Admire them for their prudence¹ - but don't tell their friends.

你可以赞赏他们会过日子，但千万别告诉他们的朋友。

Middle-income earners are the most enthusiastic（热情的，狂热的） consumers of supermarket own-brand products.

Almost half (48 percent) of those earning between £25,000 and £50,000 said they would always choose a supermarket label - generally considered a budget（廉价的） option - when possible, a survey has found.

But more than 10 percent of them say they are too embarrassed to admit to their friends that they do so.

However, they will draw a line in their hunt for a food bargain.

More than a third of middle earners said they would only shop in a supermarket they deemed to be 'socially reputable（声誉好的） ', with Sainsbury's and Waitrose topping the popularity poll.

Of these, two thirds (62 percent) claimed that the main motive² was a fear of being judged financially on where they shopped.

Of the 48 percent of middle earners who always chose own-brand products, 10 percent said they tried to avoid buying any other type of branded good, with 62 percent admitting frugality³（节俭） and just 12 percent believing own brand items were of better quality.

But 14 percent of those who bought the supermarket brands would not want their friends to know.

A spokesman for MyVoucher-Codes, which carried out the research, said: 'Although stereotype⁴（陈腔滥调，老套） would have us believe that own brand means a lack of quality, it seems that the middle class is more financially motivated when food shopping, shunning⁵（回避） the initial prejudices that often lead to their choice of supermarket.'

He added that standards have risen to such an extent that a supermarket own brand does not necessarily mean lower quality than the known food label.