A savvy Asda shopper has revealed how she managed to slash her supermarket spending to just £5.
With the cost of living crisis still ongoing, many people are looking for new methods to reduce their spending and save some much needed cash. For 26-year-old Eilish Stout-Cairns, sticking to an unusual rule has helped her save "hundreds of pounds" on her food bill.
The actor, from the north east, told money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk her technique for keeping her supermarket bill at just £5. Using savvy tools and sticking to Asda's new Just Essentials range made the biggest difference to her expenditure, but purposefully only entering the store with a £5 note ensures she sticks to her low budget.
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Eilish said: "Before the rise in inflation, I used to just go to the supermarket with a bit of a list in my head and buy whatever I saw that looked good. Now that money's tighter, I've started comparing prices before I go to the shops, sticking to value ranges, and now I only go in with a fiver.
"My fave supermarket is Asda. I love their new Just Essentials range, which used to be called Smart Price - it feels like there's more choice now. I actually try now to only go in with a £5 note. If I stick to value products, I can normally get enough food for quite a while."
Eilish also utilises a comparison tool to ensure she's getting the best price for her shopping. She continued: "Before going to the supermarket, I compare prices using the Latest Deals' supermarket price comparison tool. You can type in veggie soup and it'll show you where's cheapest."
Eilish also shared examples of what shoppers can expect to purchase by sticking to a £5 budget at Asda. The retailer's Just Essentials range includes beef and onion pies, which cost £1.10 for a pack of four, and can be enjoyed with mushy peas which cost 25p each.
Asda also sells budget-friendly pasta dishes, like its 40p cheese and broccoli pasta, which can be paired with a 40p garlic bread. Ultimate comfort food, cheese on toast, can be snapped up for less than £1 with loaves of bread at 39p and cheese slices for 55p. There's also budget-friendly soups, curry and rice dishes, as well as chocolate chip cookies for those with a sweet tooth.
Eilish added: "Those are the basics I buy most weeks, and they come to just under £5. Making cuts on essentials like these makes the rest of my food shopping easier. If I've saved on bread and cheese, I don't need to worry about buying things like fruit, or a cheeky chocolate bar.
"This won't be all I buy, obviously I still need to get toiletries and odd bits. But I definitely think switching and going in on a budget has saved me hundreds each month."
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: "Eilish has the right idea; planning your food shop and getting the cheapest prices on weekly staples allows you more freedom with the rest of your shop. We've seen a 500% increase in searches of our supermarket price comparison tool as inflation bites.
"Another money-saving tip would be to shop in the evening. Searching for yellow sticker items - these are items that are nearing their best before date so are reduced in stores - can really cut food costs.
"Signing up for membership cards is another easy way of saving and earning rewards on your shopping. There's Tesco Clubcard, Asda Rewards, Nectar Card, myWaitrose, My Morrisons and many more. Morrisons is doing more exclusive deals for members now to copy Tesco, so watch out there."
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