Tips to save money at the grocery checkout

We’ve all experienced a big increase in our grocery bills, everything seems to be increasing. We have seen some items literally double in price and it can be easy to spend $100 on just two bags of groceries. And it hurts the wallet. So it makes sense to shop smarter so consider ways you can save at the checkout. We have put together a few ideas here

• Plan meals in advance – this means you only buy what you need and have less wastage (especially with perishables).
• Buy in bulk – this works out cheaper per serve than buying a small amount.
• Check the unit cost – For example: it might seem cheaper to buy a 5m roll of foil but the unit cost on a 30m roll is much cheaper.
• Stock up in sales – if an item you use is on sale, buy multiples as this means you save now and in the future.
• Shop around – often stores like Aldi are cheaper for the same or similar items as Woollies and Coles.
• Shop at night – you can pick up cheaper bread and perishables close to the store close time as it is discounted to clear it out.
• Buy at your local fruit & veg outlet or butcher – They can be cheaper and have better quality food.
• Bake it yourself – prepacked cakes, biscuits, and baked goods are more expensive as you are paying for convenience. Baking it yourself is much cheaper.
• Use fillers to bulk meals – legumes, pasta, rice, and vegetables to bulk out meals without losing the taste or nutritional value.
• Join forces – if there is only 1 or 2 of you in the house, consider joining forces with a neighbour or other people to buy in bulk to benefit from the price saving then share the products. 
• Use your freezer – don’t throw away leftovers when you can freeze them. Also break up bulk items like chicken breasts, cheese, or steak and freeze into small portions for later.
• Have cheap & easy meals on hand – a frozen lasagne or pizza can come in handy on those nights when you are in a hurry but don’t want to buy expensive takeaway.
• Cook in bulk – make up a bunch of meals that you can freeze so you have healthy alternatives on hand when you don’t have time to cook from scratch.
• Use a slow cooker for cheaper meat cuts – lower quality meat can be tougher to eat so using a slow cooker can create tasty and healthy meals for a lot less.
• Google recipes – there are loads of websites to give you meal inspiration such as taste.com, Good Food, and Delicious.
• Grab your Grocery magazines – Coles and Woolworths publish a magazine that is filled with yummy meal ideas and often cheaper ways to feed the family.

Try some of these hacks and let us know how much you saved. Even saving $10 or $20 on a grocery shop means more money in your pocket and will add up.