A shopper claims to have saved 'thousands' at some of the UK's biggest supermarkets with just a few simple tricks.
Taylor Brooke, from Manchester, is even renowned among her friends as an incredibly savvy saver.
The 43-year-old says she has saved 'thousands of pounds' over the years at stores including Sainsbury’s, M&S, Waitrose, Tesco - and has now shared her secrets to finding a bargain.
Taylor uses apps such as Too Good To Go, visits wholesalers and hunts down yellow sticker bargains to make sure she's always getting the best price on food.
"I’ve been on Too Good To Go since lockdown now and it’s an amazing app," she told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk .
"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."
She explained: "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.
"You can leave store reviews on friendliness and how easy the collection was, how good the value was and more."
Taylor says her recent bargains included 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.
"The bagels alone would have cost around £70 and I’d guess the whole lot would have been £130 - for a total of £8," she said.
“I bought two bags at £4 per bag."
But it's not just about her own purse as she also uses her savings to raise funds for charities she helps, such as PugWelfare.com.
Over the years, Taylor has raised £5,000 for different charities, thanks to making up food parcels and donating prizes and freebies.
"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.," she explained.
"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."
As well as charity work, Taylor doesn't just enjoy her amazing savings herself - she also shares them with local families who wouldn't be able to afford to buy their own birthday cakes.
"I'm known as the cake queen," 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 relate 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 doesn’t use Too Good To Go - she’s also an avid yellow sticker shopper and also loves to shop at wholesalers.
"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."
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