One common food shopping mistake could be costing households an extra £300 on their overall bills, according to a consumer champion website.
Which? published a new checklist of money saving tips for shoppers and found that smaller convenience stores were higher in cost compared to larger supermarkets.
The consumer champion website compared the prices of 48 items at two convenience chains - Sainsbury's and Tesco - and compared them with their supermarket counterparts, reports The Mirror.
It found that Sainsbury's Shoppers were paying a whopping £10.20 extra a week for the same items, leading to an extra £322 a year. Meanwhile, Tesco Express shoppers were found to be paying an average of £292 over a year.
The cost-cutting tip comes as families across the country are beginning to feel the crunch of the cost of living crisis, with food bills set to rise further due to inflation and the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Kantar suggests grocery prices were 5.9% higher in April than a year ago - marking the biggest increase since December 2011.
Adam French, Which? consumer rights expert, said: "Rising food prices and the cost of living crisis are putting huge pressure on household budgets at the moment, and no one wants to overpay for food.
"Shopping around and buying own-brand products is an easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year, as is avoiding expensive convenience stores if you can.
"Those prepared to switch to a cheaper supermarket for their regular shop will likely find some great value alternatives to their favourite brands."
Here are four other ways to cut the cost of your supermarket shop, as revealed by Which? consumer magazine:
- Always compare prices and shop around for the best deals. Lidl was the cheapest supermarket when Which? performed its monthly price comparison in March this year, with a basket of 21 groceries costing an average of £26.83. The same or equivalent items from Waitrose cost £36.04 - so you'd £9.21 by shopping at Lidl.
- Swap branded products for supermarket own-brand goods and save hundreds of pounds a year. This is known as Downshifting and it could cut around a third of the price of your shop. So say you normally spend £100 each week, you could save £30 each time you shop.
- Search different aisles – and look up and down for the best value products. Which? found that some items, including rice, sauces, and baking ingredients, can be found in multiple different supermarket aisles at different prices. For example, rice and chickpeas can be cheaper in the world foods aisle.
- Stock up when you can. Price fluctuations, or 'yo-yo' pricing, means that it is often worth shoppers bulk buying when items they usually purchase are discounted. This is particularly useful for cupboard items and products that can be frozen, so they don't go out of date in the very near future.
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