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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Emma Gill

Cost-cutting supermarket works out cheapest for items we all use and it's not Aldi or Lidl

There's no getting away from the price rises we're seeing in supermarkets as the cost of living continues to soar. But with retailers eager for our custom, prices are continually changing and it can often save you money by shopping around.

For the last four weeks we've been comparing the price of eight basics in various main supermarkets and each week there have been notable changes.

Shopping at Asda, Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Sainsbury's and Morrisons, we've been comparing the cost of eight items - a loaf of bread, a two-pint bottle of milk, coffee, teabags, butter, beans, chicken breasts and mince. Last week we saw the price of coffee rise at both Lidl and Tesco and in earlier weeks we saw rises in milk, chicken and butter.

Read more: Families have forgotten 'centuries old tip' for making meals cheaper

This week there have been four price changes, but none have changed the overall outcome, which has Asda taking the cheapest crown for the second week running. It comes as the retailer announced this week that it was reducing the price of more than 100 products and locking them in place until the end of the year.

Tea bags, rice, cheddar cheese, chicken and mince are just a few of the items included in the Dropped & Locked promotion. This week's price changes across the board include a rise in the cost of Aldi teabags, up from 99p to £1.09 for a 160-pack, and a 2p increase on Morrisons' butter.

The price of mince has increased at Lidl (Manchester Family / MEN)

At Lidl, its teabags have come down from £1.09 to 99p, but the saving is offset by the mince increasing from £1.79 to £1.89. It does however take the lead from Aldi for the first week, with its bill coming in at £9.50, compared with Aldi's £9.56.

Tesco follows behind at £9.78, while Morrisons - which has also announced price cuts this week - came in at £10, followed by Sainsbury's at £10.55.

The only slight difference in sizes among our shopping is the baked beans, which range from 400g in Sainsbury's and 410g in Asda and Morrisons, to the standard 420g in Aldi, Lidl and Tesco - which shows you to keep an eye on the size as well as the price. And where the 300g packs of chicken differ at 330g and 350g, we've worked out the equivalent price for a fairer comparison.

Where are you finding the cheapest products at the moment? Let us know in the comments here.

Here's the shopping list and total for each supermarket (as of Thursday, April 28)

Asda

Loaf of white bread 800g (Smart Price) - 39p

Milk 2 pints - 95p

Coffee 200g (2 x 100g Smart Price) - £1.40

Teabags 160 (4 x 40-pack Smart Price) - £1.12

Salted butter 250g (Smart Price) - £1.45

Beans 410g tin (Smart Price) - 22p

Chicken (bigger 350g pack for £2.35) - equates to £2.01

Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.90

Total £9.44

Asda came out cheapest at £9.44 (Manchester Family / MEN)

Lidl

Loaf of white bread 800g - 36p

Milk 2 pints - 95p

Coffee 200g - £1.65

Teabags 160 - £99p (down from £1.09)

Salted butter 250g - £1.45

Beans 420g tin - 22p

Chicken 300g - £1.99

Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.89 (up from £1.79)

Total £9.50

Asda was followed closely by Lidl at £9.50 (Manchester Family / MEN)

Aldi

Loaf of white bread 800g - 36p

Milk 2 pints - 95p

Coffee 200g - £1.65

Teabags 160 - £1.09 (up from 99p last week)

Salted butter 250g - £1.55

Beans 420g tin - 22p

Chicken 300g - £1.85

Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.89

Total £9.56 (up from £9.46 last week)

Tesco

Loaf of white bread 800g - 36p

Milk 2 pints - 95p

Coffee 200g (2 x 100g) - £1.66

Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack) - £1.10

Salted butter 250g - £1.55

Beans 420g tin - 22p

Chicken 300g - £2.05

Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.89

Total £9.78

Morrisons

Loaf of white bread 800g - 59p

Milk 2 pints - 99p

Coffee (2 x 100g) - £1.40

Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack Savers) - £1.10

Salted butter 250g - £1.77 (up by 2p)

Beans 410g tin - 21p

Chicken (bigger 330g pack for £2.25) - equates to £2.05

Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.89

Total £10 (up from £9.98 last week)

The shopping bill at Morrisons came to £10 (Manchester Family / MEN)

Sainsbury's

Loaf of white bread 800g - 60p

Milk 2 pints - 95p

Coffee 200g - £1.65

Teabags 160 - £1.09

Salted butter 250g - £1.75

Beans 400g tin - 21p

Chicken 300g - £2.20

Mince 500g 20% fat - £2.10

Total £10.55

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