Who loves grocery shopping?!! I do! I’m a foodie, I love cooking, eating and buying food.

The best bit is the challenge I set myself each shop. I have a budget of $300 for the fortnights groceries. That needs to feed a family of 4. Two adults and two children, ages 4 and 7.

Let me give you my 10 tips that will save you money and make you healthier!

1.     WRITE A LIST

This is key, as you won’t be wondering up and down each aisle, trying to remember if you are out of a particular item or not, and therefore won’t buy un necessary items.

2.     MEAL PLAN

This can be a fun activity to do with the kids. Ask them if they would like to choose a meal they would like to have for dinner this fortnight. It will encourage healthy eating, you can start conversations or a game about what ingredients go into that meal. E.g if your children request lasagna, ask them to list an ingredient each that they think belongs in lasagna, once they have the answer right ask them to check if that ingredient is in the pantry/fridge, if it isn’t write it on the list. This will give you ideas as to what to cook, and the kids have a meal that they are excited about having as they chose it!

Planning out meals for the fortnight (or week if you are a weekly shopper) will help prevent wastage of food, as the items bought all have a purpose and prevent takeaway being bought because no one knows what to cook.

    

3.     BE SMART WITH EXPENSIVE INGREDIENTS

What do you mean? You ask! Well because I have a fairly tight grocery budget I cant fit lots of expensive items into each shop, but I also don’t want that pricey item being thrown out because I only needed half of it for one dish. An item that I love to buy, but it is a little expensive is a block of Italian parmesan cheese Perfect italiano is the brand I have in my fridge at the moment! I love it, so I make sure that I have about three meals that will need parmesan cheese, that way I’m getting good use out of that item and I don’t feel like I have wasted $5.60 on a rather small block of cheese!!

4.     GENERIC BRANDS

Generic brands, or the no name label, as its often called, can be your friend!! Now I am an advocate for healthy non GM foods, I do like organic products and if I could would love to buy lots of chemical free foods. But for now I just read my labels very carefully! I make sure if I am buying a packaged item it doesn’t have MSG in it and doesn’t have and of those nasty “200” preservatives.  So before you go to pick up your favourite brand, because the no name one must be inferior, look at the label!!! Remember the first ingredient you read is also the largest quantity in that product. SO if sugar is the first thing your eyes see, than sugar is the largest ingredient in that product. Go down the list and if the lists are identical put down that branded item that is costing you more! Or if you see such similarities and you are comfortable with the change you can make then give that cheaper item ago! A little while ago I decide to see if anyone would notice if I filled our empty ( I cleaned the bottle ) master foods tomato sauce bottle with no name sauce. This experiment may have been a little mean as I don’t like tomato sauce, so wasn’t at all affected by this! Hehe!! The results were, my children had no idea, no comment was made, my husband noticed the sauce was different, but didn’t mind the change. It wasn’t until my brother in law came to stay and we had a BBQ, and he commented that sauce didn’t seem as red as normal! I kept my mouth shut!!

5.     SHOPPING WITH KIDS

Shopping with kids can be a lot of peoples worst night mare!! I personally prefer to go shopping without my children, I get to have some peace/timeout, but lets face it time is a commodity when you are a busy parent, and trying to fit everything into a short amount of time will often mean taking a child or more with you while you get those much needed groceries!

So here is how you can make it work for you! I have the option of choosing a store that has free fruit for kids! I love it, my youngest who is usually with me chooses a piece of fruit to munch on, sometimes he goes back for seconds! This lovely healthy activity keeps him occupied for a little while! Now if you don’t have the option of giving your child a piece of free fruit which I didn’t always have! Well I would let my child/children choose a piece of fruit that they had to hold onto, and be very gentle with until we reached the check out and then they would be rewarded for being so gentle and were allowed to devour that delicious piece of fruit! This little activity kept them from asking for other treats and throwing a tantrum while we went about our shop. Ok so back to the child that has already eaten their free piece of fruit and growing rather bored! Its time to get them involved with the shopping. Ask them what numbers they can see on the signs, talk about the colours and shapes of the items you are putting into the trolley, avoid problem aisles that you know will cause issues, such as the confectionery aisles, you will also save money on unnecessary items as well! Encourage lots of conversation with your child, this helps pass the time more quickly for them. Reward their beautiful behavior once you have gotten back to the car, with kisses and  a “what yummy lunch should we make together with some of these delicious foods we just bought!” Now grocery shopping has become bonding time with you little ones!!

