Set up reminders to keep the savings coming
You’re nearly there - just one last change! Your last Food for thought tip is to set up some ‘nudge’ reminders. These will help you stick with your Food for thought changes until they become habits you just do without thinking.
Tip 8
‘Nudge’ yourself to keep checking your cupboards, meal planning and so on with some simple reminders
Use upbeat wording like ‘save money - eat leftovers on Thursday’.
Stick notes up where you’ll see them:
- Fridge: ‘Use up the tomatoes!’
- Cupboard: ‘Do I already have pasta?’
- Shopping bag: ‘Got your list?’
Tools
iPhone users can find out how to set location-based reminders on the Apple website.
Popular location-based reminder apps
Task
- Choose your ‘nudges’:
- Physical and hard-copy reminders
- Big handwritten note stuck up in the kitchen: ‘8 small changes = big £££ savings!
- Whiteboard on fridge for meal plans and 'Eat me first' items
- Post-it notes on fridge or front door to check before shopping
- Labels for fridge shelves: 'Eat me first' and 'Leftovers zone'
- Magnetic notepad on fridge for live shopping list
- Reminder card placed in shopping bags or wallet
- Digital Reminders
- Phone alarms named with tasks
- Home-screen or pinned desktop notes
- Photos on your phone of your fridge and cupboards
- Location-based or geo-fenced reminders triggered at the shop
- Shared family digital lists or reminders in WhatsApp, iMessage or Google Keep
- Weekly calendar reminders for meal planning and leftover nights
- Set your reminders to:
- check what’s in the fridge and cupboards
- meal plan and reverse engineer recipes
- write a shopping list with exact amounts
- eat up leftovers or freeze them
- batch cook now and then
- Build household routines:
- decide a set day and time for meal planning
- have a weekly 'leftovers night'
- create a household rule: no one food shops without checking the fridge first
- Habit stack:
- Waiting for the kettle to boil → check the fridge for what needs eating soon
- Finished Sunday breakfast → check what food’s in the fridge
- Catching up on your favourite show → meal plan time
You've done it!
You’ve made 8 out of 8 changes on your Food for thought journey and are set to save up to £83 a month.
More about nudges
What are nudges?
Nudges are small prompts that help you do the thing you meant to do anyway. They make good choices easier and help new habits stick — especially when life gets busy.
The idea is to make desired actions easier and temptations harder, reducing the need for willpower.
Why nudges matter
It’s completely normal for old habits to creep back in, especially when life gets busy.
Our brains are wired for routines. So when we add simple prompts - like a calendar reminder or a note on the fridge - we’re far more likely to stick with a behaviour long-term.
A gentle nudge or two could be all you need to stay on track, reduce your food waste and save £1,000 or so a year on food.