After arriving, the market was already relatively busy, with tell-tale calls of bargains galore. Stallholders shout about two for one deals and hand out tasters to passers-by.

@theburytimes How far can £10 get you? #Yourmoneymatters #burymarket #burymanchester #market #costoflivingcrisis #bargains ♬ Best Day Of My Life - Single Version - American Authors

After a few laps of browsing and a fair bit of haggling, we were able to budget £10, to feed a family of four for just over two days.

The meals we prepared for include:

Toast or porridge for breakfasts

Soup/ cheese sandwiches/ cheese and crackers for lunch

Bangers mash and gravy or jacket potatoes for tea.

The total cost of the shop, after bargaining, came to £9.85 – costing around £2.46 per person and 41p per meal.

Tom Finnigan

Tom Finnigan, owner of Toms Bargain Corner spoke about how the cost-of-living crisis is impacting his business.

He said: “We’re geared up to sell cheap, everything on our stall is around half the normal retail price as it’s close to the dell by date but all perfect to eat and drink.

“We have noticed we are a lot busier because people are now shopping more with us because it's considerably cheaper than the supermarkets”.  

From Toms Bargain Corner, we bought:

• A box of porridge (10 sachets) - 60p
• A tin of soup - 50p
• A tin of carrots - 50p
• Bisto Gravy - 75p
• A box of crackers – 50p
• A Malteaster Bunny – Free

However, not all stallholders have found the cost of the living crisis beneficial to business.

Joanne Ward

Joanne Ward from Harry Muffin said “We still quite busy but realised people aren’t spending quite as much. Especially on extravagant things like wildberry pies.

“Because we sell fresh bread and cakes I think it is usually more of a treat for people and now they are starting to be a bit wearier of what they are spending.”

After browsing some more of the market, we were able to get eight sausages for £4, a bag of eight potatoes for £1, a block of cheese for £1 and a fresh loaf of bread for £1.

Our full shopping list came to

• A box of porridge (10 sachets) - 60p
• A tin of soup - 50p
• A tin of carrots - 50p
• Bisto Gravy - 75p
• A box of crackers – 50p
• A Malteaster Bunny – Free
• Eight sausages - £4
• A bag of eight potatoes - £1
• A block of cheese - £1
• A fresh loaf of bread - £1.

As more people try to stretch their money further, places like Toms Bargain Corner have become paramount to maintaining their budget.

Since the food is close to the sell-by date, it means customers don't have to sacrifice luxuries like chocolates and sweets when they are at a discounted price.

Let us know how far £10 can get you and share your budgeting ideas with us on Twitter or by commenting below.