Grocery saving tips Australia – Packaging

How cheesy is this guy? He’s the kind of guy who’s employed by supermarkets and paid big bucks to stop your efforts in terms of making grocery savings. Though his product is certainly as shiny and his smile, you might want to suss out his marketing tactics first. Think of your local supermarket as the cheesy car salesman. They’re trying every trick in the book to take your money. Yes they are…

I am obsessed with saving money at the supermarket and making grocery savings every day, week and season of the year. I’m so devoted to saving myself money, I wrote a 336-page culinary manifesto about the topic. These days, I still can’t stand handing over my hard-earned cash that easily to a cheesy bloke like this.

Check out my tips for making grocery savings simply by choosing the right products. These simple actions will save you much money each week.

Make grocery savings by picking it right

Baking

Buy baking products in bulk every season at discount supermarkets.

Biscuits

You can pick up cheap packets of chocolate biscuits at discount stores or even K-mart for just one dollar. Source alternative suppliers like these for lunchbox treats.

Bread

Avoid extra trips to the shops by buying bulk loaves of bread and freezing them immediately while fresh. Also watch the thickness of bread. These days sandwich bread can be as thick as toast bread. This could be a marketing trick to make you buy more bread in the long run.

Cheese

Buy cheese in bulk and cut or grate it yourself.

Chicken – Frozen

Frozen chickens are cheaper than fresh chickens. Defrost them in the fridge before roasting.

Chicken – Pieces

Rather than buying chicken in pieces buy the whole bird. Cut the chicken up into pieces before freezing. Alternatively try buying frozen chicken pieces over fresh chicken. These are cheaper.

Chicken – Roasted

Roast your own chicken instead of buying supermarket cooked chicken. This costs half the price and you will likely get more meat on the chicken.

Coffee

Buy coffee in bulk when you see it on special. Get to know the best coffee brands. However, beware of cheap coffee. It may take two teaspoons to get a decent strong cup. Buy espresso or quality coffee.

Disposable Products

Make a rule to reduce the use of disposable products this year by 50 percent and save.

Eggs

Buy smaller eggs. No-one really notices the size of an egg. Buy smaller eggs and make cumulative savings.

Frozen Food

Frozen food is expensive. You are buying convenience in a bag or box. Buy large freezer bags and try making them yourself.

Fruit and Vegetables

Investigate ways to buy fresh produce in your area, such as at farm gates, produce markets and local discounted suppliers. Fruit andveggies from farm gates are so fresh they are often pulled from the Earth the same day!

Juice

If you are buying juice, buy concentrate. It is generally cheaper.

Laundry

Buy laundry products in bulk each season from your favourite discount store.

Lunches

Bulk-buy ham in the meat section and slice it up yourself for lunches. This is much cheaper and also stores for longer.

Lunch choices

Chicken roll is a good alternative to expensive deli meats. Try to find substitutes for expensive deli meats, which are just as tasty.

Meat – delivery

Buy meat online. Google how to buy meat wholesale online in your area. Get meat delivered and save money on petrol too.

Meat – cheaper cuts

Buy mince, sausages and meat for stews instead of more expensive cuts. Cook up cheaper meat in the slow cooker. The meat will be more tender and delicious.

Meatless

Save on meat by switching to one or two vegetarian meals each week.

Meat substitutes

Use substitutes for meat. Make spaghetti Bolognese out of barley instead of mince. Check the ingredients on the packets of vegetarian products and try to make vegetarian versions of a meat substitute yourself.

Milk – freeze it

Avoid extra trips to the shops by buying milk in bulk and freezing it. Defrost the milk in the fridge.

Milk – go for long life

Buy long-life milk and keep it in the pantry. Buy enough to last until your next shop.

Milk powder

Keep powdered milk in the pantry for emergency milk so you do not go to the supermarket and buy unnecessary items.

Milk – buy more of it

Stock up on milk and bread to avoid extra trips to the supermarket.

Milk mileage

Stretch out milk. Add half milk and half milk powder together to save. Note: Not recommended for babies.

Other products

Compare non-food items in supermarkets with standard retailers. For example, stores like K-Mart.

Party food

Buy cheap party food at places like Costco. They offer a great selection of bulk-buy party foods and bulk-buy gourmet cheeses.

Pharmaceuticals

Buy pharmaceutical products at discount Chemists rather than at the supermarket.

Pork

Buy a pork roast and cut it up into chops yourself.

Seasonal products

Seasonal products are fresher, cheaper and have more flavor. As much as possible try to buy fruit and veg when in season.

Soft drinks

Avoid buying soft drinks and get used to drinking water. Give everyone in the house a water bottle and keep the bottles chilled in the fridge to make water a more desirable drink.

Vegetables

Spend time on the weekend cutting up veggies and putting them in large freezer bags.

Water

Refill your water bottle out of the tap. Shop bought water can cost more than petrol per litre!

Yogurt

Buy items like yogurt in bulk and create smaller tubs in plastic food containers.