Do you come home from the supermarket laden with random grab-me-now offers you wish you’d left on the shelf?
And are you taken aback at the size of your bill?
With rising living costs placing a squeeze on the nation’s wallets, sticking to a budget can be tough.
But the supermarket could be a good place to start trying harder.
Here’s how you can avoid pitfalls at the supermarket and cut the cost of your bill:
Be organised
It’s easy when you’re whizzing around busy aisles to shove the nearest goods into your trolley, pushing up your bill and forgetting vital items you really need.
An old-fashioned list, on paper or stored on your mobile phone, could help you to stick to what you need.
Don’t be seduced
Supermarket layouts lure us past tempting items en route to the ones we intend to buy.
Items placed on shelves in our eye-line, bright, eye-catching special offer signs and tempting treats near the tills may all encourage us to spend more.
And while BOGOF (buy one get one free) offers may look like a good deal, do you actually need more than one item, and will you use it?
Try online shopping
Although you may have to factor in delivery charges, doing your supermarket shop online from the calm of your home may encourage you to stick to a budget, rather than make snap purchasing decisions when you’re out and about.
Shopping this way could help make sure you get everything you need – and allow you to take items you’ve changed your mind about out of your virtual basket with a simple click.
For those trying to stick to a specific spend, being able to easily pop items in and out of a virtual shopping basket could be particularly helpful.
You may also be able to shave money off your online supermarket bill through cashback websites.
Don’t be a brand snob
The most expensive item doesn’t necessarily make it the best.
Try swapping some of your regular brands for cheaper supermarket alternatives and see if you can taste the difference.
Maybe you’ll miss your old favourites or perhaps the saving you’re making will taste even sweeter.
MoneySavingExpert.com has a tool shoppers can use to estimate how much they could save by “downshifting” items. Visit
tiny.cc/DownshiftChallenge
And don’t be a supermarket snob
Even if you have a favourite supermarket, try shopping elsewhere.
