Supermarket customers are seeing rapidly changing prices and in the main they're only going one way - and that's up. The cost of living crisis is hitting shoppers hard, with many struggling to make ends meet.
Shopping at Tesco, Asda, Aldi, Lidl, Sainsbury's and Morrisons, we've been looking at the cost of the same eight items - a two-pint bottle of milk, a loaf of bread, coffee, teabags, butter, beans, chicken breasts and mince, as reported by MEN. It was reported last week how Lidl had swiped the cheapest crown for all eight products, coming in at £9.82.
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Despite it putting up the price of milk and butter this week, it has still kept its bill lower than any of the other stores, at £9.91. The biggest shock however is Morrisons, which just three weeks ago was wearing the cheapest crown itself, with a bill of £9.78 for the shopping basket.
Now it's coming in at £10.91 and working out as the most expensive of all - taking the unfortunate spot from Sainsbury's for the first time. Three separate increases have put it there this week - its cheapest loaf of bread rising from 39p to 54p, chicken up to £2.49 for a 300g pack of two breasts and mince rising from £1.89 to £2.19.
Those meat prices are higher than any of the other supermarkets and the mince is 50p more expensive than the cheapest, which is Asda's new Just Essentials pack for £1.69. It's not just Morrisons putting prices up though.
Lidl, Tesco and Sainsbury's have joined the others in putting the cost of 2 pints of milk up to £1.05 from 99p, the latter two also increasing the cost of their chicken. And Lidl has increased the cost of its butter from £1.69 to £1.72, albeit still selling it cheaper than elsewhere.
This week the overall shopping bill has risen at four supermarkets altogether - Lidl, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons.
The only slight difference in sizes among our shopping is the baked beans, which range from 400g in Sainsbury's and 410g in Asda and Morrisons, to the standard 420g in Aldi, Lidl and Tesco. And where Asda's pack of chicken is larger, we've worked out the equivalent price for a fairer comparison.
Lidl
Loaf of white bread 800g - 36p
Milk 2 pints - £1.05 (up from 99p)
Coffee 200g - £1.69
Teabags 160 - £99p
Salted butter 250g - £1.72 (up from £1.69)
Beans 420g tin - 22p
Chicken 300g - £1.99
Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.89
Total £9.91 (up from £9.82)
Asda
Loaf of white bread 800g (Smart Price) - 39p
Milk 2 pints - £1.05
Coffee 200g (2 x 100g Just Essentials) - £1.50
Teabags 160 (4 x 40-pack Smart Price) - £1.12
Salted butter 250g - £1.75
Beans 410g tin (Smart Price) - 25p
Chicken (bigger 350g pack for £2.65) - equates to £2.27
Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.69
Total £10.02
Aldi
Loaf of white bread 800g - 36p
Milk 2 pints - £1.05
Coffee 200g - £1.69
Teabags 160 - £1.09
Salted butter 250g - £1.75
Beans 420g tin - 22p
Chicken 300g - £1.99
Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.89
Total £10.04
Tesco
Loaf of white bread 800g - 36p
Milk 2 pints - £1.05 (up from 99p)
Coffee 200g (2 x 100g) - £1.70
Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack) - £1.10
Salted butter 250g - £1.75
Beans 420g tin - 22p
Chicken 300g - £2.25 (up from £2.20)
Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.89
Total £10.32 (up from £10.21)
Sainsbury's
Loaf of white bread 800g - 36p
Milk 2 pints - £1.05 (up from 99p)
Coffee 200g £2 (up from £1.69)
Teabags 160 - £1.09
Salted butter 250g - £1.75 (down from £1.90)
Beans 400g tin - 21p
Chicken 300g - £2.40 (up from £2.30)
Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.89 (down from £2.10)
Total £10.75 (up from £10.64)
Morrisons
Loaf of white bread 800g - 54p (up from 39p)
Milk 2 pints - £1.05
Coffee (2 x 100g) - £1.50
Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack Savers) - £1.18
Salted butter 250g - £1.75
Beans 410g tin - 21p
Chicken 300g - £2.49 (up from £2.05)
Mince 500g 20% fat - £2.19 (up from £1.89)
