Why UK’s cheapest supermarket is now the most expensive for a basket of 8 items

BRITAIN’S cheapest supermarket has now become its most expensive as prices for common items soar.

Millions of homes are currently feeling the pinch as the cost of living crisis continues and people struggle to make ends meet.

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A price comparison test, carried out by the Manchester Evening News went to the UK’s six main supermarkets to check the prices for its eight most common items.

It found that the total cost of a two-pint bottle of milk, a loaf of bread, coffee, teabags, butter, beans, chicken breasts and mince has reached double figures in every store for the first time.

It then compared this to what the cost was in the same shops back in May.

Morrisons, the supermarket that was cheapest just six weeks ago, is now the most expensive.

It’s worth noting that prices change almost daily and items can go on offer at any time, so basket comparisons are only ever a snapshot in time.

A similar check of supermarket prices by Which? found Lidl was the cheapest in March for instance.

But in May Aldi was crowned top when checking a basket of goods from top supermarkets.

Which? crowned Aldi the top shop on prices last year, coming top for six of the 12 months, but Lidl won it five times.

You can check where items are cheapest using Trolley.co.uk which compares the prices of 130,000 products across 14 major supermarkets.

The Latest Deals app also lets you search items and lets you compare prices at several supermarkets to see where it’s cheaper.

Meanwhile in the latest test the bundle of goods from Morrisons cost £9.78 before, but is now priced at £11.15, representing a rise of 14%.

Its Savers coffee, has risen from 70p for a 100g pack to 85p, along with its Savers beans, up from 21p to 25p.

Similarly, the price of its chicken, which has been at £2.49 for a 300g pack for the past few weeks, and its mince at £2.19 for 500g, have been the most expensive of the lots.

Sainsbury’s chicken has risen by 10p to £2.50, putting the two on a par for that particular product.

Aldi and Lidl remain the cheapest for chicken at £2.09 a pack.

Asda’s new Just Essentials mince is still the lowest at a budget £1.69.

Overall, Lidl remains the cheapest store of them all though, with a total bill of £10.01.

Asda is just a penny more at £10.02 while Tesco is third at £10.32.

A 20p hike on the price of Aldi teabags has seen it slip into fourth position, followed by Sainsbury’s at £10.54, which is 61p cheaper than Morrisons.

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There is a slight difference in the sizes when comparing the baked beans, which ranges from 400g in Sainsbury’s, 410g in Asda and Morrisons and 420g for Aldi, Lidl and Tesco.

Where Asda’s pack of chicken is larger, we’ve worked out the equivalent price for a fairer comparison.

A Morrisons spokesperson said: “We know that this is a very tough time for customers and so one of the recent changes we have made is to improve our My Morrisons loyalty scheme.

“Customers who are part of it will be rewarded with instant offers when they shop to help them save money “

However, in another comparison test carried out for a big shop, rather than a few essentials, a different supermarket was the winner.

Aldi has come out on top of the monthly cheapest supermarket price comparison carried out by consumer site Which?

Each month, Which? compares how much the UK’s biggest supermarkets charge for a trolley of groceries. 

It analysed a basket of 52 items, which could include anything from Andrex toilet paper and Lurpak butter, at eight supermarkets. 

In the latest analysis, a basket of shopping at Aldi came in at a total cost of £75.61 – more than £25 cheaper than the most expensive store.

But its rival budget supermarket, Lidl, was not far behind – the same trolley there cost £76.99 – a difference of just £1.38. 

The same shopping cost £11.63 more at Sainsbury’s, and £15.42 more at Morrisons where the trolley of goods cost £87.24 and £91.03 respectively.

Which? found that Waitrose and Ocado were the two most expensive supermarkets, where the same trolley cost £101.14 and £97.50 respectively.

Prices are rising across the board, including food, duel and energy in the cost of living crisis.

Inflation is at 9.1%, pushing up people’s grocery bills and squeezing their finances.

How to cut the cost of your supermarket shop

Yellow stickers

Look out for a yellow sticker on items nearing their expiry date and you could bag a bargain as well as prevent food waste. 

Don’t worry if food items are about to go off- many products will be same to freeze and use at a later date.

Different stores put out their discounts at different times so make sure you check out when’s the best time to visit to grab yellow sticker bargains.

For example, Morrisons tends to reduce items first thing in the morning, while M&S tends to reduce products at night, according to staff members.

Bulk Buy

Buying in bulk can be a great way to save, especially if you have lots of mouths to feed – and the room to store your items.

Look out for the price per unit on each product’s ticket, and compare supermarket promotions.

It can seem more expensive to buy in bigger quantities, but it often works out cheaper – but you shouldn’t leave yourself out of pocket by buying too much at once.

Compare deals

There are some great supermarket comparison tools out there, which helps you spot the best deal before you head to the store. 

You can compare prices manually online, but websites like Trolley.co.uk can do some of the hard work for you.

Just enter the product you’re looking for, and it will display the latest prices and deals across various stores.

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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk