Help with groceries

[Guest ReadyPenny]

Hi all looking for hints and tips to reduce my exorbitant grocery bill!! There are two adults and one stroppy teenager and I'm spending around $300 per week. Now I am a one stop shop girl at the moment and live in Blackwood area. Any tips on where to buy fruit veg and meat cheaper and make me a more frugal shopper??

[Guest Trakki]

wow Mandy thats impressive lol, I spend that a week and there are 7 of us and I get Nappies!!!

 

Come shopping with me and I will guarentee I will reduce your bill.

 

My biggest tip which has taken alot off my bill is to write a menu for the week, shop for that and then you will only have what food you need, you will not have loads of stuff in the cupboard with nothing to make a meal. Works a treat and will save you alot.

 

Come shopping with me

[Guest ReadyPenny]

Sounds like a plan! Am up for anything as I've realized from reading previous threads that bigger families than mine are spending much less, so obviously I'm doing something very wrong!!! I want to learn to be more frugal in general !! Our winter electric bill was $1168 now granted we have no gas but even so it's a tad high!! Am not whinging by the way just looking for all your little tricks to stretch the $s that bit further!!! Lol

[Guest ReadyPenny]

Any more ideas greatly received!! My one stop shop is currently Coles!!

[ozzieclare2be]

overall i find foodland to be much cheaper than coles for stuff, also try buying stuff when its in season eg thinks like strawberries, cauliflower can really fluctuate in price, i probly spend about $100 a week on food now for just me and alex , buy budgeting more and things like bread (which only alex eats) i buy reduced and freeze as in general he only eats toasted bread. Bulk buying is also cheaper eg i got 2 bottles of cordial for $6 the other day they are normally around $4.50 each. watch out for the specials too in the junk mail

[Thorpe1]

WOW,

 

I have two very stroppy nearly 11 year olds so i feel your pain. I try to manage on about $200 a week and there are 4 of us. I totally agree with the planning idea. We buy our meat from a whole sale butcher at Mile end, or at foodland when it is on offer. I have my fruit and veg delievered as it is fresh on the day I get it and I find it lasts longer. If i am in town i go to the central market instead. I have learnt not to buy fruit and veg in the supermarket as you dont know how long it has been there and how much it has been felt/touched/squeezed.

 

I find I waste alot less than I did in the UK, if anything

 

Karen

[Guest ReadyPenny]

Thanks for the ideas guys. I like the sound of having fruit and veg delivered!! And yuk the whole felt, touched, squeezed thing has put me right off!!!!

[Toni]

We also buy bulk in meat when on sale and same with things like washing powder or detergent, coffee. We have also saved a lot on cleaning stuff for the house. We just use basic no frill stuff for cleaning around the house and have actually saved a lot on that.

[Guest moonraker1959]

Ok this might not go down too well,but have any of you considered growing your own?I used to when I lived in SA,and hardly ever had to buy anything from the supermarket.This was'nt to save money either,I did it because I wanted to.I had a couple of fruit tree's,a grapevine,passionfruit vine,numerous raised veggie beds,growing the most fantastic tomatoes,capsicums,lettuce,pea's,beans,you name it I grew it,and what I did'nt grow I used to barter with other growers in the vicinity,so we'd swap produce!Ok so you rent maybe?There are ways to get around that.Grow in pots,buy ready made raised beds,place on lawn fill with dirt/compost,and when its time to leave,up root it all and re seed with lawn seed.I now live in the UK,and yes still grow much of my own food.Its a skill everyone should learn I think!I even used to make my own dog biscuits.Why?because I could!.What sparked me off on this road was one day I was shopping in my local Foodland(years ago)and I asked myself "Why are you buying all this stuff when you could easily grow/make it yourself"I've never looked back since!I have my own chickens for eggs as well!I even make my own clothes washing gel,takes 5 minutes and is as cheap as chips.Its very liberating to do this yourself without relying on someone else to grow/make it for you.You could argue you don't have time?No excuse,the hardest bit is planting the seeds(if you could call that hard???).I had an agricultural sprinkler on a pole,so to water,I only needed to turn the tap on!I work full time and manage to do all this very easily!

