10 sneaky ways to save a fortune at the supermarket

These 10 tips will sharpen your shopping skills and save you a fortune at the supermarket tills.

1. Learn the layout

Supermarket layouts aren't random -- far from it. They are cunningly designed by 'shopping scientists' -- experts in psychology and marketing who design stores to maximise consumer spending. However, once you've spotted these tricks, you can steer clear of them.

For example, sweets and treats are often on show right next to the tills, tempting you when you're waiting in the queue. Also, so-called 'premium' brands are displayed on shelves at eye level, whereas cheaper, own-brand products are by your feet. Hence, learning the layout of your local store can help you to avoid expensive distractions.

Top tip: If you go shopping with your kids, be aware that the brands which most want to target them are displayed at their eye level, not yours. Sneaky, huh?

2. Stick to your list

All it takes is a few impulse buys and your £80 bill has suddenly turned into £100, which is an increase of a quarter (25%). The best way to avoid spontaneous -- and often unnecessary -- purchases is to buy only what's on your list. This will speed up your weekly shop, as well as saving you money.

3. Beat the brands

Food producers spend billions of pounds a year on advertising, trying to convince us that theirs are Britain's best brands.

Being a cynical consumer, I'm not convinced, so I don't stick slavishly with well-known brands and stores' premium ranges. Instead, I'm quite happy to try new flavours by sampling own-brand and no-brand ranges.

Despite being considerably cheaper, these are often just as tasty as their upmarket rivals - in fact, we conducted our own blind taste test last year and proved it. Why pay more for pricey packaging?

4. Eat before you shop

Despite millions of years of evolution, large parts of the human brain are mostly unchanged from those of our primate ancestors. In particular, the brain areas governing primitive responses and feedback (such as fear, anger, hunger and thirst) have barely changed at all.

Thus, if you shop when hungry, then your primitive brain will urge you to buy more, especially unhealthy convenience foods that can be consumed in the car park. The antidote to this primal urge is to fill up your stomach before marching the aisles.

5. Plan your menu

My wife is a superb cook, so she can rustle up a delicious, home-cooked meal with a few simple ingredients. However, she's also highly organised, so Mrs D much prefers to plan our family menu a week ahead. This advance planning means that she buys no more than what she needs, avoids food wastage, gives us a varied, healthy diet, and shops only once a week.

6. Compare supermarkets online

The UK's 'Big Four' supermarkets -- ASDA, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco -- constantly boast about how cheap they are.

With so many conflicting claims, it's hard to know which supermarket offers the best value. To find out which wins in your area, pay a visit to the mySupermarket website. Here you can check and compare prices at ASDA, Ocado, Sainsbury's and Tesco, plus Majestic Wines and Virgin Wines. This service claims to slash your shopping spend by up to £1,000 a year.

7. Shop from your sofa

My wife is a huge fan of online grocer Ocado, which delivers Waitrose products across the UK.

This year, she signed up for Ocado's 'Midweek Delivery Pass' costing £2.99 a month. In return, this offers up to two free deliveries a week on Tuesday to Thursdays, with a minimum order of £40. Although this delivery pass costs £35.88 a year, it has paid for itself many times over in time saved and convenience.

All major supermarkets offer an online shopping service, but Ocado wins by offering the best service, with rave reviews from customers including my Mrs D'Arcy!

8. Play your cards right

Supermarkets have been rewarding faithful customers with loyalty programmes for decades. Indeed, as a Sixties child, I nostalgically remember the Co-op 'divvy' and drawers stuffed with Green Shield stamps.

However, loyalty schemes have become much more widespread these days, thanks to the enormous success of the Tesco Clubcard, Nectar card and Boots Advantage card. Typically, these loyalty cards offer you 1p back for every £2 you spend, plus bonus points and special offers.

However, you should play your cards right by also using a cashback credit card to shop. Mine gives me a rebate of 1% of my spending, producing a refund last year exceeding £100.

9. Collect coupons and vouchers

In a peculiarly British form of embarrassment, some shoppers are reluctant to be seen handing over coupons and vouchers at the till. Alas, this strange 'shopping shame' could be costing them upwards of £500 a year.

In the US and on the Continent (and especially in Holland, in my experience), many shoppers are proud 'coupon clippers', eagerly searching out freebies and the biggest discounts. Indeed, coupon clubs are an online phenomenon in the US, where housewives seek out and reveal the cheapest ways to shop.

Here in the UK, discount sites such as MyVoucherCodes, VoucherCodes and HotUKDeals have taken off in a big way.

10. Grab deals and discounts

Don't ignore the deals and discounts on offer in the aisles. Including the ever-present BOGOF (Buy One, Get One Free) offers, there can be more than 3,000 special offers in store at any one time. Although most of these deals offer discounts of 1p or 2p per item, do keep an eye out for those that produce the biggest savings for your shopping list.

Lastly, keep an eye out for RFQS (Reduced For Quick Sale) items in the bargain bins dotted around stores. A dented tin, damaged packaging or short shelf-life could mean a 50% to 90% saving on the usual price -- and haggling for bigger RFQS discounts often works, too.

> What are your smartest shopping tips? Please share your supermarket skills in the comments box below!

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