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Switch & Save Two MOnths Grocery Budget!
For over 30 years I've been buying our groceries on a tight, sometimes very tight, sometimes almost nothing, budget, and managing to feed my family and keep us and our home clean.
In that time our grocery budget has pretty much stayed almost the same, having increased by $130 a month, and yet grocery prices have increased significantly.
Sticking to your grocery budget, whether it's a low budget or a comfortable budget, and saving money on your weekly shopping is possible, especially if you're prepared to switch to save!
In that time our grocery budget has pretty much stayed almost the same, having increased by $130 a month, and yet grocery prices have increased significantly.
Sticking to your grocery budget, whether it's a low budget or a comfortable budget, and saving money on your weekly shopping is possible, especially if you're prepared to switch to save!
The real saving on grocery items starts with you, not the price.
You decide how much you are going to spend at the supermarket or on groceries each week; you don't have to fall for the advertising tricks that encourage you to spend more.
Before you even begin shopping make up a menu plan. Do a quick fridge, freezer and pantry check and plan what you are going to eat for the week around the ingredients you already have on hand. Then make a shopping list, adding the missing ingredients and any other things you need to buy (the perishables like milk, fruit and veg, eggs and so on).
As you plan your menu you will save even more if you try to substitute inexpensive ingredients for the more expensive ingredients in the recipes. For example if you are making salmon rissoles, using pink salmon rather than red will save you at least 37% and it won't affect the end result at all. The flavour and texture will be the same. And you'll have a couple of dollars still in your grocery budget. Or be even more budget friendly and switch to tuna, you'll save at least two thirds the cost!
Most supermarkets offer a range of house or generic branded products. I love generic brands and will almost always pick up the generic over the brand name product. Try the generic options for your groceries. If you don't like them you can always go back to buying your brand names. If you don't try them you won't know if you like them and you won't know how much money you can save.
Shopping around for your groceries can also save you big bucks. You wouldn't hesitate to shop around for a new car or a new fridge or bed to be sure you get the best possible price so don't hesitate to shop around for your groceries either.
Most Australians have at least two major supermarkets within easy reach, often in the same shopping centre, with an Aldi close by. It doesn't take any longer to check the prices at both of them to get the best deals on your groceries than it does to simply wander around one, paying the price that supermarket stipulates is what you should be paying. You can do this online, for Coles and Woolworths and now that Aldi have rereleased their price app you can easily compare between the three and plan your shopping accordingly.
Some good examples of how you can save by simply switch brands are outlined below, comparing Coles and Aldi prices:
Before you even begin shopping make up a menu plan. Do a quick fridge, freezer and pantry check and plan what you are going to eat for the week around the ingredients you already have on hand. Then make a shopping list, adding the missing ingredients and any other things you need to buy (the perishables like milk, fruit and veg, eggs and so on).
As you plan your menu you will save even more if you try to substitute inexpensive ingredients for the more expensive ingredients in the recipes. For example if you are making salmon rissoles, using pink salmon rather than red will save you at least 37% and it won't affect the end result at all. The flavour and texture will be the same. And you'll have a couple of dollars still in your grocery budget. Or be even more budget friendly and switch to tuna, you'll save at least two thirds the cost!
Most supermarkets offer a range of house or generic branded products. I love generic brands and will almost always pick up the generic over the brand name product. Try the generic options for your groceries. If you don't like them you can always go back to buying your brand names. If you don't try them you won't know if you like them and you won't know how much money you can save.
Shopping around for your groceries can also save you big bucks. You wouldn't hesitate to shop around for a new car or a new fridge or bed to be sure you get the best possible price so don't hesitate to shop around for your groceries either.
Most Australians have at least two major supermarkets within easy reach, often in the same shopping centre, with an Aldi close by. It doesn't take any longer to check the prices at both of them to get the best deals on your groceries than it does to simply wander around one, paying the price that supermarket stipulates is what you should be paying. You can do this online, for Coles and Woolworths and now that Aldi have rereleased their price app you can easily compare between the three and plan your shopping accordingly.
Some good examples of how you can save by simply switch brands are outlined below, comparing Coles and Aldi prices:
Jelly
Every child's favourite dessert and very versatile and cheap.
(Aldi) Brookdale jelly is $1.19/pkt
(Coles) Aeroplane jelly is $1.50 pkt - 31 cents more for the same product!
A saving of $0.31 per packet doesn't sound much, but it adds up - if you use 2 packets a week you'll save $32.24 a year!
Breakfast Cereal
Weet-bix is an Australian breakfast staple. Here I've compared three versions of the same product.
1.2kg packet of Sanitarium Weetbix $6.00 ($5.00/kg)
Coles Smart Buy wheat biscuits 1.12kg $5.00 ($4.50/kg)
Hillcrest (Aldi) 1.12kg wheat biscuits $4.59 ($4.10/kg)
A saving of $1.00 - $1.41 per box.
