I tried this super simple hack to save money on cheese and it only takes 2 minutes

We've all noticed the price of our food shopping going up over the last 18 months. Even if we shop at the cheapest supermarkets, and make the most of our supermarket loyalty cards, food is really expensive right now. 

Take cheddar cheese for example. In February 2022, the average price of a kilogram of cheddar cheese was £6.20. Skip to July 2023, and it's £9.55, according to the Office of National Statistics. But with cheese being such a family food shop staple, it's never been more important to understand how you can cut the cost.

So I tried this mum's money-saving hack - and I'm telling you, it's a game changer!

Watch @Moneymumofficial’s cheesy tip

Many people (myself included) don't always realise just how much extra they are paying for the convenience of pre-prepared items, like grated cheese. 

But a popular mum and money influencer, who has more than 300,000 followers on Instagram, has shared a super simple hack that can save you 25% on the shopping trolley essential. 

Filming in her local supermarket, @Moneymumofficial shared how she compares the prices of grated cheese and a block of the exact same cheese and shares her tip for getting the convenience of the more expensive option for less. 

While in her local Tesco supermarket, Gemma Bird, aka @Moneymumofficial shared that a 250g bag of grated extra mature cheddar costs £2.65, while a 400g block of the same cheese costs £3.20. 

So on the face of it, you might opt for the bag of grated cheese because it’s cheaper and super convenient (even though you actually get less).

But Gemma goes on to point out that it is crucial to compare the price per kilogram of each of the cheese options to discover the true price difference. Looking at the labels on the supermarket shelf, Gemma points out that the grated cheese costs £10.60 per kilogram, while the block of the exact same cheese costs only £8 per kilogram (if you tend to do your food shopping online, you should find a price per kilogram next to the product price for easy comparison). 

That means for every kilogram of this grated cheese you buy, you are paying £2.60 (or an extra 25%) for someone to grate it for you. 

Gemma then shares her hack of buying the block version of her favourite cheese and grating it when she gets home, storing it in food bags (and even freezing it) so that it’s still super convenient and ready whenever she needs it. 

Followers commented on Gemma’s post, offering even more tips for perfect at-home grated cheese. One commented that if you add a teaspoon of cornflour to the bag of grated cheese you can prevent the cheese from clumping together. Similarly, another commented that she likes to spread the grated cheese out on a tray and freeze it before putting it in a bag to also prevent clumping. 

Grated cheese price versus a block in other supermarkets

And it's not just Tesco where grated cheese is more expensive. We compared the prices of mature cheddar in the biggest supermarkets to see how much you're paying for someone to grate the cheese for you. 

For anyone like me, who has been paying extra for grated cheese because of the convenience, I timed myself grating an entire 400g block of cheddar - and it took me less than two minutes. 

So now, whenever I am doing my food shopping and I'm tempted by the convenience of grated cheese, I remind myself how quickly I did it myself, the fact that I could freeze it, and the fact it tasted exactly the same when defrosted, and decide that I should opt for the block instead. 

Whenever you do your food shop, it's worth wising up to the sneaky ways supermarkets get you to spend more money. And if you shop at Tesco, make sure you know how to collect more Clubcard points, and reclaim up to two years worth of lost Clubcard vouchers.