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A thrifty Australian mum has shared her top tips for saving money on your grocery shops and the eight items you should buy in bulk if they’re on special.
Alison Said told 7Life she used to spend more than $250 on groceries and $150 on take away a week but has cut down her food bill saving her a huge $15,000 a year.
The Melbourne money-saver said she made ‘a few simple swaps’ and got more organised with meal prepping to get her weekly grocery bill down to $100, just over $14 a day, for her family-of-four.
Thrifty Melbourne mum Alison Said shared how she got her food bill down from $400 a week to just $100 for her family of four
Alison said a big way to save money on grocery expenses is to stop wasting food by labelling items and meals with their expiry date so they don’t spoil before you notice.
‘Grab a little piece of sticky tape and put it on the item, grab a marker and write the date so you can see it clearly,’ she said.
‘With something like a bolognese sauce, you can make spaghetti, lasagna or pasta bake – you can repurpose it for so many things so keeping it labelled means you can see everything you have, and it helps you rotate your meals.’
Alison said buying in-season fresh produce from a local greengrocer will save money and to buy long-life items you regularly use in bulk when they’re on special
She said being organised is the ‘key’ to meal prep and saving time and money on groceries as is ‘having a good set of containers with matching lids’.
For meal prepping, Alison suggested buying foods that are quick and easy to cook and peeling and chopping vegetables ahead of time.
She said staying organised and freezing meals ahead of time will mean you’re less tempted to cave and order take away during the week.
‘We might have a roast chook and use the leftovers for soups, a chicken pie or wraps for lunches. Always use your leftovers,’ she said.
Alison recommended buying long-life products that you regularly use like tinned tomatoes, pasta, and rice in bulk when it’s on sale to stock up.
She also stockpiles discounted coffee pods, tea bags, toilet paper, puff pastry and cheese.
Alison keeps up to date with specials and sales by scouring the supermarkets’ catalogues with her husband and plans her meals around promoted recipes and what she feels like eating that week.
The money-saving mum suggested making a large batch of Bolognese to use through the week in spaghetti, lasagna or pasta bake and to keep meals labelled with their expiry date
She then organises her shopping list into what items to get at which store depending on the current specials.
The busy mum said she doesn’t have time to go to every supermarket each week as she also has a full time job and runs a business but will often do numerous small shopping trips to get the items on sale when she can.
Another tip is to go to your local greengrocer for fresh produce and shop for seasonal fruits and vegetables that are in abundance and a lot cheaper.