yellow stickers

Food shopping has never been more difficult.  We have to do the prep if we do not want to fall foul of the tricks designed to confuse us.   We cannot trust offers  as food prices are increasing by 17.5%.  

Take time to check the price per ml or gram.  Mrs Mean found one soap container at eye height on the shelves cost five times more than the bottles on the bottom shelf.  Aisle ends are also a trap.  Manufacturers pay supermarkets  hundreds of millions of pounds for their products to be prominently displayed and the customers pay for it in the prices charged. Make sure you do not buy anything without comparing with other products, probably half way down the aisle.

And do not be a second-class shopper.  Those who visit Tesco without its Clubcard app subsidise the Clubcard shoppers, who get cheaper prices.   It is cheaper for supermarkets to offer special prices for loyal customers rather than to all.  And don't we all like to feel special. 

If your favourite brand of mayonnaise, baked beans or tomato soup are vastly more expensive now it is time to try the non-branded version.   Many shoppers are visiting more than one supermarket to seek out cheaper deals.  

Watch out for yo-yo pricing in the big supermarkets.  Prices move up and down with no relation to the cost of the ingredients and production.    Try to avoid buying when the price is high, and always check your till receipt to make sure you get the prices on the shelves. 

Please send ideas questions, tips and warnings about rip-offs to Mrs Mean through the contact page on her website: mrsmeanmoneyshow.co.uk or to infomrsmean@gmail.com

Grocery price inflation is over 16% making it difficult to budget.  The discounters are regularly the cheapest in research by Which?, the consumer group, but often customers do not have one of their stores nearby.

Sainsbury and Tesco are the cheapest of the big supermarkets , but we have to be careful which of their stores we use. Tesco Extra and Sainsbury Local do not have the same prices as the group's larger stores. 

Which? estimates that regular shoppers at Tesco Extra can pay more than £800 extra a year with the likes of Kipling Bakewell slices costing 28% more at the smaller stores.  At Sainsbury Local the extra cost can be £400 a year.   Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup was 19% more at the Local stores.  

So, they are definitely too expensive for a big shop.   Too often we call in for a bag of pasta and are tempted by other items and end up buying a full basket at the expensive store.   

There is also less choice with big branded groceries taking up lots of space on the shelves.   The loyalty prices offered to Nectar and Clubcard holders may also not be available. 

The most essential thing is to allow time wherever you shop.   Rushing in to a store on the way home is likely to cost you more than you can afford.

Please send ideas questions, tips and warnings about rip-offs to Mrs Mean through the contact page on her website: mrsmeanmoneyshow.co.uk or to infomrsmean@gmail.com