‘I’m a money saving guru and my supermarket browsing rule will save you thousands’

ok.co.uk:

You might know her as TikTok Auntie Ann Russell, who regularly shares her invaluable cleaning tips with 1.8m followers online.

Well, she’s also a money saving icon having lived her life on a tight budget for years. Her new book, How To Save Money, is a go-to lifesaver in the current cost of living crisis - the title summing up the kind of tips and advice you’ll find inside.

Here, in an extract, Ann - who affectionately refers to herself ‘a middle class English old bag’ - reveals how to avoid spending more than you can afford when you’re shopping in store and online… Plan your in store route with care “Ignore temptation!

I only have to slow down as I walk past the cheese counter in Waitrose to magically buy £40 worth of cheese, so I’ve learned a route that avoids it entirely and walks me through the wine aisle, which is still tempting, but, for me, it’s easier to abstain from impulse buys.” Ignore goods at eye level on shop shelves “While you’re actually in a shop, school yourself to go straight to the section you need without being waylaid.Then, when you reach your area, try to ignore any goods at eye level and make sure to look both high and at floor level, as often these shelves have the items that are better value.The key thing is to learn the tricks retailers use and work out how to resist them – companies spend a lot of money researching your movements inside their store and learning how the positioning of goods affects your buying and how best to manipulate you into parting with more cash than you originally intended.” Avoid special offers “Unless they genuinely offer good value, often special offers just trick you into buying more of something, so take a calculator if you need to or use your phone.The trick is to.