It’s time to test your nerve and see if you can outsmart supermarket special offers!

Supermarkets spend millions of pounds on tricks to get us to spend more - and it works. Apparently, three quarters of us spend more than we mean to at the checkout.

Don’t let them trick you into spending more than you want. An extra tenner each time you shop might not sound like much, but if you go shopping twice a week, it adds up to more than £1,000 a year!

How long it’ll take: 30 minutes a week

Equipment needed:

• Shopping list, to add stuff for your packed lunches
• Bags, to beat the charges
• Calculator or smartphone, to check the best deals
• Payment card, or cash if you really want to keep a tight rein on your spending

How to do it: 

Tempted by treats and offers? Try sticking to a shopping list, if you want to avoid wasting food and money. On a big shop, think before you buy - is it worth it? Will you use it before it goes off? If you only nipped in for milk and bread, try to leave without adding anything extra.

Test your taste buds by trading down to different brands. Food that costs more doesn’t necessarily taste better, and some own-brand food is even made in the same factory as the big brands. Sneaky eh?

If you buy branded food, try the supermarket own brand. If you buy premium supermarket products, try their standard own-brand range, so you can compare them.

Don’t get caught out by offers and different pack sizes. Beat the supermarkets at their own game - look at the shelf labels, and check the price per kilo rather than the pack price.

See if your supermarket has scales in the fresh fruit-and-veg section. You can use them to check whether that pack of four pears is actually cheaper than buying them loose.

To access the YouTube video on cutting the cost of your supermarket shop, please click here.