Making More of Your Food Dollar

Here are some tips which you may like to use to reduce your shopping budget.

Tips

• Eat as widely from the basic food groups as possible. These groups include: Breads/Cereals (e.g. bread, rice, pasta, cereal), Protein (e.g. meat, eggs, beans, legumes), dairy (e.g. milk, custard, yogurt, cheese), fruit/vegetables (including fresh, dried, canned and juices). Stick to the basics first e.g. bread and fruit, rather than biscuits and fruit juice.
• Plan meals for their food value and cost. Meals you have to prepare yourself are cheaper and usually better for you.
• Take-away meals and pre-packaged foods can be very expensive. Instead, you could cook a larger amount of your own food and freeze it for later enjoyment.
• Plan all of your meals a week or a fortnight in advance and write a shopping list according to what you need to cook/prepare for the week. Check what you have in the cupboard at home so that you do not double up on any foods you do not need more of just yet.
• Place a blank sheet of paper on your fridge or near your pantry to write any items you need to add to your weekly or fortnightly shopping as you run out of them.
• Specials at the end of the aisle are designed for you to add to your shopping. Beware of some of these as they are not always healthy or a part of a healthy food budget. Sometimes you may only save 1 or 2 cents, so it is worth checking the original price to make sure you are getting a good buy.
• Buying in bulk can be a good way to save money, but make sure you can store and use the goods before they go off, or share the costs and the food with a friend or family member.
• Use 'junk mail' to shop around. Make the most of specials on healthy foods when they are available.
• Some foods can be bought in cheaper packaging, e.g. buy herbs in cellophane bags rather than glass bottles.
• Store brand (e.g. Farmland, Homebrand, Bi-Lo, Black & Gold) products can save you a lot of money. Most are just as good as name brands, particularly items such as flour, eggs, sugar, oats and breadcrumbs are very similar across brands. Even products such as store brand Paracetamol costs less and has the same ingredients as well known brands.
• Compare the cost of different forms of food; fresh, canned or frozen. Fresh fruit and vegetables will cost less when they are 'in season' e.g. grapes and tomatoes grow well in the warmer months and because they are in large supply, they will be cheaper to buy.
• In supermarkets, the brightly-lit expensive items tend to be at about eye level. Look at the top or bottom of shelves to see where the bargains are.
• Powdered milk can be a good alternative to fresh or long life milk. It can be cheaper and easier to store as well as simple to cook with.
• Meat can be one of the most expensive items on the shopping list. Try to use less expensive cuts of meat. Stretch meat dishes with rice or potatoes. Use beans or legumes such as lentils or chickpeas in casseroles, patties, pasta sauce.
• You can get bargains on food if it is close to it's 'use by' date. If you do buy this food, make sure you can use it before the date expires.
• With your friends, keep your ears open for deals or specials and inform each other of anything you find.
• If you can get to a market type of food area (such as the Central Market in Adelaide) fresh fruit and vegetables are often cheaper to buy, especially towards the end of the day when they want to sell excess stock. When fruits and vegetables are in season they have the best flavour and the lowest price.
• Experiment with the day and time that you shop as some stores have specials on different days or times of the week. Often later in the day when a shop is going to close for a day or a long weekend, bakery items such as bread and rolls or other items close to use by date (such as meat) may be reduced in price.
• Make sure you check your receipt for purchases before you leave the supermarket. Sometimes items may scan incorrectly and you may be eligible for a refund of the cost of the item or at least the difference in the cost.
• Some basic rules for shopping: Don't shop when you are hungry, If possible, don't shop with children and only shop once per week.
• If you have a health care card, you may be able to shop at a local food co-op where they provide low cost groceries for people on low incomes. The Enfield Community Food Centre is a food co-op located at 30 Cromwell Road, Kilburn open 9am-3.30pm Wednesday-Friday, but you may know of a food co-op closer to where you live.
• For some ideas on cheap, tasty and nutritious recipes that won't break the budget, you may like to order a copy of the "Yes You Can Cook" Video and/or Cookbook from Lutheran Community Care. A video and cookbook package is $12 or $2 if you want the cookbook only (higher rates apply if this information needs to be posted). Contact (08) 8269 9300 or enquiries@lccare.org.au to make an order.