Which? gives some advice on how to keep grocery bills down amid the surge in living costs as it reveals its winner, of a close race, for the cheapest supermarket during 2021.
The shopping list combined branded items such as Kenco coffee, Oxo stock cubes and PG Tips tea bags with own-label products including onions and milk, selected to ensure they were as comparable as possible across the retailers on factors such as weight and quality.
The findings were released as charities warn that millions more families are facing a stark choice between eating and heating amid a sharp rise in the cost of living, chiefly led by unprecedented increases in energy prices.Energy boss urges bill help for poorest households Which? retail editor Ele Clark said:"No one wants to overpay for basic groceries, especially when a cost-of-living crunch is putting extra pressure on household budgets.
"Our findings show that while prices are going up, some supermarkets are passing their rising costs on to shoppers more than others. "As well as choosing a supermarket that is cheap overall, other ways to save include swapping from branded to own-brand products, sticking to a shopping list and resisting the temptation to pick up special offers you don't need."