Three ways to cut down your grocery spend

Grocery spending is one area where most of us tend to overspend. Follow our three easy tips to help you save more next time you buy your groceries.

1. Brand names aren’t always better. Just because you’ve always bought the same brand of pasta sauce doesn’t mean that a cheaper brand, or store brand are any lower quality. Multiple studies have been conducted where people are put to blind taste tests with big brands against store brands, and many people could not tell the difference. Another study showed that when it comes to pantry staples like flour and bicarb soda, professional chefs will often opt for “no name” or store brand items – and they’re the food experts! If you step out of your comfort zone and try something new that’s a bit cheaper, you may like it better and save a bit of money in the long run.

2. Don’t be loyal to one grocery shop. Sure, we might all have our preference between Woolies and Coles, but if you always stick to the same shop, you might not know how much money you could be saving elsewhere on the same items you want to buy. Aldi often has the same items for far less money than Woolies and Coles because they don’t have the big brand names you’re used to, but the quality is still the same. Try a variety of grocery shops in your area and compare your grocery bills, you might be surprised at how much a different store could save you!

3. Stick to the list. We all love to make lists before grocery shopping, but for many of us, the list goes out the window once we see tempting items we want to eat. This is where the majority of overspending comes from, and the best way to combat it is to only buy things that are on the list – no exceptions. The key here is making the right list: at home, plan out each breakfast, lunch and dinner your family will need for the week, plus some snacks. Plan out each ingredient needed for those meals and snacks and add them to the list. Letting your kids help plan out the meals and make the list is also a great way to help them start thinking about planning ahead.

Bonus tip: The last great tip we have to share can be a difficult one for a lot of people, but it can really help cut down on overspending. Shop with cash only. If you go to the shops with only the cash in your pocket, you can’t overspend. It’s that simple. We often get so reliant on credit cards that we don’t think about the cost of things as much as we should. Using cash eliminates this temptation and makes you pay attention to the price of everything going into your trolley.