On Martin Lewis' website – Money Saving Expert – the finance journalist revealed how couponing can help save thousands on food shopping. Among its 33 tips for saving in supermarkets, Mr Lewis' site suggests taking "couponing to the max”. The December 2019 article says: "Extreme couponers source, gain and hoard hundreds of product and store coupons, then combine them for huge code-stacking discounts. "Many have astonishing success, such as forumite Purple Sarah: 'I got £67 of shopping for 11p after offers and coupons.

"'I used £39.50 of Clubcard coupons, £5 off 40, a price promise and other coupons.

"Forumite Supersavingmummy found it worked in Tesco: 'Got a free pack of Clover butter, free Always liners as well as other discounted stuff.

"'The total price should have been £48.32, but with my coupons it came to just £19.60 – a 59 percent saving!"

Money Saving Expert also warns how supermarkets are "perfectly honed marketing environments, benefiting from millions of pounds of research into how to encourage and seduce us into buying and spending more than we should”.

One tactic used by supermarkets is placing treats and magazines by the till, the article says.

This encourages "impulse buys" – Money Saving Expert warns – helping stores increase profits.

Another way supermarkets increase spending it placing popular products all around the store.

Money Saving Expert adds: "Store layouts make us walk the whole distance.

"Regularly bought items tend to be spread around the store, so we need to pass many other tempting goodies to complete our shopping."

READ MORE:Martin Lewis offers ‘last chance’ advice on savings accounts

The third trick deployed in supermarkets is placing the most profitable stock at eye level, but they are often not the best deals.

This means, the most savvy deals can be found on the high and low shelves, Mr Lewis and co say.

The final trick used by supermarkets to make you spend more is the use of sales-type signage for non-sales items.

The Money Saving Expert site says: "Seedless grapes and other attractive treats are usually near the store entrance, often below cost price, to entice us in.

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