Deal Hunter Reveals What £10 On ASDA Just Essentials Will Buy

21 February 2023 at 7:00 am

The ASDA Just Essentials range has been on the market for six months
Deal Hunter Tom Church spent £10 in-store on the range to see what he could pick up
He was surprised by how cheap items like cheese, biscuits and cereal were
However he noticed some price differences online compared with in-store

The ASDA Just Essentials range was first launched in June 2022, with most products available by mid-August of last year. The range has replaced their previous Smart Price selection, and aims to help shoppers who are spending less.

Deal hunters from the Latest Deals, Extreme Couponing & Bargains group have been shopping the range to save money. When it first launched, one bargain shopper revealed you can get all the ingredients for sweet & sour chicken for just £4.25 - including 1kg of rice and a big jar of sauce.

Comments on the post were mostly positive. Mark said: ‘Off to ASDA I go,’ and Julie added: ‘Love it, always have.’ Mandy said she’d picked up the chips and curry sauce ready meal, captioning a photo: ‘Just had this for 90p, it was OK. I will have it again.’

Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘I wanted to see how this range is holding up price-wise after six months on the market. I decided to go into my local store with £10 and see what I could pick up. I’m always keeping an eye on prices in various stores - I am deliberately disloyal to brands because what I focus on is getting the cheapest price per item!

‘One of my favourite things about this ASDA range is that prices haven’t gone up in the last few months with the cost of living crisis. For example, Mandy picked up chips and curry sauce for 90p six months ago. I just checked the price online - it was still the same.

‘That said, I have noticed that prices are a little higher for some items online compared with in-store. It’s only a couple of pence sometimes, but this all adds up. For example, the chocolate was 3p more online - and the cheese and broccoli pasta and sauce was a whopping 20p more if you’re shopping online. Confusingly, I found that the wholemeal rolls were £1 in-store, but they’re only 52p online…

‘After shopping in-store, I picked up 11 items for £9.96. Here’s what I found.’

Cheese and Bacon Quiche - £1.79

Perfect with a salad in the evening, a quiche is a staple in anyone’s fridge. You can also get the cheese and onion quiche from the same range for this price. At under £2, it’s a great deal.

Chicken Soup - 24p

This soup tastes the same as other, more expensive ranges, so if you enjoy soup with some crusty bread at lunchtime it’s well worth stocking up. A week of soups for just £1.20 - result!

Dark, Milk or White Chocolate - 33p (36p Online)

Having a sweet tooth doesn’t have to cost you. Bars of dark, milk and white chocolate were just 33p when I looked in-store. That said, when I checked online, they were 3p more, at 36p…

Cheese and Broccoli Pasta and Sauce - 40p (60p Online)

If you want a quick meal, it’s useful to have these packets in the food cupboard. However, make sure you get these in-store. They cost 20p more online!

Muesli - £1.23 (£1.40 Online)

This tastes exactly the same as more expensive brands. So if you like to start your day with a bowl of muesli, you’ll easily save money by getting this product. But bear in mind - it costs 17p more online…

6 Wholemeal Rolls - £1 (52p Online)

Great for sandwiches, these wholemeal rolls are a great addition to the fridge. But I was confused at the price difference - they were £1 in-store, but only 52p online?

Chocolate Chip Cookies - 39p

I’m not going to lie - these aren’t as good as the Maryland cookies. But for just 39p, these are a steal and well worth it.

Low Fat Fruit Yogurts 70p - (79p Online)

Pair one of these yogurts with your chicken soup and you’ve got a healthy meal on a budget. Just be sure to purchase in-store, as they cost 9p more online.

Hard Cheese - £1.60

Also known as parmesan, this was a great price for a decent-sized chunk. Grate it up at home and add it to your evening meals.

6 Pork Pies - £1.60

These go perfectly with lunchtime sandwiches, whether you’re at home or packing the kids’ lunchboxes. The price means it’s just 26p per pie - bargain!

Strawberry Cheesecake - 68p (80p Online)

I can’t get over how cheap this cheesecake is. It tastes pretty good for the price, too! Just make sure you don’t buy online, as you’ll be paying 12p more!

Tom concluded: ‘Overall, this grocery haul was great value for money. The items I picked up probably wouldn’t make up a week of grocery shopping, but you could do a good budget shop for £20 with this range by shopping smartly.

‘Just make sure you check prices for all products before getting them - as those differences between online and in-store prices could end up costing you over time.’

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