How to spend less on groceries
Here are five little tricks to save you big dollars at the supermarket, writes Sophie Elsworth
TEMPTATION at the supermarket to throw unplanned groceries into the shopping trolley can lead to an inflated bill at the checkout.
Latest statistics show Australians spend on average between $80 and $280 per week on groceries and eating out, so here’s five simple ways you can instantly bring your shopping bill down.
1 SHOP WITH A LIST
Stick to your guns when you’re at the supermarket by coming armed with a shopping list so you don’t go wandering the aisles and making purchases you don’t need.
Keep a detailed shopping list on your fridge or somewhere you can easily add to it when an item you need comes to mind.
This will help stop you from forgetting items at the supermarket and also having to go to the local convenience store to do a stopgap shop for a much higher price.
2 USE REWARDS PROGRAMS
Sign up to free supermarket rewards programs – Coles shoppers can collect FlyBuys points while Woolworths customers can collect Rewards points just by scanning their card at the checkout.
Woolworths’ commercial director of long life, space and insights Peter McNamara said loyalty programs can help customers reap the rewards with cashback on future shops.
“With Woolworths Rewards, customers can save $10 on their next eligible shop each time their balance hits 2000,’’ he said.
Usually on both programs customers earn one point for every dollar spent.
3 READ UNIT PRICING
If you’re shopping at big supermarkets or online grocery retailers the unit price and unit measurement of a grocery item must be displayed alongside the selling price.
This helps consumers compare apples with apples and work out if they are paying a good price or not.
In most cases, buying a larger quantity at an overall higher cost will make the unit price cheaper, but this sometimes isn’t the case when there is a special on the same item of a smaller size.
4 CONSIDER HOME BRANDS
This is an easy way to bring your prices down without paying for a branded product.
Coles spokeswoman Martine Alpins said there’s loads of items which have the generic Coles brand that will lead to significant savings.
“Our own brand offers great value so customers can save each week on items like eggs, pasta, milk and bread without having to compromise on taste or quality,’’ she said.
5 CATALOGUES
Mr McNamara said Woolworths puts out a catalogue every week so customers should grab a copy either dropped in their letterbox and also able to be viewed online.
This will help shoppers stock up on goods at a reduced price.
“We publish a new catalogue every Wednesday so customers can see all the latest specials and offers to help them get the most out of their grocery budget,’’ he said.