The bills are rising steeply and the cost of everything is going up - so most of us are going to have to change our shopping habits, if we've not already done so, as the cost of living crisis continues to bite.
But that shouldn't necessarily mean cutting back on too much. If you're the kind of shopper who likes their brands, it might be the time to consider trying out the cheaper, supermarket own brands, which many stores have been busy expanding the range of recently.
Famously, Aldi and Lidl are masters at this, creating copycat brands with cheeky names to match the 'real thing', but it's not just those budget supermarkets that are getting in on the act now. Shopping expert Emma Gill, from the MEN, has been on the case, and recently tested just what you could buy on a budget from the likes of Sainsbury's, Morrisons and now she's done Tesco.
Read more: Cost of living - What has gone up in price this week, including stamps and a pint of milk
She revealed last month how we managed to feed a family of four for a week for £50 with just Asda's Smart Price and Farm Stores products. And last week she got a shedload of Morrisons' Savers products for £26.46 and regretted not trying the range sooner.
"This time we've been taking a look at Tesco's budget brands and Aldi Price Matches to see where savings can be made. It's worth pointing out that its cheapest products aren't actually that obvious to spot," she said.
"Unlike other budget ranges - which tend to have nothing more than the words and if you're lucky a picture on an otherwise plain white label - Tesco's merge in with the rest of its products. It's pretty much been that way since the scrapping of its old 'Everyday Value' branding and while yes, it might make the items trickier to find, if you've got children or another half who might turn their nose up at cheaper brands, chances are they might not notice," she added.
"With some of the products I knew what to expect as they're a regular feature of my Tesco big shop - like the chicken goujons, cheese pizza and tortilla wraps for instance. I mean, why would I pay £1.35 for a pack of branded wraps, when you can get the eight-pack of Nevill's ones for 75p? It's not like there's a huge difference in taste, as it's more about what you fill it with after all," she said.
Emma said the experience made her feel nostalgic for the 80s and 90s, as she was returning to the kind of easy-cook meals of her younger days. "There were lots we hadn't tried before though and it was like taking a trip back to the 80s with some of the budget products - refreshingly with prices as well as the food. With our chicken kievs, £1.65 for two, and potato croquettes, just 61p for 700g, all we needed was the Blockbusters theme tune and I would have been right back there eating my tea after school and mithering about what's for afters.
"And some of those were a blast from the past too. I think I was a bit over excited at the prospect of Angel Delight, 49p a pack, as the reaction from my children was one of pure underwhelm - followed by 'I don't like the texture'. Who even are they?" she asked. "But there were lots of treats they did like from Tesco's Ms Molly's range, with everything from flapjack traybake and ice cream roll, to milk lollies and trifle. She might not have the status of Mr Kipling, but I'll take Ms Molly's prices over his any day of the week.
"The tray of flapjack for instance was just 80p for 360g. That's less than half the price of Tesco's £2 pack of flapjack bites (two for £3 with Clubcard) and there's really no hardship in chopping it up yourself," she said. "Aside from the sweet stuff, there's plenty to make substantial meals from in its budget ranges, helped by the Aldi Price Matches on some meat and fruit and its cheap as chips frozen vegetables, like the 900g bag of broccoli and cauliflower florets for 80p and the 900g bag of Grower's Harvest garden peas for just 55p," she added.
We hope it's chips
"Talking of chips, I'd challenge anyone to make a tastier fish, chips and mushy peas any cheaper. With the 1.5kg of Hearty Food Co straight cut for 90p, Growers Harvest British mushy peas 300G for 25p and the Hearty Food Co four breaded fish fillets 600G for £2.39, the meal worked out at around 90p a head," she said.
"The Willow Farm whole chicken, a bargain at £2.89, was enough for a Sunday dinner, and we still had some meat leftover to stick in a curry afterwards," she explained.
Not everything went down well
"My Heinz beans loving kids were quick to spot the 22p Stockwell & Co baked beans and there's nothing savvy about chucking away something they won't eat," she said. "I couldn't persuade them to even try a chicken paste butty and while it's not something I've eaten since, oh here we are with the 80s again, it was actually OK.
"And there were some pleasant surprises too - like the Stockwell & Co teabags, at just 55p for 60, less than half what you'd pay for Tetley or a similar brand. Having been disappointed with Asda's Smart Price teabags (28p for 40) a few weeks back, I wasn't holding out much hope, but they actually made a pretty decent brew. And that's coming from a proper tea belly," she added.
Emma's trolley full of budget shopping came to £72.43. "I think you could call that a success against today's prices. Now can we just rewind with our other bills too?!" she added.
