The rising inflation rate has meant shoppers are cutting back on their spending and have less money to spend on everyday essentials, like fuel and food.
So, with consumers looking for ways to slash the price of their weekly food shop, most supermarkets have introduced budget ranges to help struggling households tackle the ongoing cost of living crisis.
In this article, we’ll let you know which supermarkets stock the cheapest groceries and what budget ranges you should be on the lookout for if you want to get more bang for your buck ahead of further price rises.
Why choose Creditfix?
- Write off unsecured debts over £6,000
- Stop interest and charges soaring
- Reduced payments from £110 per month
Aldi
Aldi has already been named the UK’s cheapest supermarket this year but there are even bigger bargains to be had with the retailer’s Everyday Essentials range.
The popular range includes everything from a 800g loaf of white bread for 36p and a 500g bag of penne pasta for 35p to a small frozen pizza for 66p and a 100g bar of chocolate for 33p and has remained popular amongst savvy shoppers since it was introduced over a decade ago.
Aldi is also home to a Specialbuys section that is stocked with different deals on a wide range of household products every Thursday and Sunday and a Super 6 promotion with low prices announced on a small range of fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and fish every fortnight.
The budget supermarket is also known for its variety of own-name brands that are designed to mimic big-name brands and make up over 81% of the total stock you see on the shelves.
Lidl
Lidl was voted the UK’s next cheapest supermarket this year and, like Aldi, tends to promote its store-wide low prices as opposed to its budget options.
However, its budget range, called Simply, stocks a wide range of essential items at competitively-low prices, such as a 800g loaf of white bread for 47p, a large frozen pizza for 79p, a bag of mixed peppers for 82p and a pack of sliced ham for £1.42.
Lidl also introduced a 5kg Too Good To Waste box packed with wonky fruit and vegetables that are slightly discoloured, disfigured or damaged and would have otherwise been thrown away.
The box, which has been designed to last a week, is available to customers for just £1.50 and can be found near the checkout whilst stocks last.
Asda
Asda has always prided itself on being a low-cost, high-quality retailer and reassured its customers it would help them tackle the ongoing cost of living crisis with the release of its Just Essentials range earlier this year.
The bright yellow packaging was accused of being a “poverty marker” amidst fears it would embarrass struggling shoppers but the range has since become hugely popular with the supermarket forced to enforce a limit on the number of products customers can purchase to keep up with demand.
The cheapest offerings include a small tin of baked beans for 25p, a 800g loaf of white bread for 39p and a pack of 12 yoghurts for 88p and with some of the budget range’s items indistinguishable from branded items, you could get the same great taste for less during your next weekly food shop.
Morrisons
Morrisons is the latest supermarket to revamp its existing budget range and shoppers have been left impressed by its great variety, quality and value.
Savers encompasses over 240 items from a pack of 15 cheese slices for 89p, a jar of jam for 39p and a box of 24 wheat biscuits for 77p and extends to household items so you can slash the price of your weekly trip to the supermarket no matter what’s on your shopping list.
The retailer has also sold less-than-perfect fruits and vegetables in its Naturally Wonky range since 2015 in a mission to curb food waste and ease the squeeze on struggling shoppers with Tesco’s Perfectly Imperfect and Sainsbury’s Imperfectly Tasty ranges following shortly after.
Tesco
Tesco is the UK’s most popular supermarket with over 4,000 stores nationwide and its various budget ranges have proven popular amongst both low-income families and savvy shoppers since the cost of living crisis took hold.
The retail giant stocks a whole host of own-name brands, such as Creamfields, The Grower’s Harvest, Rosedene Farms, Stockwell & Co and Ms Molly’s, just to name a few, with the price of a 400g tin of rice pudding on sale for 23p and a 500ml bottle of mayonnaise costing 44p.
Tesco also reintroduced its Delivery Saver Plans this year which gives customers the option to pay a monthly or upfront fee to get their groceries delivered for a year. The plans range from £2.49 a month to £47.94 a year and with a single delivery slot on the retailer’s website costing anything from £3.50 to £7, this can be a great way to get your weekly food shop delivered to your doorstep for less.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s scrapped its Basics range in 2019 and replaced it with a number of budget ranges, including J. James, Mary Ann’s, Hubbard’s Foodstore, Greengrocer and Frank’s.
The supermarket also revealed it would be investing over £65m this year to help its customers tackle the cost of living crisis by lowering prices across the store and increasing the number of products in its Price Lock campaign by 20%.
The campaign, which locks the price of over 2,000 household and cupboard staples for a minimum of eight weeks, has proven to be a popular choice amongst customers and, this month, included a 500g bag of penne pasta for 85p, a jar of cooking sauce for 95p and a bottle of bleach for 50p.
Marks and Spencer
Marks and Spencer has always been known as a luxury supermarket and, amongst the worsening cost of living crisis, has become the latest retailer to launch a budget range.
Remarksable Value was introduced in 2019 but has since been revamped to meet the changing supermarket landscape and help shoppers cut further costs as the price of food continues to rise.
The range isn’t as clearly marked as other supermarket budget ranges but includes a 800g loaf of white bread for 60p, a 500g pack of 5% beef mince for £3, a 500g pack of spaghetti for 70p and a kilo of bananas for 78p.
Waitrose
Waitrose was voted the UK’s most expensive supermarket this year but the worsening cost of living crisis sparked the relaunch of its Essentials range in April.
The prices are marginally higher than other supermarkets’ budget ranges but provide a lower-cost option for existing customers looking to slash the price of their weekly food shop without compromising on quality.
For example, a small pizza is £2.60, a box of 160 teabags is £2.20, a 900 bag of frozen chips is £1.30 and a 250g pack of smoked streaky bacon is £2.75.
The retailer has been accused of failing to include any budget-friendly options, such as ready meals, in their budget range but shoppers have commended the taste and quality of the products which, unlike other budget ranges, are almost indistinguishable from the supermarket’s main range.
How we helped Michael
"Professional staff - they were understanding and non-judgmental. Fantastic, quick service too. Would recommend to anyone!"
Michael, Sunderland