6.     MEAT! SO MUCH MEAT!!!!!

I have discovered that most people eat meat as part of at least one meal each day. I do know some people that eat meat at all three meals most days of the week. WOW! That is a very expensive eating habit! Let me just say I love eating red meat, and white meats, and seafood! Its all delicious! But not only do I find it way too expensive to be consuming meat for multiple meals each day I don’t find It necessary or have any desire to eat that much of it.  Lucky me, as I am able to save a lot of money and fill up my body with more vegetables and legumes, keeping me healthy and feeling, well a little younger! An easy way to save a crazy amount of money each shop is to substitute 2 meals each week for a vegetarian meal. There are plenty of delicious vegetarian options that are healthy and cheap! In the winter month’s pumpkins are so cheap, so I make pumpkin soup once almost every week! Its loaded with all sorts of vegetables, super tasty and so good for our bodies! Or how about vegetarian curries, I use a mix of cheap seasonal vegetables and frozen (Australian) vegetables. Add some lentils and brown rice and there is an energy boosting meal for the whole family! Don’t be afraid to experiment, find some vegetarian recipes and have some fun with vegetables! You will save heaps! But if eating vego meals just doesn’t appeal to you then try having smaller portions of meat, you don’t need to have a whole chicken breast to yourself just have half, and have some extra vegies!

7.     TIME FRAME

Give yourself a short time frame, perhaps it’s just before school pick up, or before an appointment you need to get to. This will stop you from lingering in aisles and aimlessly placing items into the trolley, as you won’t have time to look at products that aren’t on your list, and you just don’t need! Whip around those aisles, and cut out aisles that don’t have products that are on your list. It keeps your heart rate up, so you can even count it as some exercise for the day!! BONUS!

8.     CUT THE PROCESSED FOODS

Packaged processed foods are expensive and unhealthy! Not to mention all that packaging isn’t doing our environment any favours either! Its time to re think the way we cook and what we put into our children’s lunch boxes! I DO NOT buy sweet packets of biscuits. They aren’t cheap, and are loaded with sugar and lots of nasties. I make my own! So crazy cheap, and produce a big yield. They are a yummy afternoon tea treat, great to put into the lunch box and they freeze well, so make a double batch so you have some on hand for later! Buying individual yoghurts cost a lot! Buy natural yoghurt, put scoops into a reusable yoghurt bag or tub, place frozen berries on top and send it in a cooler bag! Healthy and cheaper! CUT OUT SOFT DRINK!!! There is simply nothing good about fizzy drink! Costly for your wallet and for your health. Keep it out of your trolley! Try water with fresh lemon or lime slices, find a friend with a lemon tree, squeeze those lemons and turn them into lemon ice cubes so refreshing in a glass of water! See if you can find an alternative to every processed item you buy!

9.     DON’T SHOP HUNGRY

Ok so this is something we should all know by now. Walking through a grocery store with an empty belly isn’t a great idea! Somehow items you never normally pay attention to look so attractive! That one loaf of bread that is on the list turns into one loaf plus a packet of bread rolls and a loaf of fruit toast! Mmm…..if I just buy that bag of lollies it will give me an energy boost on my home and help me get through the ordeal of unpacking all the groceries! Oh dear the grocery bill is adding up!! Fuel up before you go, eat a banana, take a bottle of water with you, keep a snack in the car for when you have finished. Put some practices in place to stop yourself from shopping on on empty stomach and in return spending more than you needed too!

10.  SHOP ON THE “RIGHT” DAY

Most grocery stores will mark down some products, such as breads, fruit and vegetables, and meats. Take note of the day/days that this takes place and shop on those days. Bread is marked down in the afternoons, so shop in the late afternoon, buy that extra loaf while its marked down and put it in the freezer. Meats can be scarier to buy marked down so always check it is still in date, it can be frozen, and make sure if its chicken it doesn’t have a green tinge or if its red meat it hasn’t turned a greyish colour. As for fruits and vegetables make sure it is still fresh and not shriveled, adjust your menu slightly and substitute that marked down vegetable for another you were going to buy, then make sure you use it straight away, so it doesn’t go to waste. It’s amazing how many savings you can make by buying marked down products!!!

Happy Grocery Shopping & please leave a comment if this blog has helped!