Highly Recommended

I’m sure that most of us are feeling the effects of having to tighten our belts in this economic climate. I know we are, especially as I currently am not bringing in a second income. In our home the largest expenditure (after the mortgage) is our food bill. I should feel ashamed admitting that, I know(I have those lines in Dirty Dancing going through my head – “Are there still starving children in Europe?” “Try Southeast Asia”) but with a family of five, 3 of which are growing children that’s the deal. I’ve commented to friends that when my children come home from school it’s like a plague of locusts, they come in through the front door, rapidly moving down the hall to the kitchen and proceed to eat anything that’s edible! I’m lucky if I get a “Hello mum…”.

A job doesn’t seem to be easily obtainable at the moment, not for want of trying and a job interview next week, so in the interim we are cutting back where possible. The food bill, the one that could possibly support a small country, is something we can cut back on. To start with buying our groceries online helps. It really does. However, this has gone by the by since the beginning of the summer holidays and I just haven’t got back in to the routine of it. Also Richard has argued, on more than one occasion, that the delivery cost is expensive but I disagree. The delivery charge is less than the cost of the all the extras/impulse buys that inevitably find their way in to the shopping trolley when I do the shopping in real life so to speak!

The big question is do I shop online with Sainsbury’s, Asda or Tesco? My shop of choice is Sainsbury’s. Richard’s is Asda. This difference of opinion is largely affected by our different cultural backgrounds, which is perhaps a post for another time.

However, today I decided to get back to that routine when Richard tells me about this brilliant website that he’s seen. It allows you to compare and shop. But it also does so, so much more than that. In short. It. Is. Amazing! Let me tell a little bit about it.

First off the website is mySupermarket and you’ll need to create an account. Don’t worry it’s free. You’re then given the option of shopping with your store of choice, for which I obviously chose Sainsbury’s. But what about your ‘favourites’? You know, the easy option you have of shopping directly online with your store of choice? Where you can just call up your favourites and add them to your shopping cart? No problems you are given the option of importing your favourites. You just click on the option to do so and enter your store’s online log in details (username, password) and it retrieves your favourites for you. Simples. You can even book your delivery slot!

You then just shop, either by favourites, or aisles or by searching. It will show any special offers the store is currently running, including BOGOFs etc., and you just shop away as you would if you were logged in to the store’s online shopping site. But. But, but, but… at the top of the page it will show you how much that trolley of shopping would cost, in real time, at 3 other stores! Can you believe that? So I’m shopping at Sainbury’s and not only can see how much my shopping is going to cost me there but also how much it will cost me if I bought it as Asda, Tesco or Ocado.

Even more brilliantly you can then chose, at the click of a button, to change supermarket. So if it’s cheaper at Asda, just click on the Asda tab and you’re shopping at Asda. But this isn’t all! Want to save even more money? Then just click on the ‘Swap and Save £’ tab and it will show you alternative items, allowing you to swap those items for the ones currently in your trolley and save money.

Again, that’s not all folks! Right next to the ‘Swap and Save £’ tab is the ‘Swap and Save Cals’ tab, which, yes, you’ve guessed it, shows healthier options (lower calories, fat, sugar and salt) which, again, you can swap for the items currently in your trolley. Pretty fancy, eh? But, I hear you shout, what about actually buying the items and checking out? Do you have to then re-enter everything in to the supermarket site? No. It sends your trolley to the supermarket site, you just then logon and check out as usual.

It’s great. What more can I say? Try it. I saved around 10-15% over and above what I saved by not impulse buying. mySupermarket + Jools = happy Richard’s wallet!