The weekly grocery bill can take a considerable chunk from your hard earned weekly income, and feeding a family today is a huge expense. With many of the fast food chains currently advertising family sized meals for $20 it can seem like an easy affordable option for those who are time poor and need something that’s quick and convenient. Packaged, processed food tends to be made using cheaper ingredients with minimal nutritional value in them as they are mass produced. We all know the health risks associated with a poor diet – diabetes, obesity and heart disease to name a few so it’s important that we learn healthy eating habits from a young age and learn how to ‘shop right’.
As a kid, the weekly trip to the local supermarket with my Mum seemed like a chore and wasn’t always welcomed, but the lessons I learnt on how to shop right were invaluable. I have fond memories of being sent off to search for a particular item in a specific aisle and see if I could bring it back faster than my brother and his chosen item – fun, family times certainly helped the learning process. Then assisting to carry the shopping home ensured the whole family stayed active and spent quality time together.
Here are my top tips to help you shop right:-
- Plan Ahead – make sure you go shopping with a list. Plan your week ahead; What will you be having for dinner each day? Who else will be eating with you? Do you need extra items? Create a list, take the list with you and stick to it!
- Buy in Bulk – when Supermarkets have special offers on like buy one get one free or 20% off this week only, utilise this opportunity to stock up. Basic everyday household items such as coffee and toilet rolls can all be bought cheaper when you buy bigger.
- Buy Home Brands – Items manufactured by a big brand name are more expensive than lesser priced home brands – usually which have evolved recently to be of similar quality. There is no need to spend so much on fancy packaging the cost for the consumer is reduced.Shop Around – Visit your local green grocer to compare prices on fresh fruit and vegetables. Generally, as these items are grown and purchased locally, transport costs are kept down which makes them cheaper.
- Compare Prices – If you have a couple of supermarkets next to each other why not visit both and compare prices? Checkout the special offers they currently have to see if any are suitable for you. Don’t hesitate to bring a major difference in price to the attention of the store either – you will most likely end up the winne
- Buy Wholesale – Currently there are many wholesalers opening up their doors to the individual consumer who wish to buy wholesale products at wholesale prices. Do your research online and find out where your local wholesalers are and benefit from their cheaper prices. Items such as meat can be bought in bulk, split into portions and frozen for future use. This is very convenient for when you don’t have time to get to the shops!
- Learn to Cook – treat yourself to a recipe book, pick up a recipe card from the supermarket or utilise the recipes available online and get creative in the kitchen. When making your evening meal, why not cook up a little extra and take it the next day for lunch? Another option is to take an hour from your Sunday afternoon and spend it cooking up for the week ahead.