Given the last blog on the shocking treatment of pigs on some European farms, including in the UK, we here at 247Moneybox.com noted that buying ‘high welfare’ doesn’t necessarily mean free-range and organic, which we all know costs extra. However, there are ways to keep a clear conscience and not have to fork over the extra pennies.

For example, reuse your plastic bags or, better still, why not purchase a few durable shopping bags and use them instead? These are available in any number of patterns and styles – such as the familiar tartan ones often used by market traders transporting their wares – and indeed are fast becoming all the rage.

Another thing you can easily do is to choose your produce carefully. If you buy seasonal fruit and veg, much of the contents of your shopping basket will come from the UK, which involves a much lower transportation footprint than those winter strawberries flown all the way from the southern hemisphere.

In a similar vein, some supermarkets have air travel stickers to help you make an informed choice. In addition, you could go the Good Life route and grow your own produce. It doesn’t have to be River Cottage but you’d be surprised what even a few plant pots can produce to supplement your weekly shop for a fraction of the cost.

With Christmas approaching, the pressure to “buy buy buy” is enormous. This includes food that you wouldn’t normally buy and indeed in quantities to feed a medium-sized army. There are lots of recipes out there for using leftovers creatively and to make them stretch further.