To become an Internet grocery shopping whore?

[BasinHaircut]

I've decided to go back to Internet shopping after trying to switch to Aldi but finding myself spending loads more. Not because Aldi isn't cheaper because it is, but because it appears that I am unable to organise myself appropriately to shop in person (having to take an almost 2yo with me is probably to blame) and so end up wasting stuff I don't use, or needing to top up at a larger supermarket several times a week and buying more crap there.

Anyway, I went into a Sainsbury's at the weekend and got an £18 off first online shop voucher. So I used it last night. I've now got accounts with Sains, Tesco and Asda.

AIBU to think that I could try Morrisons and Ocado too, and then just rotate, waiting for them to offer me money off vouchers?

Does anyone do this? Is there a knack to it?

[Madamecastafiore]

We get £20 off vouchers for a month when we switch from Ocado to Waitrose so do it at least every 3 months. Bloody brilliant. It was like an envelope turned up at the door from Waitrose for £80 yesterday morning.

[Madamecastafiore]

I shop for all fruit and veg (bar peppers and strawberries) in Aldi and all my laundry stuff and sandwich meats and cheese in their too. We go through 7 lettuces a week in this house!!

Write a meal plan of what you are having that week and buy accordingly from the online place.

I've saved about £50 a week doing it this way but even just planning better you will save a lot of money and time and waste

[BookSnark]

You're a rank amateur compared to me!

I order Tesco and OCADO to come at the same slot - and I do my shopping with two browser windows open to get the best price/product. I have a delivery pass from tesco and I stalk free delivery slots from OCADO - so it's very easy for me to split-shop.

[reredos1]

I have shopped with every online supermarket there is except Iceland, which reminds me, I now have room in my freezer...

I don't know about a knack to it. I don't know if you can keep playing them. Ocado keep sending me offers even though I haven't shopped with them for years (didn't have the range I wanted).

Sainsbury and Asda haven't sent me anything and I haven't used them for a while. I've been taking shameless advantage of Tesco Delivery Saver but other delivery schemes operate.

It also depends on what loyalty card scheme you think is worth the game.

Apart from possibly Ocado and Morrisons, service does depend on the local depot, so have a go.

[BasinHaircut]

Ohh madame please explain how you do that!

That's hardcore book.

I used to be so good, before DS I did 1 internet 'big shop' a month and one smaller one. In between I only bought fruit, veg and milk and spent less than £200 a month on all groceries and wasted nothing.

Now I seem to go shopping 3 days a week at least and our bill has doubled! DS doesn't eat that much I'm sure, and I only buy cheap nappies.

I do still meal plan but life is a bit more chaotic and I don't batch cook so much so there isn't always a chilli I can just whip out to fill a gap. We've also just moved and I'm working with a tiny freezer so it's more week to week than month to month.

[haveabreakhaveakitkat]

I can't see how Aldi can't be cheaper. Could you leave ds with other half/family/friend once a week for a couple of hours and do a big Aldi shop? I've dropped from upwards of £150 a week at Tesco & Co to as little at £90 a week at Aldi/Lidl (Family of 5, 4 are adults!). Even with all the codes and free deliveries they send you, I can't believe the big supermarkets can compete with the discounters.

[BasinHaircut]

It's not that they aren't cheaper, they certainly are, but for some reason I end up spending more. I think it's because I plan better when doing it online, because you can plan and shop in tandem (and when DS is on bed).

[BasinHaircut]

And just to add, the spending more is through top up shops at the larger supermarkets, which I don't seem to need if I shop online.

[wirrinboffin]

I throw mySupermarket website in to the mix too....with price alerts delivered to my phone

[ineedausername]

The trick is new email accounts and using your private browser window.... I've been doing this with sainsburys for a month or so now. There was a spend 100 get £20 off code on their shopping website :)
I've also been known to simultaneously have Tesco and Sainsburys open to price compare!

[WorktoLive]

I've never used it, as I don't online shop (lucky enough to drive past an Aldi on the way home from work, so generally drop in twice a week) but those of you comparing supermarkets might want to try and do this through //www.mysupermarket.co.uk.

I think you can put your list in there and it will say where it is cheapest and there are also points/offers/cashback mentioned too. You can also save the list and it tells you when your favourites are on offer.

But yes, absolutely rotate round the supermarkets to exploit the 'we haven't seen you for a while' offers . I've just received a book of £6 off when you spend £30 for Waitrose so I might go and have a look to see what I can treat myself to.

[tiggy2610]

Ive been a 'new customer' with Sainsburys for around 6 months. New email address, search for voucher codes and have at least £15-20 off every online shop. It's a running joke with our delivery drivers now

[Snozberry]

I have an account with every shop and rotate, I have a "please come back" voucher for one of them most weeks, I hate shopping full price now. I haven't done the multiple accounts with one shop thing as I did have 2 accounts with ocado (I forgot my old login because I'd never used it) and the man on the phone trying to help me verify my card on new account properly had a go at me

[BasinHaircut]

Ohh yes id forgotten about my-supermarket! Have they added Morrisons and waitrose on now? I played around with it years ago when it was quite new for a work project.

I didn't think you could be a new customer at the same Address as an existing one?

[WhereYouLeftIt]

I am a big MySupermarket fan! Not just for internet shopping, but RL too. I can hit Asda, Morrisons and Sainsburys in one trip, with a shopping list compiled with MySupermarket's help. And the price alerts are fab.

[tiggy2610]

Basin, it goes on email address apparently. Otherwise it would cause lots of problems with people moving house.

[crazykat]

I've started shopping online with sainsburys. I don't usually shop in there as it's more expensive so I only buy things on offers. There was a promotion in store for £20 off a £60 shop, then £10 oof and free delivery for another four weeks so o gave it a try. I've bought nappies, wipes and things on offer and saved loads.

When that offer is finished I'll leave it a while and see if I get any money off vouchers. We spend more than I'd like on shopping but our local Aldi is rubbish for fruit and veg and we don't have a decent local market, I'd spend more on bus/taxis than I'd be saving to get to the closest decent market.

[reredos1]

mysupermarket do a thing where at the bottom of the item they have a graph telling you the price over the last twelve months.

Helps to knock back those 'offers' that aren't really 'offers'.

Online shopping saves me a fortune. I can see the total and knock it back to what I can afford. It cuts back on impulse buying.

[afreshstartplease]

Does it really work with new email addresses !

[BornToFolk]

Here's a handy hint...do online shopping with Tesco. I've had such shit service from them recently that I've had money off vouchers for £5, £5 and £10 for my past three shops!

[reredos1]

The thing about shopping in an actual real life supermarket is that you have to walk past things that you hadn't realised you fancied. There are the end aisle dumps with the 'offers' on, and Aldi has those weekly specials that you didn't plan for but are amazingly useful and a great price. You see things that you had not planned to buy, but when you see them, they seem like too good a deal to pass.

Online shopping means you may miss out on some bargains, but you don't get distracted by the pretty packages of biscuits, and you don't walk past the deli and think that you would quite like some naice cheese, and you don't accidentally end up going down the seasonal aisle and coming out with shedloads. The total is very clear before you commit. You are not suddenly faced with a long till roll and a bill double what you had planned for.

Obviously, those who have iron wills can whizz in, get what they want, get only genuine reduced deals and whizz out. My will power is pathetic. I save a fortune using online shopping.

(all bets are off between Christmas and New Year because that is the utter best time to get wrapping paper and Christmas cards, and quite a lot of the Christmas wrap is generic enough to use all year round so worth calling in and getting the 10p per roll perfectly adequate for kids wrapping paper that was £2 a pop three days before at Morrisons, not that I bought more than I could feasibly carry...)

[Enidblytonrules]

Since I have become disloyal to 1 particular supermarket I am always getting vouchers for money off on different shops.
this year so far examples of what I have had:
£6 off £30 shop at Sainsburys for 4 consecutive weeks
£6 off £30 shop at Sainsburys for 2 consecutive fortnights
10p off each litre of petrol at Sainsburys & Tescos for 2 consecutive fortnights
£15 off £60 on-line shop at Tescos
£5 clubcard vouchers for £30 shop at Tesco
£6 off £30 shop at Waitrose for 2 weeks

I also regularly shop at Aldi for bargain prices

I spend on average around £80-90 per calendar month (only 2 of us) on food and household supplies (excluding alcohol which I normally get from Lidl) so they are quite significant savings - in fact I keep a running total of all vouchers and money off offers I have had this year and I am nearly up to £400 (this includes books/clothes/petrol/meals out etc)

I enjoy it and treat it as a game!!

[BasinHaircut]

reredos1 you sound like me!

Pay a bit more for the things you need, but save loads not buying things you don't!

[Monkeymia1]

I did this going back about 3 to 4 years ago. Using different e mail addressesso I got money off shopping
Suddenly a couple of weeks ago I am locked out and they tell me I cannot shop on line with Sainsburys ever again as I have too many e mail addresses
All accounts had either my name or husband name, all our cards are linked.
same address, and phone numbers
If there was a clutch in their on line system , that's their fault
Even Trading Standards were surprised that they should do this. I did tell them the truth. They advised that I appeal but Sainsburys have not answered my e mail
I have been made to feel a criminal
Has anyone else had this problem