Food is the essence of survival and for most households is where a good chunk of monthly income is spent. If careful planning is not in place costs can easily spiral, especially with increasing inflation.

Asda, the supermarket giant is showing willing with price guarantees to help its customers make savings and remain loyal to the household brand.  to the store with So what is the best way to ensure that combat this increasing yet essential cost remains as low as possible?

Last year Asda launched the Asda Price Guarantee which guaranteed that your grocery shopping would be cheaper at Asda than anywhere else. Bumping this commitment up a notch Asda now promises that not only will your shopping bill be cheaper at Asda but it will be 10% cheaper than buying your goods at any of the other major supermarkets.

But please note how they specify any other major supermarkets. Deeper discounts stores such as Lidl and Aldi are not included and comparison is only made with Asda’s three largest competitors; Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrison’s.

I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear that there are a shopping trolley full of other terms and conditions which include; only food and drink produce are included in the comparison, the offer is limited to £100 per month per household and restricted to 10 cliams per month.

Like for like products are compared so Asda Smart Range will be compared with each of the supermarket’s own economy brand range with all branded goods compared to one another. Approximately 30% of the products at Asda are either exclusively available or do not have a suitable equivalent which means that only 70% of food and drink products are eligible for this deal. However, it’s not all doom and gloom as BOGOF deals are actually included in the price comparison calculation.

So how do you take advantage of this generous saving scheme?

The process is relatively simple, Asda will check the sum of your grocery bill(on eligible products) and compare it to competitors and if it proves to be 10% cheaper then Asda will refund the difference in the form of a voucher which must be used within 28 days of issue date.

To make a cliam you must visit the Asda Price Guarantee website after 9am the day following your purchase and enter the details from your receipt of online order form to calculate the ‘would be’ cost at rival supermarkets. You’ll qualify for a refund if the bill proves to be more expensive at Asda.

Whether this guarantee will work for you very much depends on your own shopping habits and the types of goods you buy but it’s certainly worth a try.

We’ve also provided you with our top five tips for savvy supermarket shopping:

1. Write a ‘meal plan’ for the week and ensure that you can utilise ingredients throughout the week. For example buying a big bag of potatoes have mash one night and roasties another, or buy in bulk and turn last night’s dinner into today’s lunch.
2. From the meal plan write a list of ingredients you’ll need and stick to it. Don’t be tempted by ‘deals’ on items that you don’t really need – it’s a false economy.
3. Where possible buy economy ranges, in many cases there is no difference in taste just the packaging, especially for store cupboard items such as condiments and cooking essentials.
4. Don’t go shopping on am empty stomach, it’s likely that hunger will strike and you’ll buy items that will satisfy your appetite at the time not items that you really need.
5. Be sure to check out the ‘buy now discounted’ shelf. Many items here are sold at discounted rates because their sell by date is due, however most items can be frozen or could be cooked on day of purchase and frozen for consumption at a later date.