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5 Sneaky Costs that Boost Your Grocery Bill - July 2018
As Cheapskaters, we all know that keeping the grocery bill under control goes a long way towards keeping our overall budgets under control.
You can shop with your list and meal plan, and look for the specials. But you could still be paying more than you need to by paying extra on those sneaky costs that boost grocery bills.
Here are the top five hidden costs, and ways I've eliminated them from my grocery shopping and my grocery budget.
1. Individual Servings
When our boys were toddlers, Arnott's brought out Tiny Teddies, those cute little, tiny biscuits. The boys loved them as a treat. After a few months, they were released in very convenient, single serve size packages. But those single serve packets cost a lot more than the box. It didn’t take me long to workout it would be much cheaper to buy the box and use two of the many plastic containers in the cupboard and portion them out.
The same principle applies to so many things. Single serves of yoghurt (buy or MOO and decant into single serves as needed). Sultanas (again, portion the larger package into single serve containers). Fruit juice - yes, juice boxes are handy, but they are four times the price per litre of larger bottles. Instead of buying juice boxes, buy bottled juice and decant into drink bottles or keep cups.
2. Prepared Foods
Back when Disaster Struck, I learned to cook, properly, from scratch. It was the only way we could eat on the $200 a month we had.
Over the years we have saved tens of thousands of dollars simply by cooking what we eat at from scratch. I make our own jams, sauces, pickles, chutneys, cordials, bread, muffins, scones, tortillas, pizzas, pies, pasties, sausage rolls, pasta, cakes and soups. Funny thing is, it doesn't take long to make any of these things, from scratch, but it does mean we're not spending a lot of money unnecessarily.
That collection of recipe books I have is used regularly. When I find a something we may like, I look through those books to find a recipe, preferably one that used the ingredients I have in the pantry.
The benefit hasn't just been to our bank account. We eat better than we would be able to if we didn't cook from scratch, we eat healthier foods and we all spend time together in the kitchen, sharing the cooking (and cleaning up!)/
3. Convenience
Convenience costs. Yes, it is convenient, but at a very high price. For example, grated cheese. Instead of buying a bag of grated cheese, buy block cheese and grate it yourself. You will be amazed at how much more you are able to get from an 1kg block of cheese compared to 1kg of bagged, grated cheese! And a little tip: to stop the grated cheese clumping together, toss 1 teaspoon of cornflour into the bag, shake it up well, and the cheese shards will stay separate.
Before you put anything into your trolley, think about the cost of convenience, then look for alternative and keep the cost of that convenience in your purse.
4. Fruit and Vegetables
Frozen fruit and vegetables are a great alternative to fresh produce, especially out of season. Take advantage of sale prices (often half price) and use the opportunity to stock the freezer for enough to last until the next sale. Frozen fruits and vegetables are often more nutritious than fresh, obviously last longer and let you eat out of season produce without paying a premium price.
When you do purchase fresh fruit and veg, make sure you aren’t paying extra for already cut up and prepared food. Those bags of lettuce or spinach may be convenient, but they can be up to 8 times the price of buying the unbagged produce.
5. Wasting Food
Are you using up all of the food that you bring home? Many times people throw out produce that goes bad, leftovers they don’t eat, or expired food that is buried deep in the pantry. Australians waste around 4 million tonnes of food each year simply by letting food they've bought go bad in the fridge or pantry.
It is estimated that one in five bags of groceries ends up in landfill, a cost of $3,800 per household, per year! (Source: Food Waste Facts)
Here are some ways to stop wasting food (and money).
You can shop with your list and meal plan, and look for the specials. But you could still be paying more than you need to by paying extra on those sneaky costs that boost grocery bills.
Here are the top five hidden costs, and ways I've eliminated them from my grocery shopping and my grocery budget.
1. Individual Servings
When our boys were toddlers, Arnott's brought out Tiny Teddies, those cute little, tiny biscuits. The boys loved them as a treat. After a few months, they were released in very convenient, single serve size packages. But those single serve packets cost a lot more than the box. It didn’t take me long to workout it would be much cheaper to buy the box and use two of the many plastic containers in the cupboard and portion them out.
The same principle applies to so many things. Single serves of yoghurt (buy or MOO and decant into single serves as needed). Sultanas (again, portion the larger package into single serve containers). Fruit juice - yes, juice boxes are handy, but they are four times the price per litre of larger bottles. Instead of buying juice boxes, buy bottled juice and decant into drink bottles or keep cups.
2. Prepared Foods
Back when Disaster Struck, I learned to cook, properly, from scratch. It was the only way we could eat on the $200 a month we had.
Over the years we have saved tens of thousands of dollars simply by cooking what we eat at from scratch. I make our own jams, sauces, pickles, chutneys, cordials, bread, muffins, scones, tortillas, pizzas, pies, pasties, sausage rolls, pasta, cakes and soups. Funny thing is, it doesn't take long to make any of these things, from scratch, but it does mean we're not spending a lot of money unnecessarily.
That collection of recipe books I have is used regularly. When I find a something we may like, I look through those books to find a recipe, preferably one that used the ingredients I have in the pantry.
The benefit hasn't just been to our bank account. We eat better than we would be able to if we didn't cook from scratch, we eat healthier foods and we all spend time together in the kitchen, sharing the cooking (and cleaning up!)/
3. Convenience
Convenience costs. Yes, it is convenient, but at a very high price. For example, grated cheese. Instead of buying a bag of grated cheese, buy block cheese and grate it yourself. You will be amazed at how much more you are able to get from an 1kg block of cheese compared to 1kg of bagged, grated cheese! And a little tip: to stop the grated cheese clumping together, toss 1 teaspoon of cornflour into the bag, shake it up well, and the cheese shards will stay separate.
Before you put anything into your trolley, think about the cost of convenience, then look for alternative and keep the cost of that convenience in your purse.
4. Fruit and Vegetables
Frozen fruit and vegetables are a great alternative to fresh produce, especially out of season. Take advantage of sale prices (often half price) and use the opportunity to stock the freezer for enough to last until the next sale. Frozen fruits and vegetables are often more nutritious than fresh, obviously last longer and let you eat out of season produce without paying a premium price.
When you do purchase fresh fruit and veg, make sure you aren’t paying extra for already cut up and prepared food. Those bags of lettuce or spinach may be convenient, but they can be up to 8 times the price of buying the unbagged produce.
5. Wasting Food
Are you using up all of the food that you bring home? Many times people throw out produce that goes bad, leftovers they don’t eat, or expired food that is buried deep in the pantry. Australians waste around 4 million tonnes of food each year simply by letting food they've bought go bad in the fridge or pantry.
It is estimated that one in five bags of groceries ends up in landfill, a cost of $3,800 per household, per year! (Source: Food Waste Facts)
Here are some ways to stop wasting food (and money).
- Plan for all of your meals including sides and snacks before you go shopping. Make a list of only the items you need for the week and stick to the list.
- If your family doesn’t like leftovers, freeze the leftovers and have them a few weeks later. Heating up leftovers on the stove or in the oven helps make the leftovers taste much better than reheating in the microwave.
- Produce that is about to go bad can be frozen and used later in casseroles, pasta salads, smoothies, or muffins.
- Plan to eat from the freezer and pantry one week each month before getting more groceries. That way you are eating the food that you already have and are not buying excess.
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