WAYS TO SAVE

1. Plan your meals: Do one shop a week to avoid buying items you don’t need. 2. Shop online: Avoid the temptation of supermarket aisles, so you’re less likely to purchase treats. 3. Shop around: Tailor meals around sale items and shop around before committing to a meal or grocery store. 4. Value leftovers: A costeffective option for your lunch the next day. 5. Grow your own food: A vegetable garden cuts the cost of your grocery bill.

Source: Suncorp brains tended to switch “autopilot” when it came buying food.

“As we get busier, we tend to throw money at painful problems or situations as an easy solve. Hunger or boredom are examples,” he said.

“This is why we shouldn’t go shopping when we’re hungry, as our brains are more focused on addressing the hunger than thinking about our finances.”

A rise in delivery to to services designed to make life simpler added to the temptation.

Jessica Bedford keeps to a $150 weekly family budget for groceries and household products.

With a third child on the way, Ms Bedford, 32, has been doing some extra planning and uses online budgeting tools to track spending.

“For a treat we have takeaway on Friday nights,” she said.

“We don’t really impulse buy and try to do click and collect or have our groceries delivered.”

The report was based on a national online survey of 1581 adults.

Women were most likely to overspend on groceries and eating out, while those aged 18 to 34 most commonly broke budgets on takeaway.

Younger people also splurged most on health foods and supplements.

Older Australians were the most frugal about eating out, delivered food and buying coffees and tea.

Two in five workers sometimes or always bought lunch instead of bringing it from home.