Five things you should buy at Tesco – and the items to avoid

CLUBCARDS in hand, Tesco shoppers know how to snag a bargain, but are they loading the trolley with all the right bits?

We reveal all the things you should pick up at the budget supermarket, and what to leave firmly behind on the shelf.

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Tesco revealed today that households waste as much as £800 a year on foodie bits they throw out, so it’s important to make sure you’ve bought all the right goods in the first place.

Especially as the cost of everything is going up.

Making sure you’ve got the supermarket’s trusty loyalty card in your hot little hand when you enter the shop is a good start.

That way you can pick up all the things you like, but at a fraction of their usual price.

It’s free to get one – just sign up online.

You also collect one point for every £1 spent in store and online and one for every £2 spent on fuel.

Then, one point is worth 1p off a future shop in Tesco – so you can earn money-off vouchers after you’ve racked up enough.

But after all that effort of saving up points to spend, you don’t want to blow it on rubbish from the shelves.

So here’s what you should and shouldn’t buy at Tesco, especially so you can put your Clubcard vouchers to good use.

What you should buy at Tesco

Your lunch

Tesco is known for its budget meal deal, where shoppers can have their lunch sorted for just £3.

You get a sandwich, drink and a snack all for the low price – where each item would more expensive individually.

Exactly how much you can save on the full price will depend on the products though – there are hundreds of food and drink combinations to choose from.

The priciest main item we spotted on the Tesco website is the gluten free chicken and bacon mayo sandwich for £2.80.

The Naked tropical smoothie is £2.36 and the most expensive drink you can get in the deal, while for a snack there are several items costing the most at £1, including a Soreen snack pack and a Peperami.

That would add up to £6.16 without the deal, but you can get the lot for £3 – saving of £3.13.

But if you don’t have a Clubcard then you’ll have to fork out a little more.

It costs 50p more at a price of £3.50, if you fail to sign up to the trusty loyalty scheme.

Despite the 50p difference though, it’s still comparably cheaper than other supermarkets – so Tesco is still your best bet for buying lunch.

For example, Sainsbury’s meal deal is now priced at £3.50 after a rise last year.

Co-op’s meal deal is priced at £3.75, while at posh supermarkets Waitrose and Marks and Spencer, the combos cost £5.

Booze

The Clubcard is your friend when it comes to picking up your favourite tipples too.

Booze can be expensive, but knowing you’ve managed to knock a few pounds off the price makes it taste that bit better.

A litre of Smirnoff vodka for example, costs £20.50.

But with a Clubcard you can score the spirit for just £16.50, saving £4 while you’re at it.

The same product is £21.50 at Sainsbury’s which is a whole fiver more, AND it’s without the same wiggle room for a discount that you have with Tesco’s Clubcard.

Baby bits

You might think that heading to the pharmacy or a dedicated children’s retailer is the best place o pick up all your baby bits.

But taking advantage of limited time events that supermarkets host means you can pick up products for less, along with your weekly shop.

Tesco has one on right now.

You can get things like Pampers nappies for just £5 a pack down from £8 – saving shoppers £3 or around 60%, but only until May 9.

Meanwhile, a litre of baby friendly detergent is half price at just £4, down from £8.

There’s around 20 products in total discounted in the Tesco baby event currently.

Your wardrobe

Tesco stocks its own line of fashion in-store too, which is great for refreshing your wardrobe on a budget.

The F&F line includes womenswear, menswear and kidswear.

Plus Tesco will regular have sales on the clothes – especially when it comes toward the end of a season.

That’s so the supermarket can make room for new clothes that suit the upcoming weather.

For example you might find you luck out on a great wooly jumper deal to stow away for next winter, now that the temperature is starting to creep up and summer’s on its way.

BBQ bangers

Tesco recently came out on top in Good Housekeeping’s BBQ blind taste test – proving it’s the place to shop for budget bangers and more.

In the test, Tesco won best meat-free sausages with its Plant Chef Cumberland-style bangers.

The £1.75 six pack got one of the highest scores overall, as it won 89 points in total.

The supermarket also beat out well-know meat-free brand THIS Isn’t Pork Sausages, with its £3 six-pack alternative.

With the bank holiday weekend right on the doorstep, it’s the perfect time to add the winning products to your trolley.

What you shouldn’t buy at Tesco

Tesco shoppers might want to stick more to the essentials on their next shop, as seasonal items sold at the store haven’t had such a great rap in the past few weeks.

Shoppers weren’t too happy about the broken and melted Easter eggs from the store that turned up on their doorsteps two weekends ago.

Some even slammed them as “disgusting” and “gone off“.

And you’d better check your ready meal dinners before you stock up for the week too.

One gobsmacked customer made a shocking discovery when she opened up her Tesco pasta bake.

The packet had been placed on the shelf in error and was made up of a dummy weight instead of any actual food at all, so the shopper was left a little confused and still quite hungry.

But a more serious warning came at the beginning of the month too, for shoppers to avoid some of the fruit and veg on the shelves on Tesco.

They’d been affected by big winds dumping Saharan dust on crops.

You could still buy the veggies, but the store simply urged shoppers to give their fruit and veg a good scrub to get rid of any dust that might have landed on them.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk