Are you sick and tired of paying over the odds for your weekly grocery bill? Nathalie Bonney reveals how you can beat the supermarkets at their own game.

Asda recently launched an internet comparison service, promising to pay its customers the difference if they could have bought their shopping for less money elsewhere.

But even if you’re not shopping at Asda, there are ways you can cut the cost of your grocery bill.

Drop a brand

You don’t have to buy the economy range. Just dropping one rung on the brand ladder will save you money. For example, a box of Ariel Actilift washing powder costs £6.92, but Tesco’s own brand washing powder costs £4.54.

Look for vouchers

Next, look out for money off vouchers in magazines and newspapers. The coupons can either be for certain products or particular stores. It’s also worth checking for vouchers online at sites such as myvouchercodes.couk.

Special deals

Make the most of any buy-one-get-one-free or ‘BOGOF’ offers. Only do this though when you’re sure you’ll eat the food before the best-before date. You’ll find lots of offers on toothpaste, shampoo and shower gel – things you’ll always need, in the toiletries aisle and these won’t go out of date.

Write a shopping list

Write a shopping list before you go shopping. It’s also good to have an idea of the meals you want to cook for the following week. By planning what you eat in advance too, not only are you less likely to buy things you’ve already got hidden away in the kitchen, but you’ll cut down on waste. Pay attention to best before dates and use leftovers in salads and sandwiches.

Use comparison sites

If you’re shopping online, use mysupermarket.couk. It compares prices between Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys and Ocado for Waitrose. See which shopping list comes up cheapest and if the supermarket is in your area divert to their website to place an order. Keep home delivery charges down by opting for evening delivery slots.

Shop online

Shop on the supermarkets’ websites and mysupermarket.co.uk via cashback websites to get money back on your grocery bill. Topcashback offers up to 10% cashback at Tescos and 5% at Sainsburys. While Quidco gives customers £5 for their first online shop with Asda.

Don’t fall for supermarket tricks

Don’t fall victim to supermarket tricks. Stores tend to place the more expensive, branded products at eyelevel, while putting the cheaper alternatives at the bottom.

Store layouts also try to tempt shoppers to buy things they don’t need, like magazines and confectionary by the tills and keeping essentials like bread and milk towards the back of the shop. The hope is that customers will have to walk through countless other aisles, and end up buying more than they intended.

MoneyWise.co.uk