How to spend less at the supermarket

The soaring cost of a grocery shop in recent months has placed pressure on already stretched budgets - adding hundreds of pounds to the average shopping bill, according to market analysts Kantar.

But our top tips on shopping round, loyalty schemes and avoiding supermarket's psychological tricks can help you save money.

1. Shop around

Where you shop can make a huge difference.

Every month we compare thousands of prices to see how much the biggest supermarkets charge for a trolley of groceries, including everything from bread to toothpaste. For example, we found shoppers would have paid 24.7% more at the priciest supermarket, Waitrose, compared to Aldi, the cheapest, in April 2023.

Switching supermarkets is particularly easy if you shop online, provided a decent range of supermarkets will deliver to you.

• Find out more: which is the cheapest supermarket this month?

2. Avoid convenience stores 

This could save you hundreds of pounds a year.

We compared the price of a trolley of own-label and branded products at the two largest traditional supermarket convenience chains, Tesco Express and Sainsbury's Local, with the same items at their larger supermarket counterparts, for every week in 2022.

For the 75 groceries, we found a yearly difference of £817.91 between Tesco Express and Tesco, meaning Tesco Express is 10% more expensive. It was £15.73 a week on average, and if you were unlucky enough to pick the convenience store in mid-November (the week with the greatest disparity) you'd have paid £19.78 more.

We also compared the prices of 69 groceries between Sainsbury's and Sainsbury's Local, and found you'd have paid £477.93 more in 2022 if you only shopped in the convenience store.  

Find out about which groceries cost more in our convenience store investigation. 

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3. Choose own-label over big brands

We regularly holds taste tests on everything from cornflakes to hot chocolate to find out how well-known brands fare against own-label alternatives.

The cheaper supermarket versions often win and our tasters sometimes can't tell the difference – perhaps because branded and own-label products are often made by the same people in the same factories.

Save money without sacrificing flavour with our guides to the best food and drink.

4. Stock up when you can

Grocery prices vary week to week - sometimes fluctuating by up to 284%.

We checked more than one million prices in our biggest-ever pricing investigation to uncover just how much, and how often, the prices of branded products in supermarkets change.

They exposed some eye-opening secrets, from the grocer that almost always beats its rivals on the cost of branded groceries, to the supermarket where you’ll pay almost four times the amount for the same product on some days than others.

So-called 'yo-yo' pricing means it's worth stocking up when items you buy regularly are discounted, so you don't have to buy them when they're full price. But do factor in use-by dates – this approach can work better for store-cupboard items than things you need to eat quickly.

• Find out more: the groceries you should never pay full price for

5. Join a loyalty scheme

Loyalty schemes are big business for supermarkets. Many have changed in recent years, so they're no longer simply about collecting points but now offer exclusive discounts, rewards, charity donations and competitions to loyal shoppers.

But exactly what the benefits are worth and how they compare can be confusing. That's why we've compared loyalty cards. We found you could save between 50p (with Sainsbury's Nectar) and £5 (Iceland) for every £100 you spend using a supermarket loyalty scheme. 

These savings could easily be cancelled out if the shop's prices are higher than those of competitors, so while it's worth signing up to schemes offered by shops you already use, you probably shouldn’t change shop just to earn points.

• Find out more: loyalty cards compared

6. Wise up to supermarkets' psychological tricks

Whether it's freshly baked bread, fairy lights in winter or floral displays in summer, supermarkets want to keep shoppers happy. The more comfortable someone is, the more they're likely to spend.

Every supermarket tries to build up an image in shoppers' minds to reinforce its brand. It's particularly clear at Christmas, when they create festive displays and use warm colours and merry jingles to encourage us to spend more than usual, but it happens all year.

Go in knowing how long you want to spend in store and what you’d like to buy: write a list in advance and stick to it.

7. Work out what you're really saving

Ever had to step around a special offer display before you're even in the shop? Anything that forces us to change direction makes us pay attention, as do signs that move or flash. 

One of the most effective tricks is to place a vertical sign in the middle of the aisle. Our eyes naturally scan from left to right, so breaking up that flow encourages us to stop and read an offer. 

Special offers can be helpful – but only if they're on a product you were planning to buy. When your attention is captured by a promotion, think about what made you stop: is it really something you need with a good discount? Or just clever marketing?

8. Try shifting down a range

Supermarkets have a number of ranges of own-label products, from basic and value brands to premium. There are savings to be had by moving down a tier – and often you won't be able to taste much difference. 

It's worth a try to see how much you can save, and which products you're happy to buy from a lower range.

• Find out more: the own labels that beat the big brands

9. Know the difference between use-by and best-before dates

Food with a use-by date must be used by midnight of its expiry date or it could be unsafe. 

Best-before dates are far more flexible and don't have the same safety issues. Food near or even after its best-before date is usually fine to eat and often heavily discounted.

If you find something in the cupboard that's past its best-before date, give it a sniff – if it smells fine, it should be OK to eat.

• Find out more: which online supermarket delivers the freshest groceries? 

10. Write a list – and stick to it

Ever noticed that the milk is at the back of the shop, the bread at the other end and the washing-up liquid somewhere in the middle? Supermarkets do this to make sure you walk past every shelf, even when you're only there for a few essentials. 

Find out where the things you need are and head straight for them. It's easy in your local supermarket, but more difficult when you're somewhere unfamiliar. 

In most stores, dairy products and bread are at the back, fruit and vegetables at the front, and drinks and frozen items at the far end. Some stores like to move their produce around though.

If you can't help but browse, try shopping online where it can be easier to stick to a list. And the old advice 'never to shop when you're hungry' is still true.

11. Search different aisles – and look up and down

Bizarrely, some types of product, including rice, sauces and baking ingredients, can be found in multiple aisles at different prices. You might, for example, find rice or chickpeas cheaper in the world foods aisle than in other parts of the shop. And if you're after sultanas or cashew nuts, check out the baking aisle as well as the dried fruit and nuts or snacking shelves.

Also, supermarkets often place less-profitable items high and low on the shelves, and the ones they want you to buy at eye level.

12. Nab an early evening bargain

Many supermarkets heavily discount perishable items in the early evening as the use-by time approaches, but you'll have to be flexible about what to buy and use (or freeze) the items before they go off.

13. Use unit pricing to find the best deals

Use the unit price rather than the pack price to work out if you're getting a good deal – it makes it much easier to compare alternatives. 

Unit prices, such as the price per 100g or per 100ml, must by law be displayed on most groceries. But our investigation in August 2022 found unit pricing missing on multibuys and loyalty card prices. 

We also found numerous examples where it was illegible, inconsistent or confusing.

The issues we uncovered are worrying as we found you could pay up to 346% more by going for different sizes of the same product.

• Find out more: can you spot the cheapest groceries? 

14. Get clued up on budget groceries

Sales of budget groceries are soaring as the cost of living crisis tightens its grip. 

But they aren't always easy to spot and may not always be the cheapest options. Check out everything you need to know about budget groceries to see if they could save you money.

• Find out more: best and worst supermarkets