Cheapest supermarket to buy your Christmas dinner revealed
THE cheapest place to do your Christmas supermarket shop has been revealed.
With the big day fast approaching, many households will be keen to know which supermarket to visit when they do their festive shopping.
The Sun compared the prices of eight festive foods including turkey, sprouts, carrots and stuffing at six of the largest supermarkets to find out which was the cheapest.
Families who are set to do their big Christmas shop should head to Aldi this weekend.
The supermarket came out on top, narrowly beating budget rivals Lidl and Asda.
A basket of Christmas dinner necessities costs £16.33 at the supermarket, making it 25p cheaper than the runner-up Lidl.
The supermarket led the pack with its 5kg British Fresh Whole Turkey, which will set you back £14.75.
This is 25p cheaper than Lidl’s Birchwood Whole Turkey, which costs £15 for the same weight.
Aldi and Lidl were tied when it came to vegetables, with both supermarkets offering Brussels sprouts, potatoes, carrots and parsnips for just 8p each.
Asda is also selling the same vegetables for only 8p each.
They were also price-matched when it came to stuffing, which costs 40p at both supermarkets.
Meanwhile, both sell 200g of gravy for 46p and 15 Yorkshire puddings for 40p.
- Prices correct at the time of publication
- Gravy prices compared based on a 200g pot
- Stuffing prices provided by each supermarket
In third place was Tesco, which beat rivals with its Clubcard offers.
The same basket of items costs £17.05 at the supermarket – 72p more than Aldi.
But its deals put it ahead of Morrisons, where the same set of items will set you back £17.80.
Tesco beat Morrisons on just one item, which made the basket 75p cheaper overall than its rival.
How to save money on Christmas shopping
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save money on your Christmas shopping.
Limit the amount of presents – buying presents for all your family and friends can cost a bomb.
Instead, why not organise a Secret Santa between your inner circles so you’re not having to buy multiple presents.
Plan ahead – if you’ve got the stamina and budget, it’s worth buying your Christmas presents for the following year in the January sales.
Make sure you shop around for the best deals by using price comparison sites so you’re not forking out more than you should though.
Buy in Boxing Day sales – some retailers start their main Christmas sales early so you can actually snap up a bargain before December 25.
Delivery may cost you a bit more, but it can be worth it if the savings are decent.
Shop via outlet stores – you can save loads of money shopping via outlet stores like Amazon Warehouse or Office Offcuts.
They work by selling returned or slightly damaged products at a discounted rate, but usually any wear and tear is minor.
Shoppers need to fork out just 15p for a 2kg bag of potatoes at the supermarket.
In comparison, the same bag costs £1.15 at Morrisons.
But both supermarkets are selling a kilogram of turkey for £3 and a 200g tub of gravy for 65p.
But not all Morrisons shoppers will be able to get the turkey deal as it is only available to Morrisons More customers.
Shoppers who are not signed up to the scheme will be forced to pay £5 a kilogram for the same bird.
It’s the same story at Tesco, where shoppers will be forced to pay £5 a kilogram for a turkey if they do not have a Clubcard.
Buying a 5kg turkey costs an eye-watering £25.
The price drops to £3 a kilo for those with a Clubcard.
Meanwhile, all of Tesco’s vegetables are priced at 15p, almost double the prices offered at Aldi, Asda and Lidl.
But its stuffing is the same price as the budget supermarkets and will set you back 40p.
Its Yorkshire puddings were also in line with other supermarkets and cost 40p.
But customers must register for a Clubcard to unlock any of these discounts.
Shoppers who have not signed up to the supermarket’s loyalty programme face paying a penalty.
The same 2kg bag of all rounder potatoes costs £1.35 without a Clubcard – £1.20 more than if you have one.
The carrots will set you back 69p, Brussels sprouts 85p and parsnips 75p if you do not have a Clubcard.
In last place was Sainsbury’s, where our basket of goods would set you back £22.22.
Sainsbury’s trailed behind rivals on its standard turkey, stuffing and Yorkshire puddings.
A 5kg turkey will set you back £20 – equivalent to £4 per kg.
In comparison, a box of stuffing will cost you 45p – 15p more than Asda and Morrisons.
Its Yorkshire puddings were also some of the most expensive on the market, at 44p for 15.
It’s a similar story to Tesco, as shoppers must have registered for a Nectar card to unlock cheaper prices on half of the items.
Without a Nectar card the price of sprouts soars to 90p while the potatoes are £1.35 for those who have not registered.
Make sure to shop around to ensure you are getting the biggest saving.
Supermarkets constantly update their prices so double check the cost of items to make sure you are getting the best deal.
How to save money on your food shop
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save hundreds of pounds a year:
Odd boxes – plenty of retailers offer slightly misshapen fruit and veg or surplus food at a discounted price.
Lidl sells five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50 through its Waste Not scheme while Aldi shoppers can get Too Good to Go bags which contain £10 worth of all kinds of products for £3.30.
Sainsbury’s also sells £2 “Taste Me, Don’t Waste Me” fruit and veg boxes to help shoppers reduced food waste and save cash.
Food waste apps – food waste apps work by helping shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses shift stock that is due to go out of date and passing it on to members of the public.
Some of the most notable ones include Too Good to Go and Olio.
Too Good to Go’s app is free to sign up to and is used by millions of people across the UK, letting users buy food at a discount.
Olio works similarly, except users can collect both food and other household items for free from neighbours and businesses.
Yellow sticker bargains – yellow sticker bargains, sometimes orange and red in certain supermarkets, are a great way of getting food on the cheap.
But what time to head out to get the best deals varies depending on the retailer. You can see the best times for each supermarket here.
Super cheap bargains – sign up to bargain hunter Facebook groups like Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK where shoppers regularly post hauls they’ve found on the cheap, including food finds.
“Downshift” – you will almost always save money going for a supermarket’s own-brand economy lines rather than premium brands.
The move to lower-tier ranges, also known as “downshifting” and hailed by consumer expert Martin Lewis, could save you hundreds of pounds a year on your food shop.
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