Top Tips for Saving Money on Your Next Grocery Haul

Recent years have seen a steady increase in the cost of living across Australia. While many expenses have risen, groceries have been particularly affected, with prices for basic necessities such as bread, milk, and eggs skyrocketing in some areas. As Australians struggle to keep up with the rising cost of living, now might be a good time to consider some money saving changes to your grocery shopping.

Here are some useful tips for saving money on grocery shopping:

1. Have a plan

Meal planning can be a great way of saving both money and time during the week, reducing the thinking and decisions needing to be made around food when you are busy. Meal plans don’t have to be specific, for example Monday night is be bolognaise flexible planning can be just as effective. You might plan 5 meals to cook each week then cook them flexibly during the week based on what you feel like, how much time you have etc.

Having a plan also allows you to make a list of things you need before going to the store. This will help you avoid buying unnecessary items that may end up going to waste.

2. Be flexible

Exploring different brands, different types of fruits and vegetables can be a great way to save money as it allows you to choose foods that are on sale. Be flexible with your meals and shopping, for example if you were going to make a meal with beef mince but chicken mince is on sale and cheaper try swapping them in the recipe.

3. Don’t be afraid to buy home brand products

Home brand foods are usually just as nutritious as other brands. In most instances the quality will also be just as good.

4. Buy in bulk

Buying items you use frequently in bulk can save you money in the long run. For example if a product you regularly use is on sale, that might be a good time to stock up on an extra packet or two. Look for the lowest price per unit, sometimes buying a bigger packet might cost more but be cheaper in the long run if it costs less per unit.

5. Choose frozen

Don’t be afraid to choose frozen fruits and vegetables, they are often cheaper and will last longer, reducing waste and saving money.

6. Explore vegetarian alternatives

Often vegetarian alternatives such as tofu, lentils and legumes are cheaper than their meat counterparts. If you are a meat lover this does not mean that you need to cut out meat but instead you might reduce the meat in a dish and add a vegetarian protein to top it up.

For example: – Reduce the chicken in a curry and add a can of chickpeas- Reduce the minced meat in a chilli and add a can of mixed beans- Reduce the beef in a stirfry and add a can of blackbeans or tofu

7. Know what is important to you

Food choices often have a lot of different elements that come into our decision making eg. nutrition, taste, Australian made, convenience, cost. Trying to make choices based off of all of these factors is hard work. Know what is important to you, and prioritise that. For example if cost is currently a more important factor consider if choosing less convenient foods, that require more prep is an option or choosing foods not made in Australia if they are cheaper.

We all have different values and priorities and these change throughout the course of our life. Don’t try to tick every box, consider what the most important things to you are right now and use those to guide your decisions.