'I saved a fortune on my weekly shop by using a simple Martin Lewis tip'
by Nicola Roy, Emma Gill · DevonLiveWith the cost of living steadily climbing, it's no surprise that the weekly big shop has become an increasingly dreaded activity for many households.
To combat rising food prices, many shoppers have consciously opted to leave those non-essential items out of their baskets. However, curbing your spending doesn't mean you have to cut back on everything, especially when you've got hungry mouths at home and you still fancy the occasional treat.
A savvy way to shave pounds off your grocery bills is to take on the 'Downshift Challenge', one of the clever 'tools and tricks' recommended on Martin Lewis' Money Saving Expert website designed to 'slash food bills' with minimal effort.
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The challenge is straightforward: simply switch from your regular brand to one that's cheaper, and if the taste doesn't suffer, make that your new go-to buy. "The point of this system isn't to force you to drop down a brand level on everything, but to ensure you're not spending money for no reason," the site explains.
"If you can't tell the difference between the lower brand level goods, then why pay more for it."
Manchester Evening News' parents editor Emma Gill decided to see just how much cash she could claw back on her usual shop by tackling the Downshift Challenge during an Asda haul, and the savings were significant.
In some instances, this meant swapping out the big brands she would typically purchase for Asda's own, and in others, it meant opting for its cheapest Just Essentials range.
Some of the price differences were quite shocking. For instance, a pack of 12 Asda Beef Stock Cubes cost her 80p, while a box of a dozen Oxo cubes would have set her back £2.40.
The same was true for the gravy - £1 for a 200g tub of Asda's Gravy Granules, but £2.80 for a smaller 190g tub of Bisto.
There were numerous other examples as well, such as Asda Red Cabbage £1.30 for 420g and Baxters Red Cabbage £2.40 for 440g, Asda's 12 Yorkshire Puddings 95p compared with 10 Aunt Bessie's for £2, and Asda's Butter for £1.89 compared with Country Life for £2.50.
Asda's Wholemeal Bread Flour cost Emma £1.05 for 1.5kg, whereas the Allinson's brand is £1.70 for 1kg. Asda's Gold Tea Bags were £1.39 for a pack of 80, compared with £2.50 for Tetley and they were just as good.
Emma noted: "Obviously there are some sacrifices to be made when it comes to cutting costs and only you can decide whether a product meets your standards. I find that Maris Piper potatoes are the best for mashing, so I stuck with those and at £1.79 for 2kg the price is the same as Aldi.
"Finding lower price meatballs however, meant opting for 12% fat, which were on offer for £2.60 a pack, instead of £3.75 for the reduced fat version. And the Honey Roast Ham I bought for £2.75 for 400g is 76% pork, compared with the Finely Sliced Honey Roast Dry Cured Ham, which is 97% pork and costs £4.
"Of the swaps I made though, there were very few that I wouldn't buy again. The Creamy Tomato Pasta Bake for example was a big hit with the kids and cost just 69p for a 500g jar. Homepride's smaller 485g jar is £2.50.
"I found it was the same with household items too, like bleach for 70p compared to Domestos for £1.50, Sponge Cloths for £1.50 compared to £3.50 for the Spontex brand and a four-pack of Asda Microfibre Cleaning Cloths for £1.80, compared to £3 for the branded ones."
Downshifting meant I could indulge in more sweet treats, such as biscuits and cakes. To my delight, Asda now offers its own version of Biscoff spread for £1.99, a bargain compared to the usual £3.20.
However, it's not always straightforward; when examining chicken breasts in the Just Essentials range, Emma noted that at £6.19 per kg, they were actually pricier than Asda's main meat range, which was priced at £6 per kg due to a Price Drop offer.
Money Saving Expert advises shoppers to be discerning during this challenge. "Of course, let's not go extreme on this," the site recommends.
"If there's a 2for1 on a higher brand (and you'd use both packs) making it cheaper than downshifting, stick with the higher brand."
MSE notes that 'downshifting typically cuts grocery bills by 30%. Even if you only swapped half the items, that's still a 15% saving'.
Emma concluded: "With my own shop, I saved a whopping £45.49 on the products I swapped, which was way more than I expected. It's definitely something I'll be doing again, whichever supermarket I'm in."
A spokesperson for Asda said: "Asda is consistently recognised as the best value traditional supermarket in independent price comparison surveys, including the Grocer 33 basket comparison and the Which? monthly big shop trolley comparison. This is despite these surveys now including loyalty pricing.
"In addition to offering the lowest prices of any traditional supermarket, our customers can make further savings by using the Asda Rewards app. The app gives them money back into their Cashpot each time they shop, which they can use to reduce the price they pay at the till. In less than two years since its launch, Rewards is now used by over six million customers who have saved more than £580.5m in total."