[HEAPS GOOD !!!]

Could you clear any part of your garden and start to grow some your own veggies.....

 

 

HG

[Guest Guest75]

Junk mail helps to save the pennies here!

 

Often buying just what is on special that day.

 

So often Mrs Tyke comes back with 10 bottles of red sauce,loadsa bottles of drinks, big packs of meat.

 

Keeping an eye on these sites helps.

 

Browse Catalogues | Officeworks Catalogues, Myer Catalogues, BIG W Catalogues, Harris Scarfe Catalogues, The Good Guys Catalogue

 

http://www.junkmail.com.au/

 

Catalogues4u.com.au: Online Retail and Store Shopping Catalogues

 

One stop shopping ain't as effective here - that's probably adding to the bill a little.

 

Thursday is when the specials start.

 

We batch cook and freeze.

Money saving and convenient. I cooked a curry with enough to keep me in Febuary I reckon :biglaugh:

 

Some of it is just time ,planning and old fashioned "shopping savvy"

 

Growing your own is another good idea as suggested!

[Guest Jo&Phil]

The Central Market is really good value if you are able to get to the city.

 

One of the biggest differences for me here was that food shopping turned away from 'Sainsburys for everything' to going to different shops/markets for differing things... I appear to be recreating the 1960's England shopping that my Mum would have done!

[Guest Guest75]

The Central Market is really good value if you are able to get to the city.

 

One of the biggest differences for me here was that food shopping turned away from 'Sainsburys for everything' to going to different shops/markets for differing things... I appear to be recreating the 1960's England shopping that my Mum would have done!

 

Very true - I can't understand how some shops make a living - great to be retro though :cute:

[Diane]

You need to time your shopping trips as well. For instance, in the Central Market early afternoon on Ssturday, lots of stalls reduce stuff (I think it closes at 3pm), and even supermarkets tend to mark down stuff on particular days and times. I have been known to follow the lady in Coles around in the late afternoon on a day before a public holiday, picking up trays of meat reduced by 66% and then filling my freezer - they start off with 10% reduction, then 33%, then 66% I've noticed so you have to time it just right!

 

There are some things I just refuse to buy in supermarkets too - cheese for instance is sooo expensive compared to the market. Even if you live some way away, it's worth a trip there every couple of weeks to stock up - if you go on a Wednesday, not all the stalls are open but you do get a voucher from any stall you spend at for free two hours parking.

[RockDr]

Try going shopping less often. I swapped from going once a week to once a fortnight, and went from spending $140 a week to spending $150-200 dollars a fortnight for two adults. I'll then pop by the shops on the way home from work to top up on the stuff that's run out in the meantime (usually just milk and mushrooms in our household)

Buy cupboard things (pasta, juice, cans of whatever, etc etc) in bulk when they're on special.

Buy meat when it's on special, then chop it up into meal size portions before you freeze it (that way you avoid cooking more meat than you wanted to because it's defrosted now, or that's how much came in the packet).

Avoid ready made stuff. A can of tomatoes, a fried onion, glug of that leftover slightly past it red wine and a few herbs is way cheaper than the jars of pasta sauce.

Put aside the extra portions (either for lunches or for another dinner later that week) when you serve the meal up, stops certain people going back for seconds even though they've had enough to eat, just because it tastes good.

[RockDr]

There are some things I just refuse to buy in supermarkets too - cheese for instance is sooo expensive compared to the market. Even if you live some way away, it's worth a trip there every couple of weeks to stock up - if you go on a Wednesday, not all the stalls are open but you do get a voucher from any stall you spend at for free two hours parking.

