Tactics to rule the aisles
As household incomes shrink, groceries are an obvious target for savings. Esther Taunton studies her shopping list for ways to cut back.
Aweek or so ago, I joined many other Kiwis in taking a voluntary coronavirus-related pay cut. It wasn’t an easy decision.
I got the calculator out and spent the best part of a weekend sweating over my sums, trimming the fat from long-standing automatic payments and reminding myself that if the temporary reduction keeps me in a job, it’ll be worth it.
In my search for savings, groceries quickly became an obvious target for penny pinching.
Celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver have beaten us over the head with the ‘‘shop in season’’ message and we all know we should write a list and steer clear of the supermarket if we’re hungry.
That’s all good advice, as is shopping around to get the best bang for your buck.
But the alert level three and level four restrictions rule out hopping from store to store. So what can you do to save money in a single supermarket shop?
Buy canned or frozen
Canned and frozen items aren’t just a good alternative to out-of-season produce. They’re also a cheap and cheerful way to reduce food waste.
How often have you pulled a rubbery carrot or a limp, half-used head of broccoli out of the fridge and lobbed it in the bin?
I probably wouldn’t rush to buy canned carrots – bit weird – but there’s a bag of the frozen variety, along with a packet of broccoli and cauliflower florets, in my freezer as I type. There’s also a bag of frozen mixed berries that get thrown into smoothies, chucked on top of yoghurt and into crumbles and, if I’m feeling fancy, turned into a compote and served with icecream.
That 500-gram bag of berries cost $5 and it won’t dissolve into a syrupy, fermented mess if we don’t get through it in the first few days.
In an extra bit of good news, Dr Carol Wham, a senior lecturer at Massey University’s school of food and nutrition in Auckland, said there was no nutritional reason not to opt for frozen or canned produce, as long as you paid a bit of attention to the labels.
‘‘Frozen vegetables and berries are really good value. They’re just as nutritious and don’t usually have additives,’’ she said.
‘‘With canned fruit, it pays to read the label as some are packed in syrup and have a lot of sugar. Fruit in juice is a better choice.’’
Reconsider protein choices
Let’s address the giant chicken in the room. If you can check your conscience at the door, making the switch from free-range to cage- or barn-laid can cut your egg bill by as much as 50 per cent.
Before anyone rushes to send me angry emails, I’ve been fortunate to have a pay cheque that allows me to buy free-range eggs. Despite recent belt-tightening, I’m not yet in a position where I feel the need to reconsider that.
But like many Kiwis, I have also spent parts of my life on the bones of my backside and I know from experience that $8.50 a dozen is just not an option for some people.
In those days, I bought cage eggs. And given the choice between getting valuable protein into my child or having her go without, I’d buy cage eggs again.
From a nutritional point of view, Wham said there was little evidence to suggest free-range eggs were any better for us. Although some studies have shown chooks that are free to roam and feed on insects could produce eggs with slightly different mineral contents, the differences aren’t meaningful.
The same applies to chicken meat, with Healthy Food Guide nutritionist Claire Turnbull telling Stuff there is no significant evidence that free-range chicken offers better nutrition.
‘‘When it comes to whether you buy organic, free-range or not, it is a welfare decision.’’
If you can’t bring yourself to eat cheap chicken or eggs, try some other proteins. The humble baked bean is an underrated source of protein, according to Wham.
Try supermarket own brands
Also known as house brands or private label products, supermarket own brands have come a long way in recent years.
Lisa Oldershaw, Foodstuffs’ general manager of private label, said own brands used to be a poor imitation of major labels.
‘‘That’s really changed. There is no compromise in quality – the products just have a better price.’’
More than 70 per cent of products in Foodstuffs’ Pams range are made in New Zealand and many are almost identical to products from major brands.
For example, all Pams cheese is made in the same factories as big brands, using the same milk.
‘‘There are a limited number of milk suppliers and cheese factories in New Zealand. Many of our other products are also made using the same ingredients and facilities as big brands,’’ Oldershaw said.
Same same but different price. While a 500g block of Pams edam cheese cost $6.49 at New World on Thursday, other brands were being sold for as much as $2 more.
Think like a boss
Yes, supermarket own brands can be good value and many of us are on board with loyalty schemes but, let’s face it, supermarkets are in the business of making money. And they have some awfully clever tricks up their collective sleeve.
That includes placing more expensive, higher-margin items at eye level and cheaper options at the top or bottom of the shelving. There’s a reason for those towering end-of-aisle displays and it’s not the supermarket owner’s deep concern that you might have forgotten your dire shortage of Tim Tams.
Suppliers allow store owners to take a bigger cut from the items in those displays, simply because they know they’ll sell more. We’re suckers for an end-of-aisle offer and supermarkets know that.
They also know how easily we are manipulated by product limits and specials. As was so plainly demonstrated before and during the lockdown, tell shoppers an item is in limited supply and they’ll climb over their own grandmother to get it.
The same applies to purchasing limits and ‘‘multi-buy’’ deals. Advertise a ‘‘limit’’ of three cans of beans or a special of ‘‘three for $3’’ and many people will buy three, even if they need just one.
It’s human nature and nothing to be ashamed of but worth keeping in mind if you’re on a budget. Better living, everyone.