[szj]

We have just had our 4th child (3rd boy!) And Iam wondering how to save $ at the supermarket.
Ido majority of shopping at Aldi, go to the butchers and fruit market. Ihave no time at the moment to bake, usually Ido
OUr dinners Iike to eat decent meat, not too much mince.
But Iam wondering if their is other ways I can save $, any tips?
TIA

[Sassy Girl]

Are you a SAHM or have time for a vegetable garden ?

If I was still a SAHM I would be plating a vegetable garden. Unfortunately DH and I work too many hours outside the house. Though I am tempted to hire a gardener as a once off to dig me a vegetable garden when I have some spare money.

[raone]

Do you have a large freezer? My butchers diet mince is $20 for 2 kilos thats way cheaper than the supermarket. Plus i find if i do a months worth of meat there to freeze he usually gives me some free stuff. Also pay attn to the special cycles. I shop at safeway for non perishables an usually my cats food is on sale every four weeks so i buy four weeks worth. When you have extra cash buy stuff that won't get used like lollies/ biscuits would I buy large amounts of tilet rolls etc so I have it for tight months. Oh and if you have kids that waste the tp squash the rolls.

Do you have a large freezer? My butchers diet mince is $20 for 2 kilos thats way cheaper than the supermarket. Plus i find if i do a months worth of meat there to freeze he usually gives me some free stuff. Also pay attn to the special cycles. I shop at safeway for non perishables an usually my cats food is on sale every four weeks so i buy four weeks worth. When you have extra cash buy stuff that won't get used like lollies/ biscuits would I buy large amounts of tilet rolls etc so I have it for tight months. Oh and if you have kids that waste the tp squash the rolls.

[monkeys mum]

Meal plan, use less meat, I know you said you like meat but Dp loves meat and even he hasn't noticed nthat our meals get boosted with grated mushroom, carrots, zucchini, etc.

I have just gone to the butchers today where I spent $49, I got Chicken breast, T bone, Pork snags, Chicken snags, Mince x3, Beef Schnitzel. So eight meals in total. I've literally just sat and wrote out what else was in the freezer (not much lol) and what I would be making for dinners till next pay, so eight meals in total. Then I just listed what else we needed.

So I do this by headings, Fruit n Veg, Dairy, Dry Foods. I don't buy junk food or food that has been overly processed. Kids don't get chips or lollies, they snack on fruit, vegie sticks, rice crackers, or if I have time or the energy baked goodies.


I found the best saving I did was not buying processed junk, making dinners from scratch, buying fruit n veg in season, and going to the supermarket last. I go Butchers, its a direct from the farm butchers, Fruit n veg shop, then Supermarket, I find not buying fruit n veg from the supermarket saved money as the fruit n veg will easily last 10-14days, supermarket stuff i was lucky if it lasted a week.

[froggy1]

I agree with comments above:
* Grow your own vegies if possible (you can save a fortune); for example, we grew potatoes in our front yard (built a no-dig garden in an afternoon) and we dug up enough to last us two months so far and I'd estimate we have about three months worth of potatoes still to eat. Just storing them under the house.
* Eat less meat.
* Buy in bulk when things are on special.
Good luck!

[*cough*]

Use vinegar and bicarb to clean with.

Vinegar as fabric softener.

Buy in bulk.

Buy washing powder from Costco/Big W

Stock up on stuff when it's on sale

[mollybot]

Go as few times as possible - we went onto a Monthly pay cycle so I buy a months worth of dry groceries at once. Our grocery bill has noticeably gone down, just with this. Every time you have to "just pop in" for milk or other staples, you tend to blow more money than intended (I mean, maybe you don't, but most people do).

I also shop online - even though it is more expensive per individual item, I find being able to sit and plan properly, to double-check what's in the cupboard and fridge and not have to deal with impulse purchases, saves us a heap of money.

So I do a big online shop once a month, then go out once a fortnight for meat & veg (we eat a lot of frozen veg !!).

[mollybot]

Oh and PS: Not to be difficult, but veggie patches are overrated - at least here in Perth, the soil is SO awful you have to spend a bomb enriching it - even supplementing with homemade compost. They're also tricky - you have to know the planting and growth cycle of the plants you put in, as well as pests and diseases. Not to mention water restrictions.

Potatoes are easy, but so cheap to buy its hardly worth it ! If you like cooking with herbs its worth bunging in punnets of things like basil, rosemary, marjoram and sage. Coriander grows easily from seed too - but on the whole, unless you know what you're doing, its no way to feed a large family ! Its a nice hobby, but that's it .....

(Can you tell I've been trying for over a decade ?! Brown fingers ! *sob*)

[jessie123]

Try and buy meat on special

I have a place near me that always has chicken breast for $8 a kilo.

Now and then they have lamb loin chops for $12 which is a bargain.

Same with steak, fish etc stockup and freeze when its on sale.

The other option is to eat cheaper meals.

Any other grocery items learn what the sales price is of things you like to buy and buy several when its on special. After a while you will never need to pay full price.

I know I can only get shopping to a certain level as don't eat lots of carbs and do baking etc.

[ubermum]

Have a big freezer. We are just upgrading to a 500L one.

Don't shop at the supermarket. They are all too expensive. I go in maybe once or twice a year for the few items I can't get anywhere else.

Buy your meat in bulk (like a whole lamb, half a cow type bulk) and eat less of it. You can go in halves with friends. We have 2-3 meat free meals per week.

I shop at Aldi, Costco, the local fruit and veg shop which is cheap and awesome and at the meatworks attached to an abbatoir near me.

I shop at Costco about once every six weeks, Aldi fortnightly, fruit and veg a few times a week and meat a couple of times per year. The less you go to shops the less you spend.

Buy what is in season. No just fruit and veg, but fish and to a lesser degree meat is seasonal.