Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Online or in-store?
Debbie does the majority of her shopping on the high street. She collects vouchers from magazines, uses her Tesco Clubcard and collects Nectar points. She also uses the mysupermarket app to research who has the best deals. Debbie reckons by comparing prices before she hits the shops she can save at least £10 off her weekly grocery shop.
“I’m delighted I won the challenge,” 1 medium sliced loaf 4 pints of milk 6 medium eggs
350g cheese
500g butter/margarine 8 sausages
400g sandwich ham 10 pack of fish fingers 6 pack of tomatoes
1kg carrots
2.5kg potatoes 1 cucumber
400g strawberries 6 apples
4 tins baked beans 500g pasta sauce 1kg fusilli pasta 100 teabags 1 litre squash 1 bottle white wine Delivery £0 she says. “Even it was by just 79p – every bit I can save helps keep my bills down. I never accept the first price I see for anything. I tend to do the majority of my food shop at one store but I am happy to go to more than one, picking up odd items at other stores if I spot a really good price for something.
“I prefer to go out and pick my own items, especially meat, vegetables and fruit. I had to get smart with my shopping as I had to give up work due to ill health. I now shop around for everything from food to energy and insurance.
“It saves us hundreds of pounds each year. I don’t go all-out for the basic cheapest items, I pick and choose what we like. Some own-brand stuff tastes better than the big brands.
“I don’t waste money on things we won’t eat, I just find the best deals on brands we all enjoy.”
Use an app such as mysupermarket to check prices in different stores. They also have an option that alerts you if something gets reduced in price.
Try out own brands such as Lidl’s Danepak, which I think is just as good as Lurpak, but a lot cheaper. Never mind red, red wine. Wow your friends and family with the latest booze trend – blue wine. It may look like an alcopop but the wacky Chardonnay gets its colour naturally from the skin of its grapes. Said to have a fruity, peachy bouquet, the show-stopping Paisonblue comes at a price – £19.99 a bottle – but could be worth the expense to see jaws drop. From Firebox.com. £1.40
Check sites such as Topcashback and/or Checkoutsmart for money off, cashback or two-for-one offers.
Join loyalty schemes such as Nectar and Tesco Clubcard. Also look for coupons and download vouchers to get extra discounts.
Keep an eye out for in-store offers such as two-for-one or multi-buys. I stock up on non-perishable items when I spot these deals.