MARTIN Lewis has urged households to take the downshift challenge to cut up to 30% off food bills.
It involves swapping from premium and branded products to supermarket value or own-brand items – and could save you £1,500 a year.
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The MoneySavingExpert founder suggested families try the trick to reduce supermarket spending as the cost of living soars.
Food bills are rising as supermarkets are hiking prices due to inflation.
The cost of gas and electricity has also gone up after the energy price cap rocketed 54% last week – adding £700 to the average annual bill.
Council tax and National Insurance has jumped, too, putting further pressure on household finances.
Dropping down a product level at the supermarket can help you save money without compromising on taste.
A family who spends £100 on their weekly shop would save £1,500 a year if they managed to cut their bills by 30%.
The downshift challenge applies to food as well as other supermarket items such as soap, toothpaste and toilet roll.
It’s a similar approach to The Sun Squeeze Team‘s own-brand challenge.
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There are four main brand levels to choose from when you’re browsing the aisles – premium, branded, own-brand and value.
In his weekly newsletter today, Martin said: “The Downshift Challenge is essentially is dropping down a brand level on groceries – for example, finest to branded to own brand to basic.
“If you can’t taste a difference stick with the lower level. On average it cuts 30% off bills, so if you only stick with half, that’s 15% saved.
“It’s not just food either – you can do it with toiletries and cleaning products.”
Premium products are often described as “luxury” or “finest” and will have smarter packaging.
Branded goods are the household names we’re all familiar with – like Heinz ketchup or Yorkshire Tea teabags.
Own-brand lines are usually the supermarket’s take on those branded products.
The cheapest items will be in the value or basics range, which will usually have the most plain packaging.
Make sure you keep an eye out for special offers – there’s no point downshifting if your favourite product is on sale.
You should also use other supermarket saving techniques like using your loyalty card or checking for coupons to maximise your savings.
Supermarket value ranges have been in the spotlight recently due to the rising cost of living.
Last month Asda revealed an overhaul of its basic range, announcing it will scrap the Smart Price line to replace it with Just Essentials.
It recently pledged to stock its cheaper products at all of its stores in response to pressure from campaigners over rising prices.
Sainsbury’s previously replaced its Basics value range with different own-brand lines including Hubbard’s and Stamford Street.
Tesco has also axed its Everyday Value line in the past, instead opting for a range of different names for its own-brand products.
Meanwhile, Morrisons has more than 250 products in its Savers range.
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