Supermarket Swaps

Supermarket Savings: Simple switches to save money on your shopping

Every time I go to the shops I find myself buying the same old things and then being surprised at the same old same xpensive bill at the end. Sound familiar? Well, there are some simple ways to save the pennies and pounds each week, and one of them is to shop smarter. I always shop around for the best bargains, and places like Home Bargains, B&M and Poundland/PoundWorld are brilliant places to do top up shops. However, as they aren't always close by, and don't always stock everything you need, I have decided to make some supermarket swaps (focusing on Asda to keep things simple) to see if buying cheap really does mean sacrificing on flavour...

1) Tomato Ketchup

Okay, I thought I'd start with the big one. 'It has to be Hein....' yes yes, I know. I thought so too. But just bare with me here. When I first picked up the 42p bottle (compared to £1.48 for Branston or £1.50 for Heinz equivalent size) I was dubious. I thought it would be watery and tasteless and just...not ketchup. Now, I am one of these people who can eat ketchup with just about anything so this was an important one.

That night as I cooked up my chips (a classic with ketchup, right?), I was still doubtful. However, when I squeezed the tomato-ey goodness out of the bottle, I was pleasantly surprised at how thick it was! On top of that, the flavour is really pretty similar to Heinz. There are no great differences, and certainly none worth paying over a pound more every time!

Saving: £1.08

2) Diluting Juice

Time for another BIG BRAND, and another one that I consume a lot. Like, every day, a few times a day. So a saving on this one would be brilliant! I felt safe with my favourite flavour (apple and blackcurrant) and pleased to see that for a similar amount of double concentrate squash the Asda Smart Price came in at just 42p (they seem to like that price) or 5.6p/100ml compared to my usual Robinsons at £1.49, or 14.9p/100ml. I was hopeful, I really was. But deep down I knew, as soon as I diluted that juice and it came out more of a pink than a purple, this wouldn't be the same. And I was right.

I am sorry Asda. But Robinsons wins. The Asda Smart Price just didn't quite get that rich flavour correct, opting more for sweetness to flavour it than, well, flavour! However much I wanted to save on this, Robinsons is worth the money.

Saving: £0.00

3) Marmite/Yeast Extract

Now, I know this one will divide readers, not because I used an Asda Own Brand, but because of the Marmite controversy. Any readers who wish to skip this section purely because they dislike Marmite so much they can't cope with me describing its rich, luscious flavour, you may. I won't hold it against you. Too much.

Anyyyyyway, back to the savings. I have only recently tried Marmite (I know, have I been living under a rock?) but have quickly fallen in love within our 4 month relationship. So was I going to cheat on Marmite so soon into the relationship? Well, just for you dear readers, yes. Yes I was. 

With Marmite coming in at a hefty £2.35 for 250g, no wonder it's got the nation split down the middle. I instead decided to try the Asda Chosen By You 'Yeast Extract' (apparently Smart Price Marmite isn't a thing) at £1.88. The difference I noticed was the consistency, but this was a good difference. The Asda Yeast Extract was far, far easier to spread, and was much less sticky than Marmite, something which I much preferred. Other than that though, no real differences, and I have decided I actually prefer this to Marmite. So all you Marmite haters out there, there's hope for you yet...try Yeast Extract, it's toooootalllly not the same thing (mwa ha ha).

Saving: £0.47 

4) Beans - Reduced Salt and Sugar

If you are a regular blog reader of mine (hello, you lovely lot, comment below so I can express my thanks) you will know about my slight love of baked beans. No it's not weird, it's just a life choice, okay? I have, however, been trying to cut down on the amount of salt and sugar in my diet and so have been trying the Heinz 50% less sugar variety of beans. Now, these do taste different from normal beans, but not horrendously so, and I quickly got used to the difference. If you are wanting to know the best normal bean to try, check out my blog on baked bean recipes. 

For some reason, and I find this a lot with diet or 'reduced' foods, these are more expensive than normal foods, but fear not, there are still savings to be had. I compared the classic brand Heinz at 

75p a can to the Asda Chosen by You at 32p a can, which is, refreshingly, the same as their normal Chosen By You beans. Thanks Asda for supporting us in our attempts to be healthy!

