A shopper who has saved ‘thousands of pounds’ over the years at stores including Sainsbury’s, M&S, Waitrose, Tesco has shared her secrets to finding a bargain.
Taylor Brooke, 43, manages to always get the best price on food by tracking down yellow sticker offers, bulk buying from wholesalers and making use of apps such as Too Good To Go.
As well as enjoying the benefits herself, Taylor, who’s from the north west, is also generous with her hauls, sharing discounted birthday cakes with local families who can’t afford to buy them, according to money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk .
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Taylor has even raised £5,000 for different charities after making up food parcels and prizes put together with the items she bulk buys. She told LatestDeals.co.uk : "I’ve been on Too Good To Go since lockdown now and it’s an amazing app.
"I buy regularly off the app at least six times a week or more. I share the items out with all my friends and am known for making food parcels up and sending them out to friends. My friends always leave my house with a bag of food of some sort.
"On the app you check daily what’s available, from fresh bread to supermarkets and takeaways giving meals out.
"Most places offer five bags daily at set times usually around the time they are closing to give away the waste.
"The shop will be paid a fee they set that pays a pound or so toward Too Good To Go as an admin fee, so some places would charge £5 for £15 worth of items but you usually get far more.
"As soon as the time passes for collection, the store will then usually readvertise more bags for the next day of what they think might be available. They have the possibility to cancel bags if they don’t have them.
"You pay for your bag there and then when you book it, via bank card or PayPal. It then saves on your Too Good To Go app and will tell you shop details.
"You take your phone to the shop, click on order and swipe it to collect, and then show the store the collection code and you're all set.”
Taylor recently got 165 mixed bagels, five packs of tea cakes, four loaves of sliced rye bread, six loaves of uncut bread, six iced cupcakes and an iced tea cake loaf for just £8.
She said: “The bagels alone would have cost around £70 and I’d guess the whole lot would have been £130 - for a total of £8! I bought two bags at £4 per bag."
Taylor said she’s become known as the “cake queen” locally, for her savvy purchases.
She said: "I buy reduced birthday cakes from Sainsbury’s, M&S, Waitrose, Tesco and Morrisons, and I will advertise them on Facebook groups for free to families who don’t have much and have a child's birthday coming up as you can freeze cakes for a later date.
"I will then also add a banner and some candles and maybe if I’ve collected anything else birthday related into a bag with the cake and give it to whoever is in need and can collect.
"As some go for as little as £1 reduced from up to £25 per cake, it’s a massive saving.
“As I spent many years in kids' homes when I was younger, you always remember birthdays can be very lonely and not celebrated as much.
"Being a transgender woman, I will never have any kids of my own and now at age 43, it definitely wouldn’t be something I would have now. I would hate to think of a parent not being able to give their kids these memories.
“Plus, I know food banks don’t really offer these types of things with what they offer off the shelves.”
Taylor is always on the lookout for deals, and also buys in bulk to get big savings. She said: “I love saving money and showing everyone online my bargains. All my friends always laugh at my Facebook posts of my bargains and my amazing deals. I’m very well known for it.
"I go to wholesalers and buy cases of items like salad dressings - I get 12 bottles for £1, and 12 bottles of Jif lemon juice for £1.
“When I make bags up for friends I stick a bit of everything in each bag. I often buy all yellow labels from supermarkets also.
"As it would cost me that for one item at a normal supermarket, I’m getting great bargains on food that’s got a close to near-end date on things that are perfect for consumption.
"I shop at around 10 different shops around Manchester for these items, such as Als Clearance and Roger’s Wholesale Foods.
“My main tip would be to always make sure you check reduced sections in supermarkets - they usually do it around 7pm.
"And there are also so many online shops now that deliver right to your door if you're unable to get to them yourself, like Click Marketplace.
"I use loads of discount stores that have stock close to its sell-by date, and they deliver to me via DPD.
“I love saving money on reduced items as it’s a cheaper way for me to shop for my needs. I’m always hunting out bargains and deals, and if it means getting 12 of something for the same price as one, even better, as it means I can share them for free.
"I probably save a couple of hundred pounds a month on my own shopping, which has added up to thousands over the years.
“It’s also raised lots of funds for charities I help such as PugWelfare.com . It’s where I foster dogs until they find a new home and we raise funds to pay for all their medical needs and rehoming.
"I make hampers up and raffle off all the freebies I receive. I’m currently making advent calendars of all the freebies I get from applying to samples and tests sites and stuff you get over the counter at makeup shops.
“The hamper I’m currently making will raise £100 for the charity and it cost me nothing. Over the last few years, I’ve raised around £5,000 for the different charities I support with all my freebies, bargains, food parcels and donated prizes!”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk , comments: “Taylor is an absolutely amazing saver. I’m always on the lookout for ways to nab great deals on food, and Taylor’s tips are a true masterclass.
“Going to wholesalers, shopping on Too Good To Go and hunting for yellow stickers are all great tips that can be done by anyone.
“What’s really remarkable and kind is how Taylor shares her findings with her friends and the wider community, and how she’s raised so much money for charities close to her heart.
“This means that not only is Taylor saving money and preventing food waste, but she’s really helping others in need too, which is absolutely wonderful and exemplary!"
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