Load up on shopping savings

David & Libby Koch
News Limited newspapers
May 21, 2012

IT SEEMS with every trip to the supermarket the bill gets bigger. It’s a struggle to go pick up the essentials and be left with much change from a fifty these days.

Grocery shopping is an expensive exercise and unfortunately it’s not about to get any cheaper. We’ve been enjoying falling prices for some items as a line of products rebound from last year’s floods and cyclones. But that’s about to change, with the Federal Budget forecasting a rise in the Consumer Price Index next financial year.

So what can you do to cut your food bill? Over the years we’ve tried and tested several strategies and found these eight tips to be winners.

1. Be conscious of location of items
If you’re not already, look at where the market-leading products are placed on the shelves – usually at eye level with the highest price tag.
Suppliers pay for this privilege (called buy level) because sales are distinctly advantaged by placement. So next time you’re cruising the aisles, look up and down as there will often be a cheaper, almost identical alternative at a lower price.

2. Examine deals
Don’t get suckered in to buying more than you need just because there’s a deal for multiple items. These deals are mostly offered on non-essential items, such as chocolates and chips, of which you really don’t need double the quantity (both your waistline and wallet will thank you). But also look at the per-item price as it’s not always cheaper to buy two than one.
On the flip side, when a staple goes on sale, try to stock up. Things such as toothpaste and tinned tomatoes occasionally go very cheaply, so if you’re buying them regularly anyway, you might as well pay the sale price for a few now than pay full price later.

3. Know what season you’re in
Filling up on peaches and plums through summer is great because they’re cheap and delicious. But continue to do so in the colder months and your grocery bill will jump, with no apparent change in what you’re buying. Be aware of what fruits are in season and try to stick to them. Not only will they be cheaper, but better quality too.

4. Hit the markets
With almost every suburb hosting a local growers’ market at the weekends, inconvenience is no longer a reason not to buy straight from the farm. The fruit, veg and meat is fresh and usually great quality, as well as being the right price.
If it’s too much trouble, then consider food pooling. Organise with other households to take turns doing the market run and split the produce.

5. Stock up
If you have the fridge or pantry space, buying in bulk can shave an enormous amount off your food bill. Doing the odd trip out to markets or bulk suppliers is well worth it if you can accommodate the oversized shopping basket you’ll leave with.

6. Join a rewards program
Last week the big supermarket rewards war heated up, with Woolworths offering up to 40 per cent off selected items in their rewards program, and Coles coughing up 10 per cent off five products in their shopper’s choice promotion. These are free to join, easy to take advantage of and a must at your local outlet.

7. Look outside the big guys
The big two supermarkets are not always the cheapest, so look around for alternatives. The brands may differ and they may be limited, but the products are pretty much the same.
Also, don’t get suckered in too often by convenience. As easy as it is to duck up to the convenience store on the corner, they do charge over the odds for most items.

8. Grow your own
A more involved solution in slashing your food bill is to grow your own. Even if it’s just a herb patch to avoid paying $4 for a bunch of basil every time you need it, the savings and green-thumb satisfaction will be worth it.

SHOPPING TIPS
* Make a list and stick to it.
* Avoid impulse buys at the checkout.
* Look at online farm direct websites.
* Read the shopper docket deals.
* Stay focused.

DEBT CRISIS
PLOUTOS is the Greek god of wealth and it’s fair to say he’d be less than impressed with what’s going on in his old stomping ground.

There is a very real chance Greece will leave the European Union and no one can predict the ructions this will spark on global financial markets. A best-case scenario is markets accept the inevitable and that Greece is a tiny economy. The worst-case scenario will see another GFC.

Frankly, no one knows where the shrapnel from this will fly.

The recent Greek elections saw a big swing towards parties opposing the EU’s austerity package but it was an election that failed to form a government.

Other eurozone leaders are making it clear to Greek voters this next election in June will be a referendum on whether they want to stay in the Euro (and accept the bailout’s austerity program) or not.

If there is a “Grexit” (the new term for Greece going), let’s hope markets don’t then focus on Spain as the next domino.