I get by on a small grocery bill. So small that when people ask me, they often cannot believe it! I average about AUD$200 per month on groceries.

This is well below the amount I budgeted when making my investment strategy, which was $300 per month.

I put it down to a few strategies.

Let’s call them the Shuffler’s way to save money on groceries.

Don’t buy crap you don’t need

There are items you probably throw into your trolley, week after week, month after month and never think twice about. You’ve built this habit from years or even decades of conditioning.

But remember what I said in my last post? That’s right, we want to engage our grey matter to improve our lives.

So here are just a few things you can stop buying right now.

Fabric Softener – You have just cleaned your clothes, so now you are going to douse them in a chemical solution to give them a nice smell? A coating that renders towels less useful at absorbing water, that will build up in & clog your washing machine over time and that is harmful for the environment…and you are going to pay for the privilege! Drop this like a tonne of bricks. Soft drink – You don’t need this crap in your life, you are basically paying to kill yourself slowly. Drink water instead, you’ll enjoy a longer, healthier and more prosperous life. Bottled water – The evidence is in; bottled water is not better for you than tap water . Stop being a sucker right now, be a Shuffler instead.

Don’t buy everything from the supermarket

Your local supermarket can be a great place to get the best deals around. Their size and buying power can save you money, right?

Not all the time actually.

The supermarkets will compete with each other on price, but ignore non-supermarket stores pricing. Here are a few places you can shop and what you can buy there for far cheaper than the big supermarkets.

Asian Grocery – This is where you can buy all your noodles, stir fry sauces and select vegetables, oils etc that are staples of Asian cooking. Middle Eastern/Indian/Pakistani Grocery – Walking into this place for the first time is a revelation. How much and for how long you have been ripped off on spices, nuts and dried fruits will astound you. Market- No, I don’t mean an inner city hipster market, those places are an abomination filled with inflated prices for stuff you don’t need in a crowd that have distorted the true essence of a market.

I’m talking about a real fruit market, with screaming stall owners, shoulder to shoulder aisles, and actual negotiating. Yes – a place like this really does exist in Sydney, at Flemington Paddy’s Market on Saturdays. Be brave, and get deep in there. Not everything is a good deal, but the deals are easy enough to find if you spend a little time.

Don’t buy brands

I never let the brand of a product influence my purchasing decision. There is almost no point in paying extra for a brand name for any of the following:

Flour Oats Rice Sugar Salt Canned beans, tomatoes or pretty much anything canned Frozen vegetables

I actually make a point of avoiding brands altogether. You are mostly paying for advertising, sometimes fancier packaging and an extra company’s profit margin.

Case in point, oats at a 75% saving over the brand name product.

This is not a problem for me as I do 95% of my grocery shopping at ALDI.

For non perishables, focus on unit pricing

Time to switch the brain on again.

For stuff that has a long shelf life and you use regularly or at least occasionally, you should focus on unit pricing, not the absolute price.

For instance, which of the following 2 options is cheaper?

At only $4, you may be tempted to go for the smaller more convenient option. However, if you use olive oil regularly, then the $24 olive oil is actually cheaper in the long run. It is mandatory for Australian supermarkets to display unit pricing, so you don’t even need to do any math! It’s usually in small print though, so bring your glasses. In general bulk items cost the least, but not always, so be sure to check the unit pricing.

For perishables, only buy what you need or can use before the expiry date

For perishables, you need only buy what you can use before it expires/turns bad. Alternatively, put your food in the freezer before it turns bad. There is no point in buying 3L of milk if you only use it for the occasional cup of coffee.

Don’t pay for convenience packaging

It seems like everything these days comes in tiny little individual wrapped portions to save you the overwhelming and time consuming task of pouring out just what you need and storing the rest. These tiny little packets cost you a small fortune.

Case in point:

This is the exact same product being sold at over double the price because of convenience packaging.

Note: I showed both Uncle Toby’s oats to fairly demonstrate the effect of packaging on price, I still think you are far better off with the generic branded item.

Reduce/eliminate food wastage

Do you know on average Australians waste 361kg of food each per year!

That is crazy.

Not only is it awful for the environment, it is awful for your back pocket as well.

I hate wasting food. It’s one of those habits my parents instilled in me when I was younger.

A lot of the time I choose what to cook based on what items already in my fridge will go bad the soonest. I also make some awesome vegetable fritters to use up fresh vegetables that can’t all be used in another recipe.

If you waste less food, it means you need to buy less food, therefore saving you money.

Only add the strategies that make sense for you, if you only want to buy some noodles, and the Asian supermarket is 2km away, it is probably not worth your time going there.

This might seem like a lot to think about when shopping, but spend the time now to create good consumer habits and you will reap the rewards. Start slowly and add more strategies as you go. After a while they will become second nature.

Do you have any more tips for making your grocery shopping as efficient as possible?

Do you know of a real market in your city?

Am I bat shit crazy?

Let me know in the comments below.

Shuffling my grocery habits.

Pat the Shuffler

All product pricing taken from Coles online on 22/03/2017, accessed from a Sydney metro location.

Like this: Like Loading...