An NHS worker from West London has revealed how her dedication to hunting for yellow sticker bargains has saved her a staggering £29,000 over the past 14 years.
Laura Gaga, 45, has transformed her approach to groceries, treating food shopping as a treasure hunt. By scouring supermarket shelves for reduced items and using local sharing apps, she spends as little as £40 a month on food, allowing her to enjoy regular holidays abroad.
The Art of the Bargain Hunt
Laura, who shares her tips online as @reduction_raider1, completely flipped the traditional method of meal planning. Instead of deciding what to cook and then buying the ingredients, she lets the discounts dictate her meals. “I’ll go to the yellow sticker shelves, see what’s there and then make food based on that,” she explains.
Her strategy extends beyond the supermarket. She also receives food from friends who know about her frugal lifestyle, such as a recent bounty of vegetables from an allotment which inspired her to get creative with pumpkin overnight oats and beetroot crisps. “Shopping like this has completely changed my relationship with food,” she says.
In one particularly mindful month, Laura tracked her spending and found it totalled just £43. This method has also influenced her diet, leading her to become vegan seven years ago. “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,” she notes.
A Sustainable Lifestyle and New Business
Laura’s approach is about more than just saving money; it’s a holistic lifestyle. She now prepares most meals from scratch, is a “big fan of leftovers,” and takes packed lunches to work. She shops every two or three days, always checking the sharing app Olio before she goes out.
Her hunting grounds are not limited to major supermarkets. “I’ll check anywhere - service stations, coffee shops, even WHSmith. You never know where you’ll find a reduced sticker,” she advises. Her best finds have included a bottle of gin reduced by 90% and discounted cat food for her cat, Tigger.
This passion for reducing waste has now evolved into a business venture. In October, Laura and her friend Natalie opened Refill Your Cup, a zero-waste refill shop in Hillingdon. The shop aims to combat food waste and single-use plastics by allowing customers to buy exactly the quantities they need.
Top Tips for Yellow Sticker Success
Laura shares her expert advice for anyone looking to emulate her success:
- Know the timing: Supermarkets usually reduce items at specific times, often in the late afternoon or early evening. Ask staff for their schedule.
- Understand date labels: Know the difference between ‘use by’ (safety) and ‘best before’ (quality) dates. You can often eat food past its ‘best before’ date.
- Plan for storage: Freeze items that are on their ‘use by’ date and plan meals around what cannot be frozen. Keep freezer space free for your bargains.
- Shop with flexibility: Go in with an open mind and be ready to plan meals around what you find, learning to substitute ingredients.
- Check your cupboards first: Always see what you already have before you go shopping to avoid unnecessary purchases.
For Laura, the ultimate reward for her thrifty habits is the freedom to travel, with a recent trip to Thailand. “That’s what I save for,” she adds. “By spending less on food, I can do more. Shopping like this has given me freedom.”
