website covers all kinds of free deals, when it comes specifically to food bills, Tom says one of his key ways to save money is by using coupons.
"Lots of people feel embarrassed with coupons but now you can use self-service machines without holding people up."
Coupons can usually be downloaded and printed directly from brands' websites.
"John West does a lot of coupons," said Tom. "Baby companies and pet firms also send out a lot of free samples and free vouchers."
For example, Tom and his team recently got a coupon from Princes for a - these normally cost about a £1, depending on the supermarket.
Tom says cashback apps are another good way to get free food and money off. He suggests checking out CheckoutSmart, GreenJinn, and Shopmium - which are free to join.
Where to find freebies, coupons, vouchers and other deals
IF you're looking to bag a bargain, the following websites are good places to check before you buy:
With all of the apps, you buy the items in-store and then upload a picture of your receipt at which point you'll be paid cashback on certain items.
"If you combine these together they all have different offers and different deals," said Tom.
"The freebies are often on new products that supermarkets are trialling. I had a recent one for Twinings Cold In'fuse tea bags."
You can browse the websites beforehand to find out which offers to look out for.
CheckoutSmart, for example, says you could save £543.94 with the offers currently live on its website.
GreenJinn meanwhile reckons you could save up to £1,500 a year using its app, while Shopmium says you can £100 with its live offers today.
Tom says if you refer your friends to cashback apps you also often get credit, which means you can pick up items for free.
"With Shopmium, you get £3 every time you refer a friend. So if there’s 50 per cent off an item you can end up getting it for free."
Looking for yellow sticker discounts in-store is also a must. "I'm always on the eye out for yellow stickers.
"Anything you can freeze and use at a later date is great. Generally, later in the day is the best time to go."
Tom's top tips to cut your food bill
Here are Tom's best ideas to save on your supermarket shop:
1. The biggest tip is to join as many of those cashback apps as there are out there and make ure you set up the notifications so you'll be told when new offers are on there.
2. Use a meal planner and you’ll end up with an empty fridge at the end of the week, which means you’re not buying extra stuff. It also keeps you disciplined so you don’t make impulse purchases.
3. Looks out for ‘try me free’ labels on items in the supermarket as it's usually so easy to claim your money back on those. Just scan the barcode and upload receipt - often you'll just need to provide some feedback on the product.
Tom also recommends joining clubs. "I just had a baby and there are quite a few baby clubs where you can get vouchers and coupons and free samples.
"For example, Aptaclub, Cow & Gate, HiPP Organic, SMA Baby Club, and Emma's Diary at Boots - they’re really useful."
When it comes to online food shops, Tom recommends making the most of introductory offers from supermarkets.
"If you start shopping online for the first time they all have really good intro deals - for example £20 off an £80 spend - and you can do this at all of the major supermarkets."
Lastly, simply planning your meals can help to ensure you don't buy what you don't need.
Tom said: "Make a list and stick to it to ensure you don’t get sucked in to buy one get one free. Often when you get the deals they’re not as good as they seem.
"You can even use recipe planning apps to make it easier - my wife uses Mealime to ensure we never end up with left over food.
"Supermarkets have also started doing their own recipe planners where you can simply click to order all the relevant ingredients."
When it comes to the best freebies he's ever had, Tom says this would be a free Schweppes gin and tonic gift box, which he received for being a member of the Schweppes 1783 Club.
He also enjoyed a free Cadbury chocolate bar, which was from an offer he spotted on Facebook.
More on food
Earlier this year, we spoke to a dad-of-two buys £139 worth of food for £8 by shopping for yellow sticker goods.
Another bargain hunter has revealed how she’s snapped up £60 worth of food for just £2.55 just by using yellow sticker discounts.
Meanwhile Tom Church, from LatestDeals.co.uk, claims he saved £3,400 by only buying yellow sticker food for the entire year.
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