Lower your food costs by cutting out the waste

Australians spend an enormous amount of money on food - in fact, according to news.com.au, Australian grocery bills are some of the highest in the world! Numbeo adds that in Australia, food costs over 7% more than it does in the United States.

Food costs are higher in part due to us simply being used to paying more for consumer goods. In addition, people often assume that higher priced items equals higher quality, which everyone wants in food, even though high quality food is not always what you’re getting - no matter how much you pay for it.

While we can’t change the cost of food in the supermarket or groceries stores, we can be more mindful of how we use food in order to save money. For example, a lot of food simply goes to waste, but by changing this habit, it’s easier to cut down on your grocery bills. Here are a few tips on how you can lower your food costs by simply cutting out the waste:

Only buy what you need at the supermarket. Never go shopping hungry or you’ll tend to buy more than what you need. Also take a list with you and stick to it! Sometimes we simply buy what looks good, only to realise later on that it was never eaten by the time it expired.

Make use of leftover food. This is probably the single most common way that people waste money on food. You make a big dinner and put the remaining food away only to find it's still there days later - uneaten! Now you have to throw away the food, which creates a big waste and a large dent in your budget. While it may not be an easy habit to break, make a rule in your house that leftovers are eaten before they get replaced with new food in the house. Yes, it may be boring to eat the same thing for a couple of days in a row, but you’ll significantly cut down on your food expenses.

Share leftovers with friends or family (or a neighbour). If you have extra food that you’re not going to eat, invite a friend or family member over for a catch up and a 'casual' bite to eat. This is a great way to use leftovers - just throw a salad together or add some extra vegies and you've got another appertising meal - plus you’re still saving on food costs and you're not letting any food go to waste by throwing it out.

Looking for more great ideas to save money? Check out these 5 money saving tips to help get you started!