The cost of living crisis continues to put a strain on people's budgets. Soaring prices of energy, fuel and food means people are looking at different ways to save money.
You can stay on top of your shopping budget by keeping tabs on supermarket prices. Comparing prices week-on-week is a good way to keep track of which supermarkets are selling cheaper food.
Fluctuating prices of produce may make it difficult to understand where the best place is for you to get your next weekly shop. We have been keeping a food tracker of the staples usually found in a typical shopping list.
This means you will be able to plan your next shopping trip and get the most out of your shopping budget. We compared the cost of weekly shopping essentials in comparison to a food shop carried out last week.
Writer Emma Gill bought the cheapest version of everything on her shopping list. As reported by Manchester Evening News, her eight key staples were a loaf of bread, a two-pint bottle of milk, coffee, teabags, butter, beans, chicken breasts and mince.
Aldi came out as cheapest overall, at £9.13 for the lot, although it pipped Lidl to the top spot by just one penny. We've done the comparison just a week later and there are some notable changes already.
Aldi's butter has risen from £1.48 for a 250g block to £1.55. Morrisons' milk has risen from 95p for a two-pint bottle to 99p.
Lidl's chicken breasts have risen from £1.79 for 300g to £1.99. While it's only pennies, it all adds up at a time when families are struggling to make ends meet.
It doesn't bode well when prices are rising by as much as 10p in just a week. Aldi still came out as cheapest overall, at £9.20 for the lot.
That was with 25% fat mince though, compared with 20% at all the others. In second place was Lidl at £9.34, followed by Asda's £9.44.
Asda's budget Smart Price range helps to keep prices down. Its coffee in particular, costs £1.40 for two of its 100g jars, the cheapest of all the supermarkets.
Tesco's Aldi Price Match helped keep its bill down to £9.52. Morrisons, which has its budget Savers range, came in at £9.73 overall, followed by Sainsbury's, which was most expensive at £10.45.
The only slight difference in size was the baked beans, ranging from 400g in Sainsbury's and 410g in Asda and Morrisons, to the standard 420g in Aldi, Lidl and Tesco. This shows you to keep an eye on the size as well as the price.
And where the 300g packs of chicken differ at 330g and 350g, we've worked out the equivalent price for a fairer comparison. Here's the shopping list and total for each supermarket.
Aldi
Loaf of white bread 800g - 36p
Milk 2 pints - 95p
Coffee 200g - £1.65
Teabags 160 - 99p
Salted butter 250g - £1.48 now £1.55
Beans 420g tin - 22p
Chicken 300g - £1.79
Mince 500g 25% fat - £1.69
Total £9.20 (last week £9.13)
Lidl
Loaf of white bread 800g - 36p
Milk 2 pints - 95p
Coffee 200g - £1.49
Teabags 160 - £1.09
Salted butter 250g - £1.45
Beans 420g tin - 22p
Chicken 300g - £1.79 now £1.99
Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.79
Total £9.34 (last week £9.14)
Asda
Loaf of white bread 800g (Smart Price) - 39p
Milk 2 pints - 95p
Coffee 200g (2 x 100g Smart Price) - £1.40
Teabags 160 (4 x 40-pack Smart Price) - £1.12
Salted butter 250g (Smart Price) - £1.45
Beans 410g tin (Smart Price) - 22p
Chicken (bigger 350g pack for £2.35) - equates to £2.01
Mince 500g - £1.90
Total £9.44
Tesco
Loaf of white bread 800g - 36p
Milk 2 pints - 95p
Coffee 200g (2 x 100g) - £1.50
Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack) - £1.10
Butter 250g - £1.55
Beans 420g tin - 22p
Chicken 300g - £2.05
Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.79
Total £9.52
Morrisons
Loaf of white bread 800g - 59p
Milk 2 pints - 95p up to 99p
Coffee (2 x 100g) - £1.50
Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack Savers) - £1.10
Salted butter 250g - £1.49
Beans 410g tin - 22p
Chicken (bigger 330g pack for £2.25) - equates to £2.05
Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.79
Total £9.73 (last week £9.69)
Sainsbury's
Loaf of white bread 800g - 60p
Milk 2 pints - 95p
Coffee 200g - £1.65
Teabags 160 - £1.09
Salted butter 250g - £1.75
Beans 400g tin - 21p
Chicken 300g - £2.20
Mince 500g 20% fat - £2
Total £10.45
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