Seven things to ban from your shopping trolley

Cut back on anything you don't really need each week, and then take a look at this list and see whether you're still spending way more than you need to .

1. Magazines

I know, I know! The glossy faces of your favourite celebs, or games, or even fitness icons are staring at you from the moment you step into the supermarket and before you know it they're in your trolley. Even if you manage to get around the whole shop without picking one up, they'll be crying out to you from the queue to the till, staring up at you with those overly-photoshopped and smiley faces. How can you say no?

Those magazines might give you a few minutes of reading material on your lunch break, or in front of your TV one night, but do you really need them? You could probably read the exact same articles on the magazine's website. If that doesn't feel quite the same to you though, and you know you're going to end up buying one every week, then buy them smart.

If anyone else at your office reads the same magazine, then arrange to take it in turns buying the magazine each week to cut the costs.

Subscriptions are another way to save money in the long-run and the magazine will be delivered to your home for free!

2. Pre-cut fruit and vegetables

If you bought a watermelon, would you pay someone to come to your kitchen, slice it up, and put it in a packet in the fridge? Doubtful, and more than a little bit weird if that's all you're hiring this person to do... If you really want to save money, buy whatever fruit and vegetables you need for the week and spend the time cutting them up yourself.

The added benefit to this is that you can be sure they're fresh. Packeted pre-cut fruit and vegetables usually have preservatives added to stop them from rotting before you eat them. You could take this even further by checking which fruit and veg are in season, and only buying them when they are. In-season fruit and vegetables are always cheaper.

3. Bouquets and flower arrangements

No, I'm not saying you should go out and pick your own flowers, or that you should buy individual ones and arrange them yourself. Supermarket bouquets are always a tricky buy because they've normally been there for so long that they won't last much longer, and they're also overpriced for what they are.

If you're stuck for time and don't know any florists in your area, then fine, pick up a bouquet while you're out shopping at the supermarket. But if you've actually got time to plan, then either look for a florist or order the flowers online; you'll find some incredible deals and the majority of online florists won't even make you pay for your delivery. We feature online florist deals pretty regularly in our weekly top vouchers post over on the Scoperks blog, so check that out if you love getting the best deals and saving money whenever you shop online.

4. Pre-packaged sandwiches

Didn't I say a lot of these points would be common sense? If you go to the lunch counter of any supermarket, their sandwiches and baguettes cost so much more than you could make them for yourself. In fact, I saw a cheese sandwich for over £2.00 in a popular supermarket the other day. You could buy a block of cheese and a loaf of bread and make your own lunch for much cheaper than that.

Sometimes you might be drawn in by the lunchtime grub, especially if you haven't packed anything for yourself and you've wandered in specifically for lunch. If that's the case, make sure you take advantage of any lunch deals they have on; usually for a sandwich, a packet of crisps or piece of fruit, and a drink. These kind of deals are much cheaper than buying each bit separately.

5. Deli cheese

Depending on which supermarket you're shopping in, buying things from the deli counter could be a big mistake. You might have to pay a premium just because it takes the supermarket extra staff and hours to sort the products, serve you, and slice them up.

Sometimes you'll even find the deli cheese all wrapped up and displayed by some of the branded cheese for cheaper prices than in the deli section. Weird right? It's worth checking both areas to be sure you're getting the best price, but if you don't have that time I'd head straight to the cheese isle and skip the deli altogether.

Oh, and if you're worried you'll miss out on your favourite type of cheese by avoiding the deli, don't. The dairy isle normally has nine out of the 10 cheeses on display at the deli, for cheaper prices from other brands.

6. Branded products

I know a lot of you will argue against me for this point, but it's true that the supermarket's own products (minus the deli counter of course…) are usually cheaper than their branded alternatives. In some cases you'd be right: they won't taste as good. Or if they do, they'll be packed full of ingredients you'd rather not be eating.

But there are some exceptions to the rule, and to find them you might have to put in a tiny bit of effort reading the labels of things. The best examples are usually sauces like tomato ketchup, all different types of spices (which really you should be getting from health shops rather than supermarkets anyway), biscuits, and even medicines like paracetamol and ibuprofen.

I tried substituting some of my usual branded products with the supermarket own equivalents a few months ago; it's easy, and if you don't like them then the next time you have to buy them you can go back to your branded alternatives. I now only ever buy supermarket and pharmacy own medicine (always check the label though, the ones I buy have almost identical ingredients to the branded versions), herbs and spices, but I'll never go back to supermarket own tea! I'll stick with my branded one thank you very much.

7. Kids lunchable packs

Oh you know what I'm talking about. Those little packs of things you can 'make', like mini ham and cheese cracker packs, make your own pizza in a pack, cheese dippers, etc. Not only are these a complete waste of money when one pack is usually upwards of £1.50 (and you'll need five for a week of packed lunches for your child to take to school), but if you take a second to look at their ingredients and nutritional facts you'll find out that they're so much worse than you probably thought they were.

Just buy a packet of crackers, a block of cheese, and a packet of ham. Yes, your little one might complain that their friends have cooler lunches, but they'll be thanking you when they reach their teens with a knowledge of what fresh food is, and you can spend the money you saved on their birthday presents!

And there we go, seven really straight forward things you just shouldn't be buying.

Take a look at the Scoperks blog if you want more advice on how to save money (and I promise, it's not always as straight forward as the advice here!), tips on what technology to buy, and weekly deals and vouchers.