Last week I asked on Facebook how much people spend on groceries per week and what they do to save money. I received more than 150 replies and have condensed the most common suggestions into 10 practical tips to help you cut your grocery bill. This list isn’t exhaustive, but these were the strategies mentioned most often. Feel free to leave a comment with your own money-saving ideas.
10 Tips to Help You Save Money on Your Grocery Shop
1. Check your fridge, freezer and pantry first. Before you head to the shops, take stock of what you already have. This prevents buying duplicates and helps you plan meals around ingredients you need to use up.
2. Use supermarket catalogues and compare specials. Subscribe to Coles and Woolworths catalogues so you receive them when new specials start. Compare prices before you leave, shop at Aldi when possible, and top up with sale items from other supermarkets to get the best value.
3. Keep meal plans flexible. Meal planning saves time and money, but be flexible. If a planned ingredient is expensive that week, swap it for cheaper alternatives or use ingredients that work across multiple meals so you don’t overspend chasing a single recipe item.
4. Buy seasonal produce. Choosing seasonal fruit and vegetables lowers costs and gives you fresher, more nutritious, and better-tasting produce. If strawberries are expensive, pick another seasonal fruit that’s cheaper and still delicious.
5. Buy basic or whole ingredients and do the preparation yourself. Making cakes and biscuits, cutting meat for stir-fries, or buying a whole chicken and portioning it yourself is usually cheaper than buying pre-prepared items. You pay less and control portions and quality.
6. Cook extra for lunches. Make enough at dinner to have leftovers for lunch the next day. This reduces spending on takeaway or pre-prepared meals and saves both time and money.
7. Have a leftovers night each week. Set aside one night to use up what’s in the fridge. Reinvent leftover roast meat or vegetables into new dishes to avoid waste and stretch your grocery budget further.
8. Stock up on toiletries and cleaning products when they’re on special. When products you prefer are discounted, buy an extra one or two to keep as backup so you avoid paying full price later.
9. Shop alone and not hungry. Shopping with children or a partner can lead to impulse buys. Also, never shop on an empty stomach — hunger leads to overspending and unnecessary purchases.
10. Stretch your shopping interval to 8–9 days. Instead of a weekly full shop, try making a major shop every 8–9 days so you complete only about three full shops a month. This encourages you to use what’s already in your fridge, freezer, and pantry, reducing spoilage and saving money.
This example shows a $150 grocery shop for one week from Aldi and Coles.
Those are the 10 tips to help you save on your grocery shopping. If you try any of these strategies, please come back and share how much you saved and which tips worked best for you.
Happy grocery shopping — and don’t forget to treat yourself occasionally. I love the $5 bunches of flowers from Aldi!