Takeaway ditched to save

THE soaring cost of living has forced shoppers to dramatically slash spending at the checkout.

New data shows nearly 80 per cent of consumers have reduced spending in the past year, specifically on restaurants/takeaway food (44 per cent) and meat (39 per cent).

Shoppers have also cut back on non-food items such as homewares/electronics (36 per cent), clothing (31 per cent) and petrol (28 per cent).

In a report commissioned by supermarket Aldi and compiled by Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC), prices of groceries (51 per cent) and petrol (59 per cent) topped the concerns of 1039 people surveyed.

Finder money expert Rebecca Pike said budget savvy people could try doing grocery shopping at night.

“Sometimes you’ll be able to grab things like fresh meat and bakery items for half price, and cooked chickens for a few dollars each,” Ms Pike said.

“Always have a shopping list before hitting the grocery shops to prevent you from buying things you don't necessarily need.”