 

And well to be honest, who would want to eat supermarket cheese when there's such mouthwateringly good cheese at the central market... The only cheese I buy from the supermarket is the bulk packs of grated tasty and pizza cheese that are only used for cheese sauce, pasta bake topping, and pizza (can never be bothered grating it myself).

[Guest kerfumph]

 

A Finance Manager asking for financial advice!

 

$300 a week with 1 kid and two incomes, what's the problem? Seems fine to me. Unless you want to eat cheap rubbish (and there's plenty of that around).

[Guest Nick11]

Hubbies mate at work has a great way of saving money. He has found a place that sells out of date food only.

Last week hubby said he had a massive pizza with all the toppings on..only cost him 50 cents!!!

The draw back.. was past its sell by date by 3 months!!!!

He buys massive pieces of rump steak for a dollar!!!!

Only draw back is....... he is always off sick!!!!

Now I wonder why!!!!

[Diane]

Hubbies mate at work has a great way of saving money. He has found a place that sells out of date food only.

Last week hubby said he had a massive pizza with all the toppings on..only cost him 50 cents!!!

The draw back.. was past its sell by date by 3 months!!!!

He buys massive pieces of rump steak for a dollar!!!!

Only draw back is....... he is always off sick!!!!

Now I wonder why!!!!

 

That's classic!:biglaugh:

[Guest Nomoreengland]

One suggestion- move to Queensland - they have Aldi supermarkets over the east cost and food is half the price of Adelaide.

[Guest soggy]

One suggestion- move to Queensland - they have Aldi supermarkets over the east cost and food is half the price of Adelaide.[/QUOT

 

The things up here are cheaper, maybe less transport costs ? wish it was half price, its not.

 

I used to go to Gepps Cross market every week even though it was an half hour drive and sometimes had to que for a while to get the car in ( only open Sunday mornings), if you use a lot of fruit and veg there is no where I found that was cheaper and you can get the best quality too if you know where to look.

 

Simon:)

[RockDr]

I bought a bread maker, worked out it saved about a dollar a loaf, so it's probably paid for itself by now, and I got yummy fresh bread in the process. and home-made pizza dough, which is a couple (that was a compromise, partner wanted it every day after he'd tasted it...) of cheap meals a week in itself (and pretty healthy if you hold back on the handfuls of cheese topping - a sprinkle is enough).

[Guest Aussie pat]

I tend to rotate the supermarkets/shops I use so I can stock up on any specials they have on. It's surprising how they all vary and it also makes shopping more interesting. I always use a shopping list and try to do some menu planning.

 

For anyone living near Frewville Foodland, they currently have fantastic savings on good quality meat as they are trying to compete with the new Woolies across the road. Foodland vanilla icecream is also very cheap and tastes really nice.

[Guest MrsHills]

I buy washing powder from Reject shop $7 for a HUGE tub, then I mix a box of "good" powder, which is on offer, in with it, dont know why really just think it smells better!. I buy all fruit/veg from Foodland as I hate the way Coles and Woolies spray water over theirs. (plus its mostly SA grown from Foodland). Cheapo washing up lquid from Reject/Cheap as Chips, Woolies own dishwash tablets, woolies/coles own brand staples, pasta tinned toms biscuits cereals etc. I am as tight as whatever and always search for the marked down meat and then freeze it.

[Guest scmercer]

Hi all looking for hints and tips to reduce my exorbitant grocery bill!! There are two adults and one stroppy teenager and I'm spending around $300 per week. Now I am a one stop shop girl at the moment and live in Blackwood area. Any tips on where to buy fruit veg and meat cheaper and make me a more frugal shopper??

 

Hi, I am exactly the same as you and cant spend less than $300 per week and I have tried several different places. I am shopping for a family of 4 and with 2 young children it isn't really an option to go here, there and everywhere to get everything cheaper, I just need to get most things in one place. I find the food so expensive with very little choice and poor quality. I do miss the UK supermarkets, where I spent almost half of what I do now!!