Want to save $ on groceries?

Hi, I haven't read through the whole thing but in the first few pages but I have a heap of tips that I have passed on to many friends and they have worked! So here goes...

Meat eaters - find 3 other families besides your own, and ask round for a lifestyle block owner who might have a handful of calves that they are rearing for beef. For a whole beast, you will pay between $1200-$1600 (depending on weight). Divide that up into 4 (1 lot for each family), and you will have enough beef for a YEAR. I know it's a bit of an initial outlay, but we do it yearly and it saves us so much money. We mostly get mince and casserole cuts, roasts, and steaks. Basically it all works out to approx $5 PER KILO - yes even for ribeye and fillet steak! Of course you will need a big enough freezer...but if a friend has a huge freezer then perhaps you can share that?

It's easy for me to say this cause I am a lifestyle blocker and friends have the beef cattle. Another thing that is easy for me is that when we finally live on our own land again (we are building ATM), we will once again have a kick-@rse vege garden and fruit trees. We did swaps with friends, and any surplus that needed to be eaten in a hurry (ie those courgettes that grow into marrows overnight!) I sold cheap to workmates. So it's kinda a wee money maker as well. I know a lot of you aren't lifestylers, but have you considered turning a major part of your lawn into a vege garden? We are renting in town ATM and are AMAZED at how many vege gardens (ex lawns!) that we see on our nightly walks with the dog!

We also had a 'wee' bonus this week - well, for the past 2 months we have had 4 EXTRA sheep grazing at our place and the neighbours. They are feral. They have eaten our newly planted tree's tops off, and also the neighbours. So after asking EVERYONE in the neighbourhood if they belong to them or do they know where they have come from (no, and NO), we decided the only way to get rid of the blighters is to take them to the meat processors, along with our 2 that we own. $40 plus GST per sheep - chops and roasts. YUM! We get 3, the neighbour gets 3. A small payback for the trees?! We think so!

As for meal planning, I quite often pick a few meals out of the Foodtown magazine and buy specifically for them - the weeks that I have done this my grocery bill has been sooooooo much cheaper, and we have eaten like royalty! You don't have to follow these recipes exactly, the potato bake cooked in cream sounds divine, but it really IS best to substitute with low fat evap milk...!

Stockpile at the supermarket - those '3 cans for $5' deals are great, but don't go buying TWO lots! They WILL be on special again soon, I promise.

Write a grocery list and STICK TO IT. Do not go shopping without that list - and that list WILL take time to put together - but will save you $$$! And if you see something and think 'I think I need that, I am not sure' - don't buy it - buy it next week.

Do the shopping on the same day of the week, every week. And do not go back!

Draw out your BUDGETED amount for groceries in cash and leave your Eftpos card at home, or in your glovebox while in supermarket. Because you know you are limited to what you can spend, you won't go overboard. If anything is leftover, keep it in a separate kitty for bits and pieces before the next shop.

Buy a $5 supermarket voucher everytime you shop and stockpile them for the weeks you are running really tight with cash, or for Christmas (preferred).

If crockpotting, always cook double the amount needed, and freeze one meal, or use it the next night. If you cook rice, make extra and freeze it. Then you have a 'frozen meal' option if you are ever running late, can't be bothered, or are tempted to get takeaway cause it's convenient.

ONLINE SHOPPERS - I have done this and find the quality of the veges and fruit is CRAP. You are far better off to compile your list online, and PRINT IT OUT and go shopping with it! (Betcha you save at least $20 bucks off what they quote IF you stick to the list!).

Avoid the supermarket! Go to greengrocers, asian markets, butchers shops. You can buy your butter and milk and bread at those as well. That way you avoid all the temptations in the supermarket aisle - and you won't eat as much processed foods as a result - and they certainly bump up the bill!

(Sorry my post is so long).

Edited by MaebeeBaby

I have spent the last year trying to cut our grocery bill by as much as possible!! I have read the whole thread and notice that no-one seems to make their own cleaning products!!! The amount of money you can save, not to mention the huge number of chemicals you can remove from your homes is well worth the time it takes to make them (which isn't that much really!!!)
Baking soda and white vinegar will keep your house lovely and clean, or you can try this recipe for spray 'n' wipe/floor cleaner (I have found all these recipes on trademes message board)
Cleaning spray
1 ltr water, 200ml vinegar, 40ml dish detergent, 40ml eucalyptus oil (I only use 15mls as the smell is quite strong), 2 dspns washing soda crystals. Mix together, put is spray bottle and use or add 60ml to a bucket of hot water and use for floors. (if you have inside pets, leave out the eucalyptus oil as it is toxic to cats & dogs)
Or make your own laundry liquid!!
In a 3lt bottle add 2Tbsp lux flakes, 3Tbsp washing soda, add a cup or 2 of very hot water and carefully swirl to dissolve (this can of course be done in a bucket and stirred!) once the soap etc is dissovled, top bottle up with hot water, leave to cool. When cool put top on (plastic tops can split if put on while liquid is hot!!) and give bottle a couple of shakes, turning it upside down a few times.
To use, shake before use, then add one cup to a full load of washing. Best to add to a small amount of hot water in a bucket first to dissolve, then add to empty machine, start adding cold water then add clothes.
1/4 c white vinegar in the fabric softener thingy and you have perfectly clean clothes!!! Add a few drops of essential oil to the liquid as you make it for a lovely smell.
Google uses for vinegar, its amazing what a bottle of white vinegar can do!!!

we working on growing our own veges/fruit and when we get to the supermarket we kinda do an "on the spot" meal plan type thing that normally ends up being something like "steak on 2 nights, silverside one night, chicken salad one night, mutton one night a mince something one night and sausages another night" then just kinda wing it for the rest of the groceries. but i do take a quick list before we go out. just open the fridge and look at what we running out of, and look in the pantry and take a stock of whats there as well. we get our meat from a butcher aswell. 3-4 whole grocery bags full (2 re-useable bags) of meat, plus a box of hash browns (DP loves em) and some milk will cost us between $60-$70 and last us 2-3 weeks. also suggest things like the farmers markets (i know we have em in dunedin, im assuming they have them other places aswell...) coz you can get fresh stuff, might cost the same as the grocery store, but will also last a bit longer and be a little better for you....


cleaners, for the bathroom i use bleach and water. and mopping i use home breand disinfectant. have heard good things about vinegar, but i use vinegar in cooking enough that i would annoy myself using it for cleaning and running out too quick lol. but if anyone uses that napisan oxy action stuff..... use the white Frend one instead.... i reckon it does a better job than the napi-san and its half the price.