THERE’S a shop you’ve probably not heard of that could be cheaper than Aldi with bargains starting from 70p.
Motatos is an online supermarket that sells surplus or short-dated stock.
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The products can no longer be sold at major supermarkets but are still perfectly safe to eat.
It might be that they’re past their best before date but are within their use by date.
It first launched in June last year and sells a whole host of popular items for cheaper than their original price.
Brands include Walkers, Coca-Cola, Heinz and Kellogg’s.
Shoppers may even be able to save money by shopping at Motatos – and it could be even cheaper than bargain supermarkets Aldi and Lidl.
For example, at the time of writing, Motatos was selling a 20 pack of strong bin bags for £1.40 – that’s 70p for 10 bags.
In comparison, Aldi was selling a pack of 10 bags for £1.69 so if you went with Motatos you’d be saving 99p.
We also found a 10 pack of Diet Coke 330ml cans for £4 on Motatos but for £4.69 at Aldi – that’s a saving of 69p.
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Another popular product both sell is Minstrels and per 100g you’d save 38p by going with Motatos.
That’s because per 100g, you’d pay 82p at Motatos but £1.20 at Aldi.
Not all the items we checked were cheaper than Aldi so do make sure you do a price comparison beforehand.
If they’re different sizes then you can use a ‘price per 100g’ calculator.
Bear in mind that we compared branded items.
Aldi, along with other supermarkets like Lidl, does sell its own items of popular products and these can sometimes be cheaper.
It’s always worth comparing prices with other stores too.
While all of the products on Motatos are sold at a lower price than what they were originally set at, other supermarkets might have offers on at the time.
You should also factor in delivery costs.
Motatos charges £2.99 for all deliveries but they’re free for orders over £40.
Is there anything similar out there?
There are also social supermarkets that people struggling with the cost of living can join up to.
There’s Your Local Pantry, Community Grocery, Community Shop and Company Shop which all offer discounted food and essentials for people on low-incomes.
They’re not always well publicised so it’s worth having a look online as you may have a couple near you.
You could also ask your local council as they should have information on social supermarkets in the borough.
In addition, Too Good to Go is an app that allows you to rescue end-of-day food from many popular cafes, restaurants, shops and supermarkets that would otherwise go in the bin.
All you need to do is download and set your location on the Too Good To Go app and you can choose from nearby stores listing their unsold food at a reduced price.
Similar to Too Good To Go, you can search for nearby food to pick up based on your location through the Karma app.
You can then purchase meals at discounted prices.
However, unlike Too Good To Go, Karma will tell you what food you are getting, so there is even less chance of it going to waste.
No Waste is an excellent way to get organised, as you can scan your food and list it by expiry date, name or category.
It makes it easier to see what you are running out of, so you don’t double up on items in your next shop.
Lists can be shared with family so you can give away unwanted food plus you can track how much you are wasting by deleting items you have eaten or that have expired.
How else can I save on my supermarket shop?
There are plenty of other ways to save on your supermarket shop.
You can try looking out for yellow or red stickers on products which show when they’ve been reduced.
If the food is fresh you’ll have to eat it fast, or freeze it to have another time.
Sometimes even timing your shop to stock up just as items are discounted on the shelves can help you get the best bargains – lots of shoppers have said this is in the evening typically.
Making a list could save you some money too as you’ll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
That means going for “own” or “value” type products instead of “finest” or “luxury” lines.
Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes as well where you can get cheap prices if they’re misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]
