It’s getting harder for all of us to manage as prices go up so managing to get your timing right at the supermarket will really pay off.

I managed to get to the local supermarket the other night, 8:15pm to be precise. I thought there might be a few bargains I could get to put in the freezer but I can’t tell you how happy I was when I saw a new bargain section in the meat aisle and the main bargain shelf was full of goodies.

I didn’t dive in like a cretin, I waited until the 2 ladies in front of me had chosen what they wanted – then I dove in like a cretin. The shop was really quiet so I guess they had a lot to sell off. Recently the bargains have been poor pickings so this rare delight cheered me up no end and I thought I would share with you what I managed to bag.

3 Individual steak and gravy pies were £2 each now 10p (30p)

2 Individual steak slices were £1.95 each now 10p each (20p)

King prawns 150g was £3.50 now £0.89

2 packs Roast chicken slices were £3.50 each now 10p (20p)

Sticky chicken chinese rice bowl was £4 now 10p

Whole duck was £9 now £1.99

2 packs breaded chicken fillets were £3.60 each now £0.89 (£1.78)

1 sushi selection pack was £3 now 10p

Free range chicken fillets (2 in pack) was £7.51 now £0.99

2 packs smoked haddock were £4.75 each now £0.99 (£1.98)

1 large pack smoked haddock was £7.50 now £0.99

1 large mince pie was £1.85 now 10p

Total I would have paid = £69.96 ($91.54)

What I paid = £9.62 ($12.59)

The freezer is full, the fridge is full and we can top all of this off with our home-grown vegetables. The duck has been cooked for dinner tonight and I’m going to use the carcass and the giblets to make stock.

It’s a long time since we’ve managed to get the timing right like that and be able to fill our freezer for under a tenner. 8pm seems to be the magic hour – something to bear in mind if you are looking for bargains in your supermarket.