I have recently rejoined Slimming World after previously being a member before being pregnant. I do enjoy the plan and it does work well if you stick to it. There are weeks where it’s more tricky, but I am enjoying it on the whole.
But, as with any healthier eating plan, Slimming World can prove quite expensive. However, there are some ways to save money whilst slimming!
Membership fees
Initially it costs £10.00 to join Slimming World, plus £4.95 a week thereafter. There are often vouchers in various women’s magazines that mean you can join for free, so definitely look out for those.
Also, Slimming World do something called a countdown where you can bulk buy for cheaper. It works out as:
- a 6 week countdown gives you 6 weeks for the price of 5
- a 12 week countdown gives you 12 weeks for the price of 10.
This will also help you keep track as you’re paid up beforehand so, if like me you don’t like wasting money, this should help 🙂
Cook from scratch
If you cook all your food fresh, rather than relying on pre-made sauces and packets which are often syn-ed, this will save you money. Plus, you know what’s going into your own food! Initially, there might be an outlay as you get more spices and other food cupboard essentials, but then these should last a while.
Cook in bulk
As you’re cooking your own meals, do more than you need and freeze the rest. I often make a meal for four and then save half so we’ve got another meal stashed in the freezer for a night when I just can’t be bothered to cook. It stops me being tempted by a takeaway (most of the time!) and often cooking for four is just as cheap as cooking for two.
Buy frozen
Buying frozen fruit and vegetables can save you a lot of money! There are so many different options for frozen vegetables now and these can be used to bulk out meals. Especially if you’ve making a stew in the slow cooker, chuck in lots of extra frozen veg and your meal will go further. In our freezer we have frozen broccoli, sweetcorn, peas, mixed veg and spinach.
Buy in bulk
I’ve written before about building a stockpile and buying in bulk, but this definitely helps keep costs down. Things like rice and pasta are free on the Slimming World plan and they keep forever in the cupboard. If you can, buy these in bigger packets as this will often save you money. The following items are good to buy in bulk if you’ve got place to store them:
- pasta
- rice
- spaghetti
- lentils
- cous cous
- certain cereals
Avoid the frozen Slimming World meals
These are their own brand ready meals that you can buy from Iceland but they are quite expensive and only serve one. You could make your own version of it to serve more and for less money, most of the time. It might be handy to have one in the freezer but buying these for your meals would make it expensive quite quickly.
Meal plan
Again, I’ve posted before about meal planning and how much of a fan I am of it for saving money. The same applies here – if you meal plan beforehand and stick to your list, you’ll save money plus you’ll know what you’re eating all week!
Buy non branded items
I think the only thing I buy branded particularly is FryLight, as it’s free on Slimming World. Buying non branded items or supermarket own brand can save you so much money! Again, this isn’t just for people on Slimming World 🙂
Stay to group
If you go to weigh in every week, I suggest staying to group if you can. It’s where members can talk about their successes (and fails!) and offer suggestions if you need them. Members can offer meal suggestions which can be helpful if you’re stuck in a rut. I find group helpful as it means I am staying more focused.
Reach target!
Once you reach the target you set yourself at the beginning, you get your membership for free, providing you stay within 3lbs of your target weight. Nothing like a bit more motivation – everyone likes free! 🙂
Do you have any other tips? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
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I lost two and a half stone with Slimmimg World 3 years ago. I was flabbergasted at how much people spent on their weekly shop. On the whole it is a good plan to follow. I have since put on half a stone during this winter, however that willpower once half term is finished. Meal planning and cooking from scratch saves so much lbs and £s.
My issue with Slimming World is the cost. I’ve got lots of their magazines and I’ve followed some of it and lost a stone, but lots of the recipes want you to use chicken breasts, steak, lamb rump, king prawns and I just can’t afford those items. Lots of their snacks are expensive fruits such as mango, pineapple and avocados and, again, I can’t afford them. I’m going to serve smaller portions of my normal meals but cut as much fat out as I can, eat sugar free snacks and exercise more.
I’m going through all my favourite recipes and seeing if I can convert them to be SW friendly. I cook cheaply anyway, so this is the cheapest way for me