Many of us start January feeling skint after the festive season, so set ourselves the New Year’s resolution to ‘be better with money’ going forward.
But while this is of course a noble aspiration, the fact is that vague, immeasurable targets like these are rarely met — but very easily abandoned in favour of short-term gratification.
According to many behavioural psychologists, creating lasting change is much easier if you start with small tweaks that fit into your life, helping you become a ‘new you’ with as little conscious effort as possible.
Your specific financial goals may focus on debt repayment, maximising investment returns or getting set for retirement, but one thing we can all tackle is the supermarket shop.
Consumer intelligence firm Worldpanel by Numerator claims the average UK household already spends £5,283 for a year on groceries, a figure which could increase by £275 unless people change what they buy thanks to recent price hikes.
Cutting your food bill doesn’t need to mean living off beans or spending hours scouring the shops for the best deals though.
All it takes is switching a few of your essential purchases to the next cheapest option.
And not only can the ‘downshift challenge’ protect you from increases, it could end up saving you almost £540 over the course of 2026 — all without noticing a difference.
The downshift challenge explained
The downshift challenge, coined by Money Saving Expert (MSE), is simple to do, with the consumer finance site explaining: ‘Drop one brand level on everything to see if you can tell the difference. If you can’t, then stick with the cheaper product.’
So, if you normally opt for premium (usually labelled as ‘finest’ or ‘luxury’) pasta sauce, you’d swap to a branded option like Loyd Grossman or Dolmio. Or, if you buy name-branded biscuits, you’d go from McVitie’s to supermarket own-brand digestives. Taking things even further, you can also swap from own-brand to value options — typically presented as ‘basic’ or ‘savers’ rangers.
We’re often loyal to certain shopping list staples because we assume high price equals high quality.
However, MSE says: ‘Shops’ phrasing and promotional language hypnotises us into thinking the best is the most costly. While the packaging looks more opulent, look beneath to the actual product you’re getting and sometimes you won’t be able to tell the difference.’
Based on its research, the site’s money gurus claim a full-on downshift challenge could cut your grocery bill by 30%, which comes in at a saving of over £1,200 a year for the average household.
Five switches that could save you £540 a year
If that seems a little daunting – or you just can’t let go of Heinz ketchup and Walkers crisps – making the trade-off with just these five easily-interchangeable items can still really add up.
In fact, using a cost-per-gram analysis across the UK’s biggest supermarkets, Zoe Morris at VoucherCodes.co.uk puts the total you could save by the end of 2026 at a very respectable £539.80.
Toilet paper
Annual household saving of £60.96
When it comes to branded loo roll, you’re quite literally flushing money down the drain. A four-pack of Andrex Regular Ultimate Quilts from Morrisons costs £3.25, working out at 81p per roll, while Aldi’s Saxon Luxury rolls come in at just £1.35 for a four-pack, or 33p each.
With the average Brit using 127 rolls per year, this switch could save £15.24 per person annually, rising to £60.96 for a four-person household. You’re not compromising quality either, as this budget option has been praised by Which? for its softness.
If you aren’t an Aldi shopper, the next cheapest is Asda Shades at £1.38 (0.34.5p per roll), followed by Tesco Luxury Soft 100% Recycled at £1.45 (0.36 per roll).
Cereal
Annual household saving of £31.24
Swapping from Kellogg’s Coco Pops – which at Morrisons cost £2.35 for a 295g box, around 80p per 100g, at Morrisons – to Aldi Harvest Morn Choco Rice – 79p per 375g, or 21p per 100g – can save the average cereal-consuming household £31.24 in a single year.
As well as price, the German supermarket’s alternative is low in sugar too. And when this Redditor started secretly topping up his partner’s branded cereal box with it, it took her months to realise, which can only be a good sign.
Cheese
Annual household saving of £237.36
With the average Brit eating 11.5kg a year, and a 350g block of Cathedral City Mature Cheddar costing £3.75, equivalent to £10.71 per kilo, there are big savings to be made in the dairy aisle.
Remove the familiar name, and Morrison’s Mature White Cheddar works out at £5.42 per kilo, while similar prices can be found across Aldi, Tesco (which beat its branded counterpart in taste tests), Sainsbury’s, and Asda.
Over a year, switching from branded cheddar could save £59.34 per person, or an un-brie-liveable £237.36 for a four-person household.
Baked beans
Annual household saving of £54.24
Many of us can be picky about beans, but a single 415g tin of Heinz baked beans from Morrisons now costs £1.40 – enough to leave a bad taste in anyone’s mouth.
Aldi’s Everyday Essentials baked beans cost just 27p for a similar size tin (while Tesco Stockwell Baked Beans are comparably priced at 28p and Sainsbury’s Stamford Street Co Baked Beans are 30p) so based on figures stating the average Brit eats 4.9kg of baked beans a year, it equals a £54.24 saving for a family of four.
Consider what that extra money in your bank account could mean, and that brand loyalty doesn’t seem quite as worthwhile.
Bread
Annual household saving of £156.00
Compared to a Warburtons Thick White loaf at £1.40, supermarket own-brand equivalents across Aldi, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons all retail at 75p. And when the packaging is all gone and you’re munching on your morning toast, chances ate you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference out of the packaging.
With the average Brit buying around 60 loaves a year, this smart switch saves £39 annually, adding up to £156 for a four-person household.
‘When you break it down by cost per gram, the savings are hard to ignore –no extreme budgeting, no cutting back on essentials, just choosing own-brand alternatives where the value stacks up,’ Zoe comments.
;Making small changes whilst supermarket shopping is one of the easiest ways to start the year as you mean to go on… saving!’
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