Advice for Saving Money and Building Connections
As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting the community and making food more accessible, we've gathered some helpful tips and resources. These include advice on grocery shopping, ways to stay connected and combat loneliness, as well as opportunities available to guests at our canteens. We've also included tools to help you manage household expenses and stretch your budget further. We hope these resources make things a little easier and bring some extra support your way.
Shopping
Shopping for groceries and finding affordable food can be difficult. Here are some tips and useful links to keep in mind while shopping:
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Sign up for loyalty cards. They can reduce prices on items, and some programs offer cash back or additional rewards.
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Use the free app Trolley to compare prices of items across larger grocery stores. You can also set alerts for your favourite items to know when the price drops.
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Before heading to the store, spend time planning your meals and make a list of what you need. Sticking to your list can reduce spending, prevent impulse purchases, and reduce food waste.
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If you need some inspiration, we've created 11 simple, healthy, and affordable recipes that also make great use of leftovers. Find them here.
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Food Apps like Too Good to Go, Olio, and Karma are a great way to find discounted meals while helping restaurants reduce their food waste.
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If you’re pregnant or have a child under 4 years old, you may qualify for Healthy Start Vouchers, which can give you up to £8.50 off on fruits, veg, milk, and formula per week. These vouchers are accepted at both the Food Bus and Float. Click this link to see if you’re eligible: Healthy Start and Rose Vouchers.
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Shop on our Food Bus or Float at one of the regular weekly stops to purchase fruits, vegetables, and essentials at an affordable price while helping to support our mission.
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Creating Connections
If the community meals that Be Enriched provides don't work with your schedule, we have put together a few other places for you to find community:​
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​FoodCycle offers similar community meals to Be Enriched. They offer both lunch and dinner meals. Take a look at the times and locations where they offer meals here.​
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Nourish Hub and Next Meal have compiled lists of places that offer free food and meals across London. Check out Nourish Hub here and Next Meal here ​
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​The Colliers Wood Community Centre hosts numerous groups that offer activities almost every day of the week. Look at their website here.​
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Check out your local library and community centres to see if they offer any local groups or community events you can attend.​​
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If you are struggling with loneliness and aren’t sure what to do about it, your GP can help with Social Prescribing. Find out more about it here
Additional Opportunities at the Canteen
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Be Enriched, with the support of the Fuel Bank Foundation, offers Fuel Vouchers to repeat guests. To learn more, enjoy a meal and the full Be Enriched experience. You will also have the opportunity to speak to an employee once a month to coordinate your fuel voucher.
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We are growing our relationship between Southwark and the Castle canteen. Southwark provides health services for free when they attend the canteen around once every two months.
Useful links
We understand that everyday expenses can quickly add up and become a challenge. That’s why we’ve gathered a list of additional resources to help you save a few extra pounds and lighten the load. ​​
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Overall Cost of Living
London City Hall - Cost of Living Support
Budgeting and Saving Money on Household Bills
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Energy
South West London Energy Advice Partnership Leaflet.
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Transportation
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Our Resources