But the thanks to Asda in this scenario stops there. These beans were overloaded with sweeteners, perhaps to make up for the lack of sugar and salt, resulting in my favourite savoury treat becoming....sweet. I struggle with sweet foods in the morning, and so when I went to have my favourite hangover breakfast of beans on toast, I felt a little worse afterwards due to how sweet it was. So not a win for the supermarket own. HOWEVER, that's not to say that there is a cheaper brand that does it well. Branston comes in at 62p a can, not a huge saving, but a saving all the same, and it comes much closer to the Heinz flavour.

And for all of you who just love normal beans, salt and all, the Asda Chosen By You is a winner, beating the Asda Smart Price beans and even the Heinz in a hidden taste test with my parents (hee hee hee).

Saving: Reduced Sugar: 13p
Saving: Normal Beans: 43p

5) Bran Flakes

As a creature of habit, I eat bran flakes every day (with a sprinkling of muesli on top, in case you wondered), so a saving on this would be a big bonus. For this experiment I tried two types of bran flakes (all 750g): Asda Smart Price (88p), Asda Chosen By You (£1.38), both compared to the classic Kellogs (£2.79):

Asda Smart Price
At just 88p, this was an instant contender, as long as the taste matched up. Now that I am used to the plain and simple packaging, I realise how little of an issue it is. It keeps the food just as fresh, just with less pictures to keep me entertained at breakfast time. I found these a little thicker and crunchier than normal bran flakes, which is an instant bonus. No changes to the flavour at all, I really struggled to find any critique of this one at all. Thumbs up all round!

Asda Chosen By You
As I have said previously, I cannot stomach sweet foods in the morning, and perhaps this has given me an ultra sensitivity to it, as I found these much sweeter than either the Smart Price or the Kellogs. The texture was just the same as Kellogs, but I really wasn't a fan of the flavour at all, and ended up giving the remainder of the box away to my dad, before promptly popping off to buy a box of 88p Smart Price cereal - the clear winner.

Saving: £1.91

The verdict

It just goes to show, a couple of swaps a week can really add up, these 5 examples saved me almost £5 in one small shop, and I will certainly be trying more next time after this success! Just remember, just because it tastes different, doesn't mean that it tastes bad! I found that after a while I git used to the other diluting juice and have added it to my weekly shop! If you have any particular supermarkets you want me to try out, or any opinions on the products I tested, just comment below or tweet me @LaurieBeat

Happy Saving!

(Note: All opinions are my own and all products were bought and chosen by me)

I've Bean Eating...Baked Beans. Baked Bean Meal Ideas.

Okay, in advance I warn you about the bean puns I will be making. In Heinz-site it wasn't a good idea. (come on, that was funny)

I love baked beans. Like I'm beginning to think it could be an issue. I feel they go well with any meal. People say 'once you pop you can't stop' with Pringles, but I feel this should apply to baked beans. And anyway, they are healthier. With your average 1/2 can of Heinz containing one of your 5-a-day and plenty of low salt and sugar varieties available, these don't have to be a one off treat. But for me, the skint student and avid money saver, I've bean (heehee) trying out the cheaper own brand varieties in an attempt to find one that can match the expense of Heinz or Branston (depending which team you are on...because everyone is loyal to a baked bean).

Now, there are two levels of supermarket bean...the value range and the supermarket own range, with only about 4p difference per can (28p and 32p respectively). This 4p does make a difference, and I would recommend splashing out, and treating yourself to those 32p beans. Crazy, I know. The reason for this is that the cheaper ones, in most of the places I tried (Tesco and Morrisons particularly) the beans were much harder. This can be reduced by cooking them longer but I just felt overall the supermarket range (especially Tesco) were nicer. In a blind taste test, I got interesting results (shout out to my parents who were guinea pigs for this blog, they've bean good to me). My mother is a die hard brandist, and her bean team is Branston. My dads is Heinz. You can imagine the family rift. I cooked up many a batch of baked beans and left them unlabeled for them to test. The winner? Asda own brand 32p beans, which my dad thought was Heinz. Result. It just goes to show that saving 43p per can tastes doubly good. 

