The £1.60 gadget I used to feed my family of four for £45 per WEEK

MUM-of-two Cassie grinned to herself as she handed over the cash for her weekly food shop for her family of four, which she’d bagged for £45.

She’d originally budgeted for £60, but a nifty gadget kept her on track – and it costs just £1.60 on Temu.

Her secret weapon is a clicker counter, which she carries as she browses the aisles of Aldi.

Every time she adds something to her trolley, she presses the clicker once for every pound.

For example, if she picked up a tub of butter for £2.20 she would click twice.

She told followers on her @cashstuffingwithcassie TikTok: “I use the clicker to keep track of my spending. It’s one click per pound, and I tend to round up.

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“I could use my phone, but I personally find this easier,” she added.

Her followers praised the idea, with one writing: “I am in love with my clicker.”

Another left heart emojis, and one asked where she bought her clicker from.

Cassie’s is available on Amazon for £6.99, but if you’re looking for something cheaper, consider Temu, where you can get a clicker for £1.59.

Another tip she shared on TikTok was the importance of ‘shopping’ in your own kitchen before heading to the supermarket.

She said: “Before we came out, we ‘shopped’ the freezer and pantry first. Turns out we had lots of stuff left, so we don’t need much this week.”

This comes after The Sun’s Assistant Consumer Editor, Lana Clements, has pulled together her top five tips to save money on the supermarket shop.

MEAL PLAN:Knowing what you need to buy before hitting the shops is the easiest way to keep costs in check — and to make sure you’re not tempted by sales or marketing tactics.

For inspiration, Sainsbury’s online recipe section has “feed the family” for a fiver, while theTescoReal Food site has “budget dinner”recipes.

COMPARE:The cheapest supermarket for your shopping typically depends on exactly what you are buying.

You can compare individual items at comparison site trolley.co.uk, as well as creating an entire list to find out which shop is cheapest and closest to you.

LOYALTY PAYS:With reduced prices for loyalty members at most major supermarkets, you will be hit in the wallet if you do not sign up for schemes.

Remember to log on to the app before you shop, as some offers need to be activated or loaded to your account before you can benefit.

AVOID CONVENIENCE STORES:Smaller local stores can cost you in more ways that one.

First, the food items can be more expensive than in larger shops andthe rangeof own-brand or affordable versions of food are more limited than in the bigger branches. And thirdly, sometimes you won’t be able to access some of the membership perks that come from shopping at a larger store.

For example, your Nectar prices are only available in the main Sainsbury’s supermarkets and not the smaller convenience stores.

ONLINE SAVERS:If you shop online, try to do bigger buys less frequently to cut down the cost of delivery fees.

Where you have flexibility, opt for a saver slot — typically within a four-hour time period — to save further on fees.