If you are having difficulty affording food, or buying food that you need for a special diet, a member of your healthcare team can put you in contact with sources of help. The website www.moneysavingexpert.com has some useful advice on budgeting and shopping carefully.

Here are some tips to help you shop and eat well without spending a lot of money:

• Small shops and convenience stores are often more expensive than larger supermarkets.
• Many supermarkets offer large packs of foods that keep a long time (e.g. rice) for less money per kilo than smaller packets. This can save you a lot of money in the long term. You could buy larger bags of rice or flour and split them with a friend or neighbour.
• Larger supermarkets have ‘value’ ranges to help reduce the cost of regular items used every day. And you can often save money on fruit, vegetables and staple foods at the cheaper supermarkets.
• Check ‘best before’ or ‘use by’ dates – sometimes food near this date will be reduced in price, especially towards the end of the day. But make sure you can use it before it goes off.
• Look for special offers on food that will keep, such as pasta, rice or cereals. But beware of offers in supermarkets that might tempt you to buy things you don’t really need.
• Fruit and vegetables are often cheaper if you buy them loose, rather than packaged, and if they are in season. They can also be cheaper if you buy them from a market rather than a supermarket (and you may find a greater variety of foods from different cultures in some markets). But be careful not to buy more fruit or vegetables than you can use before they go bad, as you may have to throw them out.
• Frozen, tinned or dried fruit, vegetables and beans are nutritious, last longer and can be much cheaper than fresh. Tinned fish is also a good option. Try to choose the types with little or no added salt or sugar, and buy tinned fruit in juice rather than syrup.
• Making meals at home (such as lasagne, shepherd’s pie or curry) will often be cheaper – and healthier – than buying a ready-made version, especially if you are cooking for several people.
• Plan your shopping, try to stick to your shopping list, and try not to go shopping when you are hungry!