Is it really possible for a family of four to get in a full weeks worth of groceries whilst also making major savings at the same time?
Well, according to Iceland, it may just be possible to save big on your weekly grocery shop, as the supermarket giant is offering customers the opportunity to save big on their weekly shop.
The frozen food supermarket has been offering shoppers a variety of discounts and savings in-store and online, with up to 50 per cent off big brands.
This means shoppers are able to save more money with their essential shop.
With the cost of living and prices across the country rising, it is probably more important than ever to stick to a budget and make savings wherever you can.
That's why we decided to test out Iceland's promise and find out for ourselves if shoppers really can get a full grocery shop for much less.
We tasked our reporter Rachel Williams with heading to her local Iceland and picking up a full week's worth of food, including mains, sides and desserts, that would cover a family of four for five days.
What did we purchase?
When I headed to my local Iceland, I went in with the intention of purchasing items to make a different dinner over the five days.
I also knew that I wanted to pick up a few items - particularly the sides and desserts - that could be used more than once during the week, as I knew this would keep the costs down.
Here is what I managed to get...
- 2.kg potatoes - £1.75
- Garlic and herb kievs (four pack) - £2.50
- Anglo bubbly lollies - £1.00
- Flumps ice lollies - £2.00
- Barratt's strawberry milkshakes lollies - £2.00
- Barratt's milk bottles lollies - £1.00
- Birds Eye chicken nuggets - £1.50
- Brioche rolls (four pack) - £1.00
- Pork loin steaks (four packs) - £3.25
- Quarter pounder burgers (four pack) - £3.25
- Gammon steaks (four pack) - £3.25
- Frozen mini corn on the cobs - £1.00
- Frozen mixed vegetables - £1.00
- McCain's spiced wedges - £0.89
- Cheese slices - £1.00
- Colman's cheese sauce mix - £0.75
Total before discounts = £27.14
Deals added
3 for £8.00 on meat and poultry
Overall total = £25.39
Full list of dinners we could make
As you can see from above, the overall price of everything that I managed to get came to just over £25 - which is not bad - considering I wanted to make sure there was a good selection on the weekly menu.
The menu above also includes complimentary items that other households may already have in their cupboards, including potatoes and cheese slices for the burgers.
To keep in with the budget, a selection of ice lollies were picked up as they are family friendly and had quite a few in the packets - so, enough to cover a full family during the week.
And, if you have kids, you know they're going to want more than one, so at least you may have some leftover for them if they're good.
To show that you can make five different meals from the items bought, I have shown the different meals that could be made over the five days.
Monday
Main: Chicken nuggets
Sides: Spiced wedges and mixed veg
Dessert: Barratt's lollies
Tuesday
Main: Gammon steaks
Sides: Boiled potatoes and mixed veg
Dessert: Barratt's lollies
Wednesday
Main: Burgers and brioche rolls
Sides: Spiced wedges and mini corn on the cob
Dessert: Selection of Barratt's ice lollies
Thursday
Main: Garlic and herb kievs
Sides: Spiced wedges and mixed veg
Dessert: Selection of Barratt's ice lollies
Friday
Main: Pork loin steaks
Sides: Potatoes and mini corn on the cob
Dessert: Selection of Barratt's ice lollies.
How we managed it
When it comes to getting your grocery shopping in for less, Iceland is quite well known for providing lower prices that are good for families.
Even though it already offers low prices, I was quite surprised that I mostly managed to stick to the £25 budget while getting in a full weeks worth of food that would cover four people.
So, it is possible to keep costs down while getting in enough food to cover a family of four.
If you want to know how I managed it, here are my top tips...
Download the Iceland Bonus Card App
Before my trip to Iceland I made sure to download and sign up for the Iceland Bonus Card App which gives you discounts and deals in-store and online.
Customers signed up for this app will be able to get access to even lower prices in-store and you can find the deals across a variety of different items, including three Barratt's ice lollies for just £5.
Look for multi-buy deals on main items
One thing that I always do with my grocery shop is to look for any multi-buy deals, particularly on mains, as that will keep the costs down whilst also ticking off a few items on the list.
While I was in Iceland, I managed to snap up the 3 for 8 across fresh meat and poultry, where I managed to get pork loin steaks, gammon steaks and burgers for less than £10.
This ticked three mains off the list and then all I had to do was find just two more mains.
It is worth noting that some stores will offer more than one multi-buy deal, but this was the only deal available in my local Iceland.
Look for price reductions and lower prices
Yes, the prices in Iceland are low already, but that doesn't mean you can't find prices even lower on certain items if you look around.
For example, I managed to get half price off Birds Eye chicken nuggets at £1.50 (down from £3.00) and McCain's spiced wedges for just 89p (down from £1.79.)
Sometimes big-name brands can be reduced, compared to other similar non-branded items as I seen Iceland frozen fries going for £1.00 and Iceland chicken nuggets going for around the same price, but with less than the Bird's Eye box.
Get items that you can use throughout the full week
This is probably something that quite a few of you already know, but picking up items such as chips, potatoes and veg that you can use again during the week is a good tip.
For this shop I managed to pick up the frozen veg, potatoes and spiced wedges that could be used with different mains throughout the week.
And, you never have to be repetitive, especially with the potatoes as you can make boiled potatoes, mash and homemade chips - the possibilities are endless.
Go for multi-packs
Alongside looking for multi-buy deals, I would say that looking for multi-packs of frozen items are another good way to make sure you have more in your freezers for less.
The good thing with frozen items is that they come with quite a few in them, which is why I picked up a four pack of kievs and a large pack of chicken nuggets, as this made sure that there was enough for the full family.
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