Cost-of-living tool

Food savings calculator

How much could you save by buying clearance and surplus food instead of paying full supermarket prices? Move the sliders to estimate your monthly and yearly saving on the same brands.

/ month
40%

Most people start with cupboard staples, drinks and snacks.

50%

Clearance and surplus food is usually 30-70% off.

You could save around

£80 / month

that’s £960 a year

Current monthly spend
£400
Bought on clearance
£160
New monthly spend
£320
Start saving — browse deals

Estimates only, for illustration. Actual savings depend on what you buy, the dates and demand. Figures update live as you adjust the sliders.

How to actually hit these savings

The calculator shows what is possible; here is how buyers get there in practice. Clearance and surplus food is the same branded product a supermarket sells, but it became overstock, short-dated or end-of-line, so it is cleared at 30-70% off instead of going to waste.

  • Switch your staples first. Tins, pasta, rice, cereals, drinks, snacks and cleaning products store well and are the easiest wins.
  • Buy by the case. Case and multipack pricing usually beats single units, and non-perishables keep.
  • Use auctions. Bid when demand is low and you can win a lot for less than the Buy Now price.
  • Freeze to avoid waste. Freezing bread, meat and chilled bargains at home locks in the saving.
  • Check the dates. Every listing shows the best-before window, so you only buy what you can use in time.

Why it is so much cheaper

A supermarket prices to a steady retail margin on stock with a long shelf life. ClearanceFood sellers price to clear surplus quickly, which is why the same brands routinely sell for a fraction of the RRP. New to how it works? Read clearance food vs the supermarket and whether short-dated food is safe.

Frequently asked questions

How much can I save buying clearance food?

Clearance and surplus food is typically 30-70% cheaper than the supermarket price for the same brands. How much you save overall depends on how much of your shop you switch to clearance and the discounts on the lots you buy. The calculator gives a quick monthly and yearly estimate.

How does the food savings calculator work?

Enter your typical monthly food and grocery spend, set how much of that shop you would buy on clearance, and set a typical clearance discount. The calculator multiplies them out to estimate your monthly and yearly saving, and your new monthly spend. It is an illustration, not a quote.

Is clearance food actually the same brands?

Often, yes. Much clearance stock is well-known grocery, drinks, confectionery and household brands that became surplus, overstock, short-dated or end-of-line. It is the same product, sold cheaply so it moves before its best-before date instead of going to waste.

Is short-dated and best-before food safe to eat?

Yes. Best-before is a quality date, not a safety date, so best-before food is legal to sell and safe to eat beyond the date - it may just lose a little peak flavour or texture. ClearanceFood never lists anything past its use-by (safety) date.

Turn the estimate into real savings

Browse live clearance auctions and Buy Now listings and start paying less for the same brands.