So now that I identified the best bean, it was time to get creative. The classic of beans on toast (with a little cheese and marmite personally) is a timeless food staple that reminds me of my childhood and now of student life. However I feel like this, along with the comforting baked tatty (potato for those non-Scots among us) are just the beginning. And so I introduce to you, my top 3 bean dishes:

1) Beans and Rice

This is such an awesome comfort food. I would like to point out that the lovely structure of my meal above didn't last. I quickly mixed it all up into a delicious mixture of rice beans and veg all happily living together (sorry for those of you who hate when different foods touch, this probably isn't the blog post for you). As you can see, another way I save money (and calories) is to bulk up your rice with peas and grated carrot, adding flavour and filling you up in the process. Anyway, back to the beans. This combination is one I love and is so super cheap. I use half a can of beans at a time, and put the other half in a sealed container in the fridge (just make sure you eat it up within a couple of days) tehrefore costing 16p per portion. This meal can be changed up even more by adding spices to the beans as they are cooking or, if like me you are team Marmite, some of that deliciousness. A definite love,

2) Beans and Pasta

Okay, I admit, this one took me a while to make as the idea of it just felt weird. Even now thinking about it, part of me isn't sure about it. But as I look at the notes I took when I ate it, apparently I liked it. The sauce just coats the pasta nicely and the beans add a nice stodge, perfect for the winter months, when comfort food is life. This also works really well if you get the beans that have sausages in them, although maybe not if you're on a health kick, which can also be found in the savers range. Alternatively, strips of ham accompany the beans really well.

3) Beans on Pizza

Growing up, we had shop bought pizza with beans once a week (the creatures of habit we are, every Monday night). This is a great way to save money rather than having the take away variety, and tend to be far healthier as you then go back and cook it in the oven rather than how they cook it in a pizza place. When I was walking round my local Tesco, I saw these mini pizzas (perfect for one person) for a mere £1.60. Not for one, for four. However, they came plain, so I decided to see if I could save money by buying cheap plain pizzas and jazzing them up with things I already had. By combining these two challenges, my bean pizza has ended up on this post. I found a pepper needing eaten up, some soft cheese and, of course, some beans. For this, I would recommend putting the beans in the center of the pizza so that they don't pour over the edges, and trying to get mainly beans without the sauce for the topping (that sauce will be lovely with the remainder of the beans as a side, trust me). Then put in the oven and cook for a couple more minutes than it says on the packet, just to make sure its all cooked through. The result reminds me of the cheesy beanos you used to get in school (anyone else remember these? Comment below if you do :)) and a combination I wish I had tried years before.

So there you have it, my 3 new favourite ways to eat baked beans, for only 16p a portion! If you have any thoughts or any unusual ways that you like baked beans, let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading, and feel free to follow me on Twitter @LaurieBeat :)

Challenge: Week Shopping Ban - Daily Update

Sunday

It's Sunday afternoon and I'm about to set off to do my main weekly shop. As all good scrimpers know, a great way to save money when going shopping is to make a list. Smug with my saving ways, I head to the cupboard, ready to take notes on what to buy. As I open the door, my reflexes are tested as a supermarket own brand tin of mushy peas comes hurtling at my head. Unable to resist a bargain, my shelves are literally jam packed with reduced price this and BOGOF that. Curious to see how far this has gone I do a bit of a stock check. I realise that twice, I was unable to pass up the offer of a 35p loaf of bread, freezing it 'for later'. It seems that later hasn't arrived yet. I also have one and a half cucumbers, 4 packs of rice, 4 eggs ready to go off (left over from baking) and enough tinned goods to survive a war.

The irony of this hits me. In an attempt to save money and buy bargains, I have bought so much food I am not eating, instead sticking to the same things each week, meaning that tin of exotically flavoured tuna (at only 50p) will never get used. Something drastic has to be done: I will not go to the shops all this week and will survive until this time next Sunday with only what I have. I will state here that I have not gone to the shops in the past 4 days for food, and will not for the next 7. Bring it on.

With a bit of careful planning this can be done. I see my milk is due to go off tomorrow, so I will make sure I have cereal for the next two breakfasts (as long as the milk smells okay on day two) and use up some of that bread for toast or  have porridge on the other mornings. Toasties and omelettes make a filling lunch with some of that cheese lurking at the back of the fridge. And dinner? Well that will be a nightly experiment of creating things from the vast array of tins in the cupboard and bits and bobs left in the freezer. I am excited to try some different foods and mix up my diet a bit - along with being able to put my weekly food budget towards my birthday party this weekend.

