The cheapest supermarket? - Need to save money quickly!!

[Slippersmum]

I am so worried about money. My dh has not been paid for 4 months and we need to cut back quickly. Do people think there is one particular supermarket that is the cheapest or am I better going to a few different shops for different items?

Aldi/Lidl are cheaper - but not as much as is sometimes made out. We have found the best way to save money on our supermarket shopping is to ruthlessly meal plan.

Get as much as possible in Aldi and go to another supermarket for anything that you need and really can't get anywhere else. Iceland can be very good for offers on things too.

I've found the best way to save money is to meal plan for the week, to write a list based on that plan and then to stick to it. If you are able to do your ordering online that is even better as you won't be tempted by displays or BOGOF offers in the shops. Remember that supermarkets are designed to make you spend more, so the more you can avoid them the more you will save.

There are lots of websites with very cheap recipes on them so a quick google will give you some ideas.

I hope you get the money issues sorted soon.

If you have time go to different shops for different items.
The quickest way to save money in the short term is to change your eating habits drastically.
Consider how long things take to cook as well as what they cost: saving on the shopping to pay more on the gas bill is fruitless.
Aldi/Lidl and ASDA are the cheapest but quality iis better at aldi/lidl generally (standard SM prices for luxury quality or basics prices for standard quality.
Drop the portion size of protein, switch to cheaper veggie options, make the bulk of the meal the carbs.

Choose the right time to go. I've found that Tesco when it opens on a Sunday has lots of fruit and veg reduced by a huge amount.

Yy to meal planning, though loosely so if there's a real bargain to be had you can ditch one meal and factor in something else. Aldi & Lidl are cheap and the lack of range means you generally stick to what you need if you stay away from the middle aisles of treasures. If your dh is owed wages/pay that needs to be chased up asap.

I saved a fortune when I meal planned followed by using www.mysupermarket.com - you choose your supermarket then pick your items and it comes up with the cost of the same items at all the other supermarkets in your area to see if it would be cheaper with them. It lets you downgrade to certain brands if they are cheaper or on special offer too.

The differential is less now with Aldi/Lidl because the others have dropped a lot of prices to compete.

The great thing with them though is that their prices are stable, they don't generally do silly offers (well Lidl do a bit, because they sell branded stuff as well as their own) & PPs have said, you get excellent quality for fairly basic prices, & there's not a huge choice so the shopping trip is a doddle (& also you aren't tempted by stuff you didn't go in for)

Are you recieving all the benefits your entitled to? It's unfair of his employers to not pay him for that long.

The cheapest is not always a supermarket. Check out local markets (normal markets - not posho farmers ones), ethnic shops, poundland etc., amazon, approved food and so on. Iceland are excellent (and take love2shop vouchers) and will deliver your shopping once you've bought it instore. Get to know the prices of things you buy most and you will know if something is a bargain or not.

Do ask for help locally if you are struggling. CAB can help with benefits and employer-wrangling. Sure start centres and health visitors can give food bank vouchers. I used to help an old couple with their allotment in exchange for food - it's a good time of year to "volunteer" as there is digging and clearing to be done after winter - and easier than having your own allotment as no cost and no experience needed (just strong arms).

IME Morrisons price match to Aldi and Lidl and the produce is much fresher.

In addition their own economy brand eg. ketchup is a lot cheaper, they still have special offers and they have reduced items that need to be sold off before going out of date.

As DH hasn't been paid and it's an emergency could the local foodbank help out?

I have come to the conclusion that overall Morrisons is the best and I can get everything I need in there. I love the veg section and the world foods.

Thats great - thanks for all the tips. He works for himself and the customer is not paying, hence not being paid for so long! Want to cut our outgoing as much as we can as quickly as we can so we don't get any further into debt. Thanks again for taking the time to help!

There is another thread here march frugal one for general tips but also one on aibu to feed family for £20. Might be useful.

Get to know your prices. I buy most things from Lidl and Tesco (own brand and value only) as they are in walking distance, but I've worked out the local greengrocers sells potatoes cheaper than any of them! I like Aldi, but it's not worth the long drive. If I'm likely to be near Sainsburys I check out what I need and see what items will be cheaper on mysupermarket.com.

Do go through your cupboards and work out what you need to use up - there are often things lurking which get forgotten about.

Other ways to save money at the moment are using the car less, ie go on a local walk or cycle ride with the family and take a snack/picnic to keep you going, or find a free museum if you're somewhere different. Actually, always take drinks/snacks with you to prevent extra cost. Ditch takeaways. We like a bottle of wine and DH has started making his own and it's not bad and works out approx. £2 a bottle.

Aldi. My tip for using Aldi though is use meat and fish well before the use by as it is often off by the use by. I think they put use by dates on it that are too long so I either use it within 2 days of purchase or freeze it within 2 days and defrost when I use it

I have been on basic SSP since January as I had an accident and broke my back, and my employer doesn't pay sick pay, so things have been very tight for money here too. I meal plan, then shop at a mix of Morrisons (price match and its on my dh way from home, so no extra driving as we live in a rural area)Lidl, Farm foods if we are in the local town, and I shop on line through mysupermarket.com to get the best deals. Again, as we are rural, we have a lot of farm shops and the roadside honesty stalls which have home grown produce like veg, potatoes, eggs etc at very low prices.