A dad of two has described why he started a social media group to help people find discounted products at food stores.
Emlyn Mousley has set up a group called Markdown Addicts Nottingham, which urges people to post pictures and details of items in the local supermarkets' reduced sections. He said that it was a simple idea which he hoped would help families who are struggling with the rising food prices.
He told BBC News that everyone likes a good bargain, so why not share that particular knowledge? The 45-year-old former builder, who now works in marketing, set up the group a month ago in social media platform Facebook and has already amassed more than 200 followers.
Mousley loves being a bargain hunter
Mousley said he had made significant savings by shopping for items in the reduced sections of food stores. He said that if it is just going out of date, and it is half price, then people should buy it and bang it straight in the freezer. He added that he has always been a bit of a wheeler-dealer.
He thinks that everyone likes a good bargain and if he can share details of heavily discounted items that will benefit others, that is great. He made it clear that his family is not rolling in it. He said that they have got kids and bills and they don't have a massive food budget so if he can find something that is half price, why not?
According to Mousley, some of his best bargains included the purchase of duck breasts, which were marked down from a price of £13 to just £3. He said that they are not the kind of people to buy duck breasts but they are going to learn how to cook them.
Families looking for bargains with food prices rising due to inflation
He said that you can often pay just 10p for a pack of veggies like turnips or carrots and these can then be made into stews or soups. He added that some people are on really low incomes and they may only have a budget of £5-10 to spend that week on food.
He said that it is important not to be greedy and take all the deals for yourself. He added that the more people they encourage to use the group, the more who will benefit from it.
Sue Anderson, who is the head of media at debt counselling charity StepChange, said that with the recent news that inflation has now reached 11 percent over the past several months, they have seen the price of their food shop rise steeply.
She added that people have had to carefully consider their spending with many households' incomes not rising at the same pace. They are now exploring all the ways they can save money when buying essentials.
