Last week I asked on Facebook how much do you spend on groceries per week and what do you do to save money. I have condesed the over 150 responses to 10 tips to help you save money when do your grocery shop. This list is by no means conclusive and there are many more ways, but these were the most popular. Feel free to leave a comment with other ways you save money grocery shopping.
10 TIPS TO HELP SAVE YOU MONEY ON YOUR GROCERY SHOP
1. Shop in your fridge, freezer and pantry first before you hit the shops. By doing this you know what you have and what you need to make meals for the week.
2. Subscribe to Coles and Woolworths catalogue so that it’s emailed to you the day before the specials start. That way you can compare what is on special before you leave. If you have Aldi near you then shop there first and top up with the missing items from the other supermarkets that you have found on special.
3. As good as meal planning is, if you plan a meal and the when you go shopping find that the “special” ingredient you need is rather expensive you may actually start to spend more. Make sure your meal plan allows for flexability and allows you to use everyday ingredients or a special item in multiple meals for the week.
4. Buy seasonal only. This will save money on your fruit and vegetables. For example I don’t buy strawberries when they are $5 a punnet, I buy another fruit that is seasonal and cheaper. You also get fruit and vegetables that are at their peak and full of nutrients and flavour.
5. Make an effort to bake cakes and biscuits. Cut your meat for stir frys. Buy whole chickens and cut into portions. Just an example of buying ingredients closer to their natural state as these are always cheaper. You then make them into the item you want instead of paying for a manufacturing company to make them into the item you want.
6. When making your dinner meal, make enough to have leftovers for lunch the next day. This will reduce the amount of money you spend on bought lunches.
7. One night a week have a leftover night where you eat what’s in your fridge that needs eating. Explore new ways to make another meal from leftovers like roast meats.
8. When toiletries and cleaning products you prefer to use are on special, buy an extra one so when they aren’t on special you will have a back up and avoid paying full price.
9. Don’t take your partner or children shopping, they end up putting things in the trolley you don’t need. Also shop on a full stomach. There is nothing worse then shopping when you’re hungry as you will buy more than you need.
10. Instead of shopping once every week, try to stretch it out to 8-9 days. By doing this you will only do a full shop 3 times a month instead of 4. It will make you use what you have in the fridge/freezer/pantry. This will reduce food spoilage and save money in the month.
This is my $150 Grocery Shop for 1 week from Aldi and Coles.
There you have 10 tips to help you save money on your grocery shop. If you do implement any of these I would love for you to come back and comment with how much you saved and which tips you used.
Happy grocery shopping and don’t forget to add a special treat in the trolley for yourself once and a while. I like the $5 bunches of flowers from Aldi!
Great tips Amanda. When it comes to meal planning, I agree you do still need some flexibility. Often we end up with more leftovers than expected and can scrap the next nights meal.
Don’t use chemicals @ all!! Save sooooo much money. AlI you need to use to clean is a bit of dishwashing detergent and tea tree oil for spray and wipe and enyo mop and window cleaner. Coconut oil for skin care. Cheap as!!
In Perth they don’t have Aldi shops I think
I’m not sure Lidia, I know they are always opening more stores.
also if there are big fruit and vegie markets near by think about buying in bulk and sharing with family and friends, we often buy for four families at a time! but you need a big car and muscles to carry it all!
each family does a week each so its extremely time efficient!
Thats a great idea Gail.
There’s no Aldi in perth… Spud shed is similar but mainly focused on cheap fruit n veg. There’s only 2.
There is 5 spud sheds
Wanneroo Baldivis Jandakot Mandurah and a new one in Armadale
Cheap for everything
Take a picture of what’s in your fridge/pantry before heading to the shops. Then you can always double check what you’ve got to make alternative meals if necessary!
Great idea.
Great idea Fiona.
We travel nearly 2 hours to do our shopping once every 6 weeks. We utilize online shopping and I make sure that I check prices for products at both the big supermarkets. We buy meat from a butcher and spend between $500 and $700 all up- this includes things like nappies, dog food cleaning products and even things from chemist. It’s all about being aware of what you have on hand and how you can stretch it. Having heaps of storage and a big chest freezer is certainly a huge help as is the fact that I bake all our “snack” things
Great ideas. $150 of groceries for a week is a worth to save.
I’m a pensioner in NZ. I have $150 for a fortnight for groceries &I its hard going, but I watch the weekly specials flyers, have a list(very important) and do my main shop at WritePrice comparing prices with those on special at other supermarkets. I call into the other shops if necessary on my way home. I use the Village garden when possible &I have a very small garden of my own.
Hi Amanda, I’m keen to know what the $ value range of people’s weekly shop was? I always wonder how my shop compares to others. We are a family of five and I spend $300 per week at Woolies (regional WA so I don’t have another supermarket to shop at). Thanks Mel
Hi Mel
I asked this question on my facebook page last week – over 400 responses which I plan to put into a graph next week.