Where to get your weekly shop for less

Every time you do your weekly shop, it always seems more expensive than it was the week before.

So if you’re in the habit of going to the same shop each week, it could be worth looking around and seeing if you could get a better deal elsewhere.

The Independent has just compared the prices of different supermarkets to find out which one’s the cheapest, based on a basket of 30 typical items like break, milk, pasta and coffee.

So where does your regular supermarket rank on the list?

And could you save money by shopping somewhere else?

Which supermarkets are cheapest?

Aldi tops the list, with the basket of shopping costing £45.14 on average across the month, without any promotions being included.

This was followed by:

• Lidl: £46.29
• Asda: £49.52
• Tesco: £50.41
• Sainsbury’s: £50.59
• Morrisons: £52.56
• Waitrose: £59.25
• M&S: £62.05

What difference do loyalty cards make?

The Independent also looked at whether loyalty cards make a meaningful difference to what customers pay at the till. 

Across most supermarkets, the basket was cheaper when loyalty discounts were applied.

For example, at Sainsbury’s, the same basket dropped from £50.59 to £48.24 with promotions - a saving of £2.35.

Even so, this only included own-brand products, which are usually the cheapest option even without discounts.

So while loyalty cards can help, budget supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl still often offer the lowest prices overall.

What else can I do to keep costs down?

As well as shopping around for the best deals, it’s a good idea to create a budget.

By keeping an eye on how much money you’ve got coming in and going out, you can prioritise your spending and know how much you can afford.

We’ve also put together some handy tips on how to keep the cost of your weekly shop down, which could help your money go further.