I thought M&S was too expensive but I just started doing my weekly food shop for a family-of-4 there and it was only £44
A MUM-OF-TWO has revealed how she now does her food shop at M&S after discovering it was cheaper than other supermarkets.
Nikita, from Cornwall, currently has a three-year-old and a one-year-old and is a stay-at-home mum.
She revealed that she managed to get seven days worth of food, which included dinner, lunches, breakfasts and a few snacks.
Nikita bought two packs of chicken legs for £1.50 each, as well as a “huge range of veg, some sort of potato, pasta” and she’ll “usually” make a sauce as well.
Nikita also got two packs of minced meat, two packs of chicken, and “some frozen bits.”
When she first enters M&S, Nikita will always go to the meat section first so that she can plan what her and her family are going to have for their dinners that week.
She likes to cook dishes which include a curry, a pesto pasta, bolognese, sausage pasta, or homemade burgers.
Nikita’s shop also included sausage rolls, Cornish pasties, breakfast sausages, beans and juice.
Nikita said: “All of this food is to last us until Sunday, we already had things like rice and pasta at home. So I didn’t have to pick up any extra bits.”
She continued: “This is just a general shop for the week, for dinners, lunches, and snacks.”
Nikita shared her food shop on TikTok, and got her viewers to guess how much they thought her food shop came to.
She captioned the video: “How much do you think a full week food shop from Marks & Spencer cost?
I love their cleaning stuff – It smells so luxurious but the price is so much better than leading brands
Nikita
“A full shop like this usually costs us £125 in Tesco or Asda.”
Many guessed the food shop cost between £75 to £100.
However, Nikita revealed in the comments section that it actually only cost her £44.
She wrote: “We’re a family of four and I can confirm m&s is cheaper for us! This shop came to £44.
“I can do an entire food shop for seven days at M&S for £80!”
Others praised M&S for how cheap they are compared to other supermarkets.
A shopper said: “I’ve shopped here for about 10 years and I can’t believe people don’t realise how good it is. It’s cheaper than expected. The quality is unmatched.”
A second shopper added: “Same I do an Ocado shop once a week and it’s a mixture of Ocado and M&S and some branded items too and the quality is much better and it’s no more expensive than Sainsbury’s.”
How to save cash on your food shop
Money saving experts at HSBC UK have revealed their top tips to saving cash on your food shop.
1. Set a budget
Creating a budget will help to stretch your budget. Start by working out how much you spent on food over the last three months, then each month you get paid, set aside a certain amount for food.
2. Plan your meals
Make a list of your main meals for the coming week, including the ingredients you need, and stick to it. Don’t get drawn into offers for things that you don’t need. If you already have some food leftover from the week before, try to see what you can do with that first.
3. Think about when and where you shop
It’s best to shop on a full stomach so you don’t get tempted. Shopping less often can help you to think about what you buy and it may help you to stick to your budget.
4. Go online
Shopping online is a good and easy way to manage your budget. It can also help to track expenses, whilst also preventing impulse buys.
A third said: “We spend £150 weekly in Tesco. But now we shop at M&S and spend around £100.”
A fourth complimented their cleaning products by writing: “Their cleaning stuff is the best we buy all the time. I find M&S stuff lasts longer, tastes better and goes further.”
And Nikita replied: “I love their cleaning stuff – It smells so luxurious but the price is so much better than leading brands.”