One in four mums returning items at checkout

One in four mums in the UK is forced to return items at the checkout or switch to supermarkets' own brand items in order to make the household budget balance.

That is according to research carried out by Asda, in which 4,000 mothers in the UK were asked about how the economic climate is affecting their lives, reports the Daily Mail.

In order to shield children from household cutbacks parents are resorting to tactics, such as putting own brand cereal into the boxes of the more expensive alternatives.

Judith McKenna, Chief Operating Officer at Asda, told the news provider: "One mum said her children were so mortified that she has now equipped them with calculators and they keep track of the budget as she adds items to the trolley."

Meanwhile Morrisons has released research which shows that families spend an average of 11% of their weekly outgoings on food, but 20% of the population are spending as much as 30% of their budgets feeding a household.