Each day I will post up any challenges or new creations I have come up with as an update on this post. Hope too see you each day as I go on my journeys!

Monday

I wake up excited to face my challenge of...no, that's a lie. I had an early morning maths tutorial. I woke up tired and not all that excited. But nevertheless, my challenge did slightly cheer me up! I was faced with an early issue - my friend had asked me to have lunch with her after class in the library. To me, going out and just buying lunch in a cafe completely defeats the purpose of my challenge, so I prepared a packed lunch. Although many of us (myself included) complain about a lack of time in the morning, making a packed lunch was surprisingly quick to do. 10 minutes of not so hard graft and I saved myself a fiver. Not bad for 8.30 on a Monday morning.

The rest of the day posed no problems, with plenty of snacks in the cupboards to get me through my studying. It's just now, as I'm sitting down to my dinner, that I have something to note. With no fresh chicken or meat in my fridge, I was going to have to raid the cupboards for my meat fix (I like meat before I go to my sports on a Monday). I come across a tin of Savers Irish Stew - 53p from Morrisons. I remember buying this a few weeks ago thinking it would be good as a quick meal and, at that price, it was difficult to pass up. The first thing I noticed when I opened the can, was the lack of meat. The meat that was there was quite fatty and not of the best quality and certainly not big chunks. However, there was some decent cubes of potato and carrot to bulk it up along with some discoloured peas. Sounds great, right? To make it more interesting (and filling) I added some frozen brocolli and peas, which at least makes it look a bit nicer. As I watch my, erm, interesting dinner spin in the microwave I consider the fact that I could have made something pretty similar in bulk, and then frozen the rest, for a pretty similar price and a fraction of the salt. A note to future self, some things are worth paying a little more for, or putting the effort in to make yourself....

Tuesday

This morning, I faced the problem of out of date milk. Now, I'm not usually one to be overly fussy with use-by-dates, thinking that the supermarkets must allow themselves a little margin for error to protect themselves. Instead, I tend to go by the tell of the smell (I just like the rhyme really). I have drank milk before out of date as, when I smelt it, it smelled like, well, milk! This time however, it smelled a little stronger of milk but, having already poured my usual breakfast of cereal, I chanced it. Now, I wouldn't recommend this. My stomach has been...funny all day. Tomorrow, I will have to get more inventive, and break away from the morning tradition of cereal that I never seem to waver from.

Lunch posed no problems, as I found a whole pack of (mercifully in date) ham in my fridge, so sandwiches were easy to make. However, tonight, I was having a friend round for dinner, so an experimental meal like last night wasn't really on the cards. I searched my freezer and found two fishcakes - perfect. Only issue being that they were different flavours. No worries, we could have half each, and this meant that we got to experience two rather than one flavour! Double bonus. With my friend bringing cucumber from her flat and splitting a tin of 16p Morrisons Savers mushy peas (very very good, without considering the price) we had a yummy and healthy meal, all from things taking up space in my cupboard or freezer. A bit hotch-potch maybe, but a great night catching up over food and Toy Story 3. And trying and failing not to cry at the end (spoiler alert).

Wednesday

I can't deny it, I am a creature of habit. So when faced with having to have something different for breakfast, I was a little put out. But the whole idea of this experiment was to try new foods and use up some of the random things in my storage. I thought I would go for the classic, peanut butter and jam on toast. Only issue being, I have no jam. After rummaging through the freezer yet again (seriously, never underestimate those things) I found some frozen berries, put them in a mug, and chucked it in the microwave until they became a lovely hot and jammy mess. Then, I poured this on top of my freshly spread peanut butter for one of the best breakfasts I've had in a long time:

Dinner was a store cupboard staple for me, baked beans and rice...seriously, don't knock it til you try it. It's one of my favourites and a real comfort food, without being too unhealthy (especially if you used reduced salt and sugar beans, but these are more expensive than the 27p smart price ones). I also like to bulk up the rice with a grated carrot and some peas/broccoli (again from the freezer) which adds some crunch, colour, flavour and nutrition! This is a great cheap meal that can be whipped up in a flash and minimal effort. I always tend to have these ingredients in the cupboard too, which makes it a perfect meal for this week!