If you use one box a week you'll save between $52.00 - $70.05 a year.
Frozen Vegetables:
(Coles) McCain Peas (frozen) 1kg @ $6.60
(Aldi) Market Fare frozen peas 1kg @ $2.49
A saving of $4.11 per packet
If you use one packet a week you'll save $213.72 per year
(Coles) McCain corn kernels – frozen 1kg $8.00
(Aldi) corn kernels - 1kg $4.19
A saving of $3.81 per packet
If you use one packet a week you'll save $198.12 per year
Baked Beans
A favourite breakfast, snack or quick lunch the humble baked bean can cost you more than you think. Baked beans are one food that most people are particular about. We like the Heinz product but we also like the Aldi baked beans and the saving is worth the change in label and note shrinkflation has hit the Heinz branded baked beans - down from 415g cans to 300g can.
(Coles) Heinz baked beans 300g can $2.90 ($9.70/kg)
(Aldi) Corelle baked beans 420g can $1.09 ($2.60/kg)
If you use the equivalent of one 420g tin a week, you'll be using 1-1/3 tins of Heinz baked beans for a cost of $4.07 compared to $1.09 and the overall saving will be $154.96 per year.
How much more can you keep in the grocery budget by switching brands?
Just by switching to the cheaper brands on these few things the savings add up to $669.09 over the year! That's two months grocery budget saved by switching just a couple of basic pantry items.
If I see something I fancy and am sure I will use it, and it's cheap enough, then I will buy it. And whem our favourite brands are on half-price sale, I stock up (there's only two, tea and coffee). We don't live the Cheapskates way to be miserable, we live this way so we have cash to enjoy the things we like.
I am often told that someone doesn't have time to plan and shop like I do, or that they have young children and can't or they can't get the prices I get or they don't have the stores or markets or outlets that I have, or their family won't eat whatever brand, but the excuse that really makes me laugh is so telling: “I couldn't be bothered with all that comparing and running around.”
And when I hear that, my response is always “a little extra effort once will pay off in huge savings all the time. The choice is yours."
***prices are correct at time of writing, 28/7/2025
Every child's favourite dessert and very versatile and cheap.
(Aldi) Brookdale jelly is $1.19/pkt
(Coles) Aeroplane jelly is $1.50 pkt - 31 cents more for the same product!
A saving of $0.31 per packet doesn't sound much, but it adds up - if you use 2 packets a week you'll save $32.24 a year!
Breakfast Cereal
Weet-bix is an Australian breakfast staple. Here I've compared three versions of the same product.
1.2kg packet of Sanitarium Weetbix $6.00 ($5.00/kg)
Coles Smart Buy wheat biscuits 1.12kg $5.00 ($4.50/kg)
Hillcrest (Aldi) 1.12kg wheat biscuits $4.59 ($4.10/kg)
A saving of $1.00 - $1.41 per box.
If you use one box a week you'll save between $52.00 - $70.05 a year.
Frozen Vegetables:
(Coles) McCain Peas (frozen) 1kg @ $6.60
(Aldi) Market Fare frozen peas 1kg @ $2.49
A saving of $4.11 per packet
If you use one packet a week you'll save $213.72 per year
(Coles) McCain corn kernels – frozen 1kg $8.00
(Aldi) corn kernels - 1kg $4.19
A saving of $3.81 per packet
If you use one packet a week you'll save $198.12 per year
Baked Beans
A favourite breakfast, snack or quick lunch the humble baked bean can cost you more than you think. Baked beans are one food that most people are particular about. We like the Heinz product but we also like the Aldi baked beans and the saving is worth the change in label and note shrinkflation has hit the Heinz branded baked beans - down from 415g cans to 300g can.
(Coles) Heinz baked beans 300g can $2.90 ($9.70/kg)
(Aldi) Corelle baked beans 420g can $1.09 ($2.60/kg)
If you use the equivalent of one 420g tin a week, you'll be using 1-1/3 tins of Heinz baked beans for a cost of $4.07 compared to $1.09 and the overall saving will be $154.96 per year.
How much more can you keep in the grocery budget by switching brands?
Just by switching to the cheaper brands on these few things the savings add up to $669.09 over the year! That's two months grocery budget saved by switching just a couple of basic pantry items.
If I see something I fancy and am sure I will use it, and it's cheap enough, then I will buy it. And whem our favourite brands are on half-price sale, I stock up (there's only two, tea and coffee). We don't live the Cheapskates way to be miserable, we live this way so we have cash to enjoy the things we like.
I am often told that someone doesn't have time to plan and shop like I do, or that they have young children and can't or they can't get the prices I get or they don't have the stores or markets or outlets that I have, or their family won't eat whatever brand, but the excuse that really makes me laugh is so telling: “I couldn't be bothered with all that comparing and running around.”
And when I hear that, my response is always “a little extra effort once will pay off in huge savings all the time. The choice is yours."
***prices are correct at time of writing, 28/7/2025
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