As the cost of living crisis continues saving a penny here and there has never been so important.
Unfortunately, things look set to get even tight as grocery price inflation continues to climb, hitting 6.5 per cent in the 12 weeks to June 12 - the highest level in Ireland since February 2013.
New figures by Kantar show that rising prices could add €453 to the average annual grocery bill, a figure over €100 higher than that predicted in early May.
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Some of the sharpest increases in grocery items were essentials such as butter, eggs, bread, and flour, which are a staple of most shopping lists.
The figures released today show that take-home grocery sales for Ireland fell by 4.9 per cent in the latest 12 week period under review.
According to Kantar, shoppers are taking additional steps to manage their spending at supermarket tills and making three fewer trips to the store on average per month than they were this time last year.
Emer Healy, senior retail analyst at Kantar, said: "Unsurprisingly, 53% of the consumers we spoke to said that they will be actively seeking out any deals and discounts in store because of inflation.
"This is clear in the shifting balance between brands and private label, where 66% said that they would swap the branded product in their trolley if a private-label item was cheaper."
"We expect this trend to continue over the next 12 months, and those retailers offering good value, own-label products and promotions will be the most successful in attracting and retaining customers," she added.
Despite rising prices, Kantar said most people are looking forward to a lockdown-free summer and plan to head abroad on holidays.
Ms Healy said: "Unlike the Covid-19 restrictions of last summer, we're all busy preparing for our holidays abroad or even being extra optimistic about the Irish sunshine, and sun cream sales have shot up by 36% compared with May as a result."
The combination of a bank holiday weekend and the start of barbecue season meant shoppers spent an additional €575,000 more on burgers and grilling food this month than they did in May, while ice cream also saw an extra €2.4m in sales.
Meanwhile, sales of savoury snacks and carbonated soft drinks increased by €1.2m and €930,000 respectively, compared to the same time last year.
The figures also showed that people are looking for cheaper own brand alternatives as Dunnes and Tesco have seen €8.2m more spent between them on their private label lines.
Dunnes is now tied for first place with Tesco, with both holding a 22.1 per cent share of the Irish grocery market.
Tesco also saw a boost of 10 per cent in online sales during the month of June, with shoppers spending an additional €2.9m.
Meanwhile, SuperValu now holds 21.7 per cent of the market. Lidl and Aldi follow behind, each accounting for 13.2 per cent and 12.3 per cent.
The online grocery market grew by 9.3 per cent in June, as online channels continue to grow over two years on from the first lockdown.
"A lot of this growth is coming from families with younger children who are getting organised as the school summer holidays fast approach. They've spent an additional €2.3m on online grocery shopping over June, perhaps hoping to save on extra trips out in the car and avoid the petrol pumps," Ms Healy said.
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