The average weekly shopping bill for a family of 4 increased by 20% in 2008. For a family of 4 spending £100 on weekly groceries, this would mean an increase in prices of £1,040 a year.So here are 10 tips to keep your shopping bill down.
1. Own brand products
Some of the own brand products are great – much cheaper than branded goods and the quality can be excellent. Aldi’s chocolate digestives, for instance, which cost 49p a pack, score ten out of ten and are as good as McVities, which cost about £1.30. Likewise, Marks and Spencer’s Organic 24 Whole Grain Wheat Bisks cost £1.69 and are as good as Organic Weetabix, which costs around £2.27.
Of course, you will not like all ownbrand products as much as the branded ones. But it’s worth trying once, then you can decide which to buy again.
And not just with food – washing powders, dishwasher tablets and toiletries are worth trying, too. You could save literally hundreds of pounds a year with some simple changes.
2. Go for the basic ranges.
For basics like flour, sugar, rice, oats, salt and so on, you would be hard pressed to notice any difference if you buy the cheapest possible products.
You end up paying loads more if you buy pre-packaged goods – as well as having lots of packaging to dispose of. Nearly everything from supermarket deli counters is cheaper and better. You should also avoid ready meals – as well as often being less healthy, they are far more expensive than if you made the meal yourself from scratch.
There are hundreds of free recipes and cooking tips onwww.deliaonline.com and www.jamieoliver.com.
4. Try the cheaper supermarkets
There has been a real buzz about the cheap, good quality produce at Lidl, Aldi and Netto lately. They are also good for continental foods such as smoked meats and canned fish, biscuits and confectionary.
A recent Which? survey found budget supermarket customers are more satisfied than those of the main players. Out of a maximum 100, discount stores Aldi and Lidl were awarded overall satisfaction scores of 66 and 64 respectively, higher than the big four supermarkets – Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda and Morrisons (56).
5. Don’t always go for class one products.
Sometimes the reason a product is called class two is something ludicrous rather than anything to do with the product being poorer quality. ASDA Smartprice bananas, for instance, are the cheapest they offer, absolutely delicious and are class two because they are not of uniform size. Does anyone really care if some of their bananas are bigger or a funnier shape than the others? 
6. Prices fluctuate between stores.
And stick to it. Don’t be swayed by impulse purchases, just buy what you need. You will be pleasantly surprised at the checkout.
13. Keep an eye out for special offers.
Sainsburys recently offered Stella Artois lager for a cheaper price than Lidl. You just need to know where the best buys are, particularly for things you can buy in bulk. Also, in all supermarkets, the later you shop the more bargains there will be. You can buy ‘reduced to clear’ products from midday onwards.
14. Go to market
One way to beat the supermarkets – that is, to eat healthily for less – is to use your local market stall. Lower overheads should mean lower prices.
15. Don’t buy squeezy bottles
Products in squeezy bottles, such as ketchup, are always more expensive. Go for glass when you can. 16. Steer clear of Silly branding.
Learnto say no to your children. You simply do not need your plasters to have pictures of the Disney Princesses on them, or your porridge to be packaged in individual sachets. Oats from Asda costs 25p for a 500g bag. A box of sachets of Oats So Simple, weighing a total of just 324g costs a whopping £1.99. It’s ten times more expensive. And how long does it take to put a cupful of oats and some milk in the microwave yourself?
17. ‘Finest’ ranges can cost more than branded
If you think you are saving money by going for the top own-label products rather than branded goods you are probably wrong. They are often considerably more expensive – particularly when you take the difference in package sizes into account. Remember to compare like with like and also be aware that the most expensive does not always mean the best. Sometimes you are far better off going with a more basic version of a product because it has less nasties added to it.
18. Avoid snack packs
Anything in small packages costs more – mini boxes of cereal, mini boxes of raisins and small packets of nuts all represent appalling value. Buying bigger doesn’t mean in bulk – it just means avoiding paying for extra packaging. You can buy Tupperware-style boxes to decant large packages into small portions for your children’s school snacks, and put their juice in a bottle rather than giving them individual cartons. Life is not a picnic!
19. Ask for vouchers
If there is a special offer in a supermarket but the item is out of stock, you can ask staff for a voucher offering you either a similar product at the same price as the offer price, or the opportunity to take
advantage of the offer at a later date when there is more stock. This is not something you are entitled to, but at the discretion of customer service staff so ask with as much charm as you can muster!
20. Complain
If products are not as good as they should be, complain. Opening a punnet of plums to find that three are mouldy is not on – and you should not pay for them. You can either take items back into the store, or if you have done an internet shop, phone the helpline. Ocado sometimes offer a bottle of wine in way of apology, too
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