Laura, has been yellow-sticker shopping for 14 years and says it’s saved her £29,000
An NHS employee who has been seeking out yellow sticker deals in stores for the past 14 years claims the strategy has saved her £29,000.
Laura Gaga, from west London, approaches food shopping like a treasure hunt, scanning the aisles for yellow-sticker reductions and utilising local sharing applications to source complimentary food.
She explains it enables her to survive on approximately £40 monthly for groceries, whilst having sufficient funds for regular overseas holidays.
Laura, 45, started yellow-sticker shopping 14 years ago.
Rather than planning meals and purchasing corresponding ingredients, Laura, who shares content online as @reduction_raider1, shops based on what’s been discounted, reports MyLondon.
She explained: “I’ll go to the yellow sticker shelves, see what’s there and then make food based on that. I also get food from friends who know I shop this way. One with an allotment recently gave me loads of vegetables, so I got experimental. I made pumpkin overnight oats and beetroot crisps. Shopping like this has completely changed my relationship with food.”
She continued: “In one month when I tracked my spending, it came to £43. When I track it, I’m even more mindful, so I spend less.”
This transformation has also influenced her dietary choices.
” I’ve been vegan for seven years now,” she reveals. “A lot of that came from yellow sticker shopping because I started eating less meat. Meat tends to go first in the reduced aisles, so if I couldn’t get it cheap, I wouldn’t buy it. Eventually, I just stopped eating it altogether.”
Laura now prepares the majority of her meals from scratch and brings packed lunches to work.
“I’m a big fan of leftovers,” she explains. “I’ll do a big cook and then eat from that pot through the week. I try to be healthy and aware of what I eat. I freeze a lot of food and use things like vegan protein powder or tofu to make sure I’m getting everything I need.”
Laura does her shopping every two or three days, depending on what she’s already got at home. “I check local sharing app Olio daily,” she reveals.
“Before I go out, I look through my cupboards to see what I’ve got and what I can make. Then I’ll go to my favourite supermarkets, depending on when I know their final reductions are. But really, I’ll check anywhere – service stations, coffee shops, even WHSmith. You never know where you’ll find a reduced sticker.”
Booze is occasionally available at massive discounts, and she’s delighted when she can snap up cut-price tofu and tempeh. “Sometimes you get lucky and come across something you’ve had your eye on. I once found a bottle of gin reduced by 90 per cent. That doesn’t happen often, but it’s great when it does. I also love finding reduced cat food for my cat, Tigger.”
However, it’s not simply about cutting costs for Laura. She views it as a way of life that promotes creativity, community and environmental responsibility.
“People sometimes think shopping like this is about going without,” she says. “But actually, it’s the opposite. You spend less, buy less, and end up with more.”
In October, Laura and her mate Natalie launched a zero-waste refill shop in Hillingdon.
“At Refill Your Cup you can buy as much or as little as you want. It reduces food waste and single-use plastics and lets people buy exactly what they need.”
When she’s not managing the shop or hunting for deals, Laura’s frequently jetting off on adventures – her latest trip being to Thailand. “That’s what I save for,” she explains.
“By spending less on food, I can do more. Shopping like this has given me freedom.”
How to become a yellow-sticker expert, according to Laura Gaga:.
1 – Master the timings. Shops typically slash prices at specific times daily.
Late afternoon or early evening is standard, though this differs between retailers. Enquire with staff about when markdowns usually occur.
2- Understand the distinction between ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates. “Best before doesn’t mean the food’s unsafe, it’s just about quality. And if something’s on its use-by date, cook or freeze it that day,” Laura explains.
3- Prepare for storage. Numerous yellow sticker products are approaching their use-by date.
Freeze whatever possible and organise meals around items that can’t be frozen. Reserve freezer space for these discoveries.
4- Shop with an adaptable mindset. Enter with an open attitude.
You might not discover what you anticipated, but you can devise meals around discounted items. There’s no need to follow recipes rigidly – master the art of substitution.
5- Never venture shopping without inspecting your cupboards beforehand. You can economise by utilising what’s already stocked in your pantry.
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