Saving money on the weekly food shop has become a common practice in our house with the Tesco Clubcard, Nectar, Asda rewards and Morrisons more card frequently used.
Supermarket points aren't the only way shoppers can save money, as I've recently found out with a hidden bank trick.
The rising prices on the shelves are having an impact on a lot of household budgets, whether it's swapping a few products to cheaper alternatives or having to cross off half of your normal shopping list to get buy. Getting the most out of point-based reward cards normally means sticking to one supermarket, in order to rack up enough in-store vouchers.
READ MORE: I've saved hundreds after making one simple change to how I shop
But the latest money-saving tip means shoppers can save money on top of any 'at checkout' discounts, as long as they do one specific thing with their debit card before they shop.
I've used it on my last few food shops, and it's safe to say I'll never look back.
I came across it when logging onto my online banking app after a post-shopping trip, to see that I had received a small amount of cashback from my bank. Now the amount, of 45p, was rather insignificant and I had initially thought the incoming payment was a result of being overcharged.
After doing a lot of digging on my banking app, I found out that I had actually got the money by activating my in app 'Everyday Offers' (which I didn't even realise existed). After unknowingly activating a 10% Tesco cashback offer, I got the 45p after spending £4.50 in store.
Most UK banks offer their own versions of cashback to customers, HSBC, Lloyds, Halifax and Santander are a few of the banks who give their customers money by shopping.
The offers change each day and can include your average supermarkets, takeaway chains, National Express, Sky TV, Amazon Music and more. The percentage of cashback does also vary between 5% all the way up to 25%.
This isn't to say how I 'saved money on my weekly shop by getting 45p back' but rather how much shoppers can save if they scour their bank in-app offers and use them towards a big (£50+) shop.
To show how beneficial banking cashback offers can be I put it to the test, again, during my latest food shop at Sainsbury's.
I went into the offers on my account and activated the 8% cashback offer for Sainsburys as well as a 10% offer at Tu clothing (I didn't end up using this one but it will stay active untill the end of this month). Then all I had to do was pay for my shop with the bank card connected to the account I activated the offer on.
Of course with cashback offers the more money you spend, the more money you will get back, this is why I always save them until my large food shop.
My shop included enough fresh meat and vegetables to make meals for the week (for two people) as well as some staple cupboard items like tins of tomatoes, cereal and some extras like frozen fruit for smoothies.
I also stocked up on some monthly household staples with cleaning products, loo roll, washing powder and sponges racking up the price. In total my shop came to £65.51, £15 over the minimum cashback spend of £50 (this is the first time I've noticed a minimum spend as there wasn't one when I spent £4.50 in Tesco), it is worth checking the details of each offer on your bank before you shop.
From this £65.51 I got £5.24 back into my bank account in the following days, all for using my card at the checkout. It may not sound like a huge amount but the £5 is on top of the points I collected from my Nectar card which is completely separate.
From this shop I collected 65 points on my Nectar card as well as cash back into my bank account. Unlike any other cashback sites there's no sign up or account, you simply log onto your online banking or your banking app.
It's a small step to activate but it's become a huge part to help me save money on food. Essentially it feels like I am getting paid to do my food shop.
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