‘I did a weekly shop at Tesco for £20 to see how easy it is – here’s how I got on’

The cost of living crisis means we're all paying more for our bills and food.

With many tightening their purse strings, every penny counts, and forking out for a weekly shop to cover even just one person can be an added burden.

So, to see how cost effective you can be on food, Edinburgh Live reporter Sian Traynor headed to Tesco to see if she was able to get a weekly food shop for just £20.

Up for the challenge, she took out her trolley and headed round the aisles to see how much food she could get. Here's how she got on.

Are you worried about affording your food bills in the cost of living crisis? Let us know: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk

Before heading into Tesco, we had a clear think about what meals we would plan for the week, and if we could make one batch of cooking last for two dinners.

Assuming we already had all of the cupboard essentials (salt and pepper, spices, oil and butter etc.) we tried to make sure our fruit and vegetables were as cheap as possible and allow for the cost of meat.

Adding up the cost as we went round, it was clear how the bill can rack up quickly, as choosing one option that may only be 20p or 50p cheaper can make a huge difference.

Starting with breakfast, we chose one easy option of Scott's porridge oats for £2, a full box of which would definitely last longer than one week.

As well as picking up milk, we also bought bananas and apples which could go with the porridge, or for a snack.

A large loaf of Tesco's own white bread also cost 60p, which could be used for both toast and sandwiches for lunch.

'I spent £23 on Asda's Smart Price range of food and it left me heartbroken'

Speaking of lunch, our idea was to mostly go for cheap and cheerful sandwiches, that would use the bread, and we chose ham for 86p and cheddar cheese for £1.65.

We also picked up an iceberg lettuce for just 49p, and a six pack of ready salted crisps for 69p.

We thought the crisps would also work for a snack, as well as a packet of chocolate bourbon biscuits for 39p, and also the apples and bananas.

Moving onto dinners, this was the meal that required the most thought when it came to shopping on a budget.

Cost of Living

Our Cost of Living team of experts are here to help YOU through a very difficult year.

They'll be bringing you the latest money news stories and also providing specialist advice.

Whether it's rocketing energy bills, the cost of the weekly shop or increased taxes, our team will be with you all the way.

Every Thursday at 1pm they will take part in a Facebook Live event to answer your questions and offer their advice. Visit facebook.com/dailymirror/live to watch. You can read more about our team of experts here.

If you have a question – or want to share your story – please get in touch by emailing webnews@mirror.co.uk.

Hoping to get two dinners out of each meat option, we bought two chicken breasts as well as a packet of Tesco mince, which cost £2.60.

With the idea in mind to make meals such as spaghetti bolognese, seasoned chicken and vegetables, or something along those lines, the options seemed relatively priced.

In addition, we also picked up maris piper potatoes, carrots, cherry tomatoes and onions which would work within both meal options.

For dinner, we also chose a tin of Tesco's own soup at 50p, as well as a pepperoni pizza and a 32p garlic baguette to have with it.

The only other item we purchased was six free range eggs, which could be used for breakfasts, lunch or even dinner.

Mum explains easy 'centuries old tip' to make family meals much cheaper

The final cost

Heading to the checkout, we believed our total cost had been £19.76, however when all our items were scanned we were informed our maths hadn't been spot on.

Coming in at an actual £21.35, we were just slightly over-budget, but in spite of that, we were actually impressed at how much we had managed to get for that price.

Although some items may last longer than a week, the shop was really just for one person, so a family of say three or four would have been a lot more expensive.

About The Author