A savvy shopper has revealed how she manages to do a decent supermarket food shop for as little as £5.
Eilish Stout-Cairns, 26, an actor from Newcastle, says she's saved hundreds of pounds by sticking to ASDA 's new Just Essentials range, using online tools to compare supermarket deals and only taking £5 to shop with.
She said: "Before the rise in inflation, I used to just go to the supermarket with a bit of a list in my head and buy whatever I saw that looked good.
"Now that money’s tighter, I’ve started comparing prices before I go to the shops, sticking to value ranges, and now I only go in with a fiver."
She says her favourite supermarket is Asda.
"I love their new Just Essentials range, which used to be called Smart Price. It feels like there’s more choice now.
"I actually try now to only go in with a £5 note. If I stick to value products I can normally get enough food for quite a while."
Eilish regularly uses the supermarket comparison tool on LatestDeals.co.uk
"You can type in veggie soup and it’ll show you where’s cheapest," she said.
What shoppers can get with a £5 budget at Asda...
Minced Beef & Onion Pies, £1.10, Mushy Peas, 25p
"Asda's Just Essentials Minced Beef & Onion Pies are great value. These are £1.10 for a pack of four and you can stick them in the freezer as well. To go with them, you can also get a can of Mushy Peas. Definitely a winning combo, and they are only 25p each."
Bread, 39p, Cheese Slices, 55p, Chicken Paste, 28p
"For bread, I buy the White Sliced Loaf from the Asda Just Essentials range for 39p. For fillings, I usually pick up a pack of 10 Cheese Slices for cheese on toast, just 55p. There’s Chicken Paste for chicken sandwiches as well, only 28p."
Vegetable Soup, 24p
‘I’m always comparing prices for soup and Asda often comes out top. Their veggie soup is only 24p, and you can’t go wrong with soup and a piece of toast at lunchtime or in the evening’.
Cheese & Broccoli Pasta, 40p, Garlic Bread, 40p
‘Pasta is always a cheap and cheerful meal, and I get the Cheese & Broccoli one for 40p. I normally grab a Garlic Bread to go with it as well, just to make the meal a bit more interesting. I really rate the Just Essential’s one at Asda, and they’re only 40p each’.
Chicken Curry & Rice, 90p
"For nights when I don’t want to cook, I get an Asda Just Essentials ready meal. They have lots to choose from, including Beef Lasagne, Sweet & Sour Chicken with Rice, Spaghetti Bolognese and veggie options which I love, and they’re just 90p each."
Chocolate Chip Cookies, 39p
"Just because I’m on a budget doesn’t mean I don’t like a sweet treat. I buy the Asda Chocolate Chip Cookies for 39p. They are just as good as Maryland’s, but 26p cheaper. I go for home brand ones every time. Aldi ’s version is also good."
Eilish said she buys those basics most weeks and they come to just under £5
She added: "Making cuts on essentials like these makes the rest of my food shopping easier. If I’ve saved on bread and cheese I don’t need to worry about buying things like fruit, or a cheeky chocolate bar."
"This won't be all I buy, obviously I still need to get toiletries and odd bits. But I definitely think switching and going in on a budget has saved me hundreds each month."
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: "Eilish has the right idea; planning your food shop and getting the cheapest prices on weekly staples allows you more freedom with the rest of your shop. We’ve seen a 500% increase in searches of our supermarket price comparison tool as inflation bites.
"Another money-saving tip would be to shop in the evening. Searching for yellow sticker items - these are items that are nearing their best before date so are reduced in stores - can really cut food costs."
Tom also advised signing up for membership cards where you can pick up money off offers and rewards.
These include Tesco Clubcard, Asda Rewards, Nectar Card, myWaitrose, My Morrisons and Co-op Membership.
"Morrisons is doing more exclusive deals for members now to copy Tesco, so watch out there," he said.