The full Tesco budget shopping list
Tesco Thin Cut Beef Steaks 395G £3.06
Woodside Farms 8 Pork Sausages 454G 80p
Eastmans Wafer Thin Cooked Ham 400G £1.59
Eastmans Corned Beef Slices 150G £1.11
Tesco Lean Beef Steak Mince 5% Fat 250G £1.79
Woodside Farms Unsmoked Back Bacon 300G £1.25
Willow Farm Whole Chicken 1.2Kg - 1.6Kg £2.89
Willow Farm Chicken Drumsticks 900G - 1.2Kg £1.73
Hearty Food Co. 2 Garlic Chicken Kievs 260G £1.65
Hearty Food Co. Breaded Chicken Goujons 270G £1.49
Hearty Food Co. 4 Breaded Fish Fillets 600G £2.39
Hearty Food Co. Garlic Baguette 170G 32p
Eastmans Brussels Pate 175G 49p
Growers Harvest Orange Juice Smooth 2L £1.09
Ms Molly's Fruit Cocktail Trifle 472G £1.17
Ms Molly's Fruit Cocktail Trifle 472G £1.17
Ms Molly's Fruit Cocktail Trifle 472G £1.17 (Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
Ms Molly's Strawberry Trifle (2X115g) 230G 61p
Hearty Food Co. Chicken T.Masala& Pilau Rice 450G £1.99
Eastmans Cheese & Bacon Quiche 400G £1.59
Redmere Farms Green Beans 220G 69p
Tesco Skimmed Milk 2.272L/4 Pints £1.15
Creamfields Medium White Cheddar 400G £1.79
Hearty Food Co. Cheese Pizza 300G 99p
Tesco Broccoli & Cauliflower Floret Mix 900G 80p
Hearty Food Co Straight Cut Chips 1.5Kg 90p
Hearty Food Thin Cheese & Tomato Pizza 314G 66p
Ms. Molly's Milk Lollies 8X35ml 85p
Tesco Chocolate Profiteroles 235G £1.35
Tesco 12 Potato Waffles 680G £1.30
Grower's Harvest Garden Peas 900G 55p
Ms Molly's Ice Cream Roll 250G £1.25
Ms Molly's Ice Cream Roll 250G £1.25
Ms Molly's Ice Cream Roll 250G £1.25 (Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
Hearty Food Co 4 Battered White Fish Fillets 500G £1.89
Hearty Food Co Potato Croquette 700G 61p
Hearty Food Co 10 Fish Fingers 250G 69p
Hearty Food Co 10 Cod Fishcakes 500G £1.89
Hearty Food Co. Chicken Curry With Rice 400G 69p
Ryvita Crackerbread 200G £1.19
Tesco Carrots 1Kg 39p
Rosedene Farms Small Pear Pack 550G 57p
Bananas Loose 0.795KG 62p
Rosedene Farms Gala Apples 6 Pack 95p
Tesco Pineapple Each 75p
Growers Harvest Peach Slices Syrup 410G 31p
Ms Molly's White Chocolate Bar 100G 30p
Nestle Rolo Multipack 4X41.6G 99p
Burtons Wagon Wheels Jammies 6 Pack 229G 89p
Tesco Jam Sandwich Creams Biscuit 150G 39p
Angel Delight Strawberry 59G 49p
Angel Delight Strawberry 59G 49p (Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
Tesco Fig Rolls 200G 37p
Tesco Custard Cream Biscuits 400G 41p
Ms Molly's 18 Milk Chocolate Digestive Bars £1.25
Ms Molly's 8 Chewy Caramel Wafer Biscuits 224G 85p
Ms Molly's Flapjack Traybake 360G 80p
Cheetos Cheese Puffs Snack 6 X 13G 99p
Angel Delight Strawberry 59G 49p
Angel Delight Chocolate 59G 49p
Tesco Assorted Jam Tarts 6 Pack 69p
Tesco 6 Scotch Pancakes 42p
Tunnocks Milk Chocolate Teacakes 6X24g 93p
Ms Molly's Chocolate Chip Cake Bars 5 Pack 47p
Stockwell & Co. Rice Pudding 400G 20p
Hearty Food Co. Curry Sauce 440G 45p
Stockwell & Co Gravy Granules 200G 30p
Stockwell & Co Mayonnaise 450Ml 40p
Stockwell & Co Baked Beans In Tomato Sauce 420G 22p
Growers Harvest British Mushy Peas 300G 25p
Grower's Harvest Chopped Tomatoes 400G (2 x 28p) 56p
Tesco Tartare Sauce 175G 41p
Stockwell & Co Chicken Paste 75G 29p
Hearty Food Co. Spaghetti Pasta 500G 20p
Nevill's budget products and Aldi Price Matched Warburtons rolls
Nevill's budget products and Aldi Price Matched Warburtons rolls (Image: Manchester Family / MEN)
Warburtons Sliced Sandwich Rolls 12 Pack £1.55
Hovis Soft White Thick Bread 800G £1.10
H W Nevill's Wholemeal Bread 800G 36p
H.W Nevills 8 Plain Tortilla Wraps 75p
H.W.Nevills Pain Au Chocolat 8 Pack 95p
Warburtons Potato Cakes 6 Pack 69p
Tesco 15 Eggs £1.18
Stockwell & Co 80 Tea Bags 200G 55p
Tesco Frosted Flakes Cereal 500G £1
Stockwell & Co No Added Sugar Double Strength Orange Squash 750Ml 45p
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