Any comments much appreciated! :)

Thursday

To be honest, I'm starting to miss fresh fruit and veg. I have a cucumber and some tomatoes I've been rationing all week but that's about it. In fairness, I do appreciate the fresh food I do have a lot more, and have discovered that the frozen equivalents taste just as good (even if your berries will definitely not look the same after defrosting). So in attempt to quench my fresh fruit cravings I raided the cupboard. The only success I got was a tin of apricots. Now, apricots are my favourite fruit (when fresh) so this was a good test. Having already discovered that dried apricots are nothing like their fresh counterpart, I was hoping for better results this time. I opened the can, drained the apricot halves and put them in a Tupperware to store in the fridge (and have discovered that they last a good week there). I was surprised at how many you got in a tin for 58p, far more than you would in a punnet, despite the fact that the tinned variety are marginally smaller. Although the flavour is the same, the texture and eating experience is not, as they were far wetter and mushier than the fresh ones. Nevertheless, they spiced up my plain porridge (made with water, of course) and once mixed into the lovely, gloopy breakfast, it made no difference if fresh or tinned. 

Despite my cravings for fresh fruit, this weeks task has so far been much more enjoyable than expected, and I've been trying different meals and clearing some much needed space in the cupboards!

Friday

My cravings for fresh fruit is getting a bit extreme now, so I thought I would go back to an old hobby of mine. When I was younger, me and my dad would spend hours together 'brambling'. For those of you who are not Scottish, this is simply going out foraging for berries, particularly brambles (or blackberries to most people). So I called up my dad, who I hadn't seen in a while due to moving out, and he was happy to take up our old past time together.

We set off, pockets full of empty bags to his 'secret brambling spots' - namely the local golf course. He had it all planned out, and had even spoken to the green keeper who, rather than telling him off, had pointed out some great locations (but did warn him to only go on the course after hours). His top tips for brambling are:

- Don't pick anything too low down, as dogs may have 'fertilised' it
- Only pick the ones that come straight off the bush, as they are the ripest, sweetest and tastiest
- Look in places other people may not look
- Only pick what you know is edible
- Save some for other people.

I loved the last one, as it showed me how many people take joy from finding things for free. He often sees the same people day after day on the same spots (as in September - October the berries just seem to double every day!) and chats away to them about the best places, and the tastiest finds.

When we got back, we put a third of our berries into a container in the fridge, and then decidedto open-freeze the rest.This technique stops the berries from sticking together when you freeze them, meaning you can take out an exact amount later. To do this, simply line a tray with baking paper, and spread your berries out making sure they don't touch too much, and lay them flat in your freezer. Once frozen, put them in a freezer bag for easy access.

Today I learnt more than just how to forage for berries, I learnt that having fun and spending time with people can be free. Not just finally getting round to catching up with my dad, but seeing him meet new people through a shared hobby. Do you have childhood memories of foraging, or have you started it as a new hobby, or just want to start now? Comment below or tweet me @LaurieBeat.

Happy hunting!

Saturday

So today is the final day of my challenge. I've found it difficult in many ways but also an enjoyable shake up to my everyday routine. It made me really use my brain a bit more and come up with alternatives to things I otherwise would have just popped to the shops to get. I think my favourite experimental food has been the hot jam on peanut butter laden toast (something I tried this morning with my delicious freshly foraged brambles) and is one that will be making regular appearances. But not too often. That is something I have certainly learnt this week, I am such a creature of habit when it comes to food, and could have a far more exciting menu if I just put my brain to it.

Another thing I have learnt is that it's only a bargain if you are going to use it. Even after this week, I could easily cobble together some meals from the things left in my cupboard and freezer. This is why, as I make a shopping list for tomorrow, it is mainly fresh fruit and salad, along with milk (because I do miss cereal and milk in my tea). Twice a week, I will endeavor to go through my cupboards and freezer and find meals that will use up some more of these 'staples' I felt my shelves needed.

Do you think you have a weeks worth of food in storage? Give the challenge a shot and let me know how you get on by commenting or tweeting me @LaurieBeat

Good luck!