Shoppers are getting desperate to save money as the price for fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and essentials skyrocket.
Some customers are reportedly resorting to sneaky measures to cut down the cost of their weekly grocery bill.
Melbourne women Jenn Shaw filmed inside a Coles, showing an array of broccoli stalks that had been snapped off and left at the display.
She wrote in text on her video, “$11.90/kg broccoli in Melbourne. Shoppers are leaving stalks on shelves,” which she uploaded to TikTok on Monday.
The Reserve Bank of Australia last week increased interest rates by 0.50 base points.
And it is believed that interest rates will increase six more times before the end of the year.
But don’t resort to cutting off the stems of your broccoli. Nick Drewe, the founder of discount deals platform WeThrift shares his tips on how to save money on your next grocery bill.
Choose supermarket brands over more expensive brands
“Many of us will stick to the brands we know and love including supermarkets such as Aldi, Metcash and Woolworths. These stores are constantly producing brand-inspired products which look and taste pretty much the same as the real thing, but at a fraction of the cost,” said Mr Drewe.
“If you are set in your ways and have your favourite brands such as Vegemite or Anzac biscuits it’s worth considering that cheaper brands are actually healthier for you and often contain less fat, sugar, salt and calories than more expensive options.”
For example, Coles Soft White Sandwich Bread 700g is only $1.90 whereas Tip Top The One White Sandwich Bread 700g is $3.70. You save $1.80 per loaf.
Consider the time you go to the supermarket
“Try to time your supermarket trips for when your local stores are likely to have just added yellow ‘reduced’ stickers to stock that needs to be sold that day.”
He says that taking advantage of heavy discounts will help you fill your freezer and give you cheaper food options for weeks to come.
Mr Drewe advises that supermarket workers generally start discounting products that are close to their sell-by date in the afternoon or early evening, so if you’re looking for a bargain, the afternoon or early evening is the best time to get a bargain.
He recommends: “Just make sure to check you are happy with the item and that the goods aren’t compromised before heading to the checkout.”
Take advantage of loyalty schemes
Loyalty schemes such as Flybuys and Everyday Rewards give customers the chance to build their points over time, with them benefiting from discount vouchers and other rewards that can contribute to future shops.
With Flybuys you can earn one point for every dollar spent at Bunnings, Coles, Kmart, Liquorland, Officeworks and Target. When you have enough points you can either redeem them for discounts at Coles, on Virgin flights with Velocity Frequent Flyer or shop the Flybuys Rewards Store.
You can earn a minimum of one point in the Woolworths Everyday Rewards scheme for every dollar spent at several stores including Woolworths, Ampol and Caltex Woolworths service stations. When you have enough points you can save money on your grocery shopping, save up for Christmas or convert to Qantas points for cheaper holidays.
Shop in a particular order to help with your budgeting
It can be easier to budget if you start with the more expensive aisles which includes the meat and fish sections and then move to the cheaper aisles which would be fruit and vegetables and canned goods so you can keep better track of what you’ve spent.
Mr Drewe says: “Many local Australian supermarkets have integrated Tiliters tech into their self-checkouts and POS, offering their customers the most advanced way to shop by scanning their own items on the go, which is really helpful for knowing how much your basket price is up to so you aren’t getting a shock at the till.”
Top five deal and coupon sites in Australia
Groupon offers deals on a range of products including beauty and spas, food and drink, health and fitness, home improvement, personal services, retail and things to do. You can save anywhere from 15 per cent off travel insurance to 95 per cent off.
Catch.com.au is an online department store that sells everything from electronics to clothing, music, homewares and furniture. Customers can save up to 63%.
OZBargain has hundreds of deals listed, with customers being able to save on homewares, food, children’s toys and clothing. The deals on OzBargain expire so you need to get in quick to take advantage of them.
Cashrewards works differently from some of the other deal websites. You will get up to 40 per cent cashback from top brands and can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars every year.
Cudo is similar to Groupon and offers discounts on dining, wellness, activities, travel, shopping, wine, personalised gifts and services. Depending on the product you can save up to 94 per cent off experiences and Cudo has hundreds of deals available.