25 Ways To Save Money

The average family spends 17% of their household income on groceries. On average, the variation is between 10% and 30% being spent. How much do you think you're spending?

If you can reduce your grocery spending to 10% of your income, even for a little while, you could free up lots of money to invest or pay off debt. There’s also plenty of savings to be made by changing your habits around food preparation and dining out. Here’s our top tips to save money on food, without compromising on quality or healthy eating:  

Plan your meals and stick to a shopping list

One simple way to reduce your spending is to plan your weekly meals ahead of time and create a shopping list to stick to. Big supermarkets know that if you don’t have a list, you’re more likely to shop whatever they put on sale at eyeline height (sugar-filled products). Reduce waste and improve your health by creating a shopping list before you jump in the car.

If you need help planning healthy and affordable meals, we recommend Chelsea Goodwin’s books and her Facebook Group $10 Meals Australia. 

At Waymaker, we’ve seen many families reduce their grocery bill by over $100 per week ($5,200+ savings per year)! 

Shop at Aldi and buy basic brands

Another way to save money on groceries, given it’s such a big portion of the typical household spending, is to ‘switch it up’ from the two big supermarkets and give Aldi a red hot go. 

As researched extensively by CHOICE magazine, Aldi has consistently been the cheapest, while another supermarket has tracked upwards. 

Aldi is especially great for shopping the basics such as rice, milk, bread, dairy products and select meats. 

Another tip to save money when buying groceries is to stick to the cheaper basic brands. These include the Coles and Woolies basics, which are often healthier than premium brands because they contain less sugar and additives. 

CHOICE has a list of examples 👀 showing how much cheaper and better some basic products can be, including products like nappies, dishwashing tablets and tea. All these purchases add up to a load of savings. 

Buy the odd bunch fruit and vegetables

Did you know that 30% of fruit & veg is rejected by retailers? Not because it’s unhealthy, but because it doesn’t look perfect enough to put on shelves! That’s a lot of food waste that goes into the ground just due to cosmetic reasons. 

You can make a difference. Simply purchase the ‘odd bunch’ fruit and vegetables sold at either the supermarket, the markets or your local fruit and veg shops.

There are also businesses like Funky Food that conveniently deliver food boxes to your doorstep at a competitive price. You can unlock savings and sustainability!  

Odd bunch vegetables are great for winter soups or slow cooks! 

Visit your local markets and butchers

Shopping specials at your local markets can save you a heap of money on fruit and vegetables. But it’s also a fun family activity! 

Markets allow you to connect with your local producers and suppliers, supporting them directly and learning more about the food you eat. One of our Waymaker members enjoys chatting to the local honey producers and learning about honey in the region (and it’s cheaper to buy than at Coles). 

The same is true for your local discount butchers. Butchers can help you learn more about the different cuts of meat and you can bulk buy meat at a lower price and freeze portions for later.

Do a ‘fakeaway’ friday

A new survey has been released showing consumers are still spending big at hospitality venues, revealing a new trend known as COLD dining: Cost Of Living Denial dining! Gen Z were the most likely to spend too much on takeaway and restaurant meals, followed by Millennials. 

While there’s nothing wrong with a small indulgence occasionally, dining out can become an excessive habit that triples or quadruples your budget food spending – on food that isn’t even nutritious. 

Chelsea Goodwin talks about the ‘Fakeaway Fridays’ 🍟 in her cookbooks and Facebook community as a way of eating takeaway-style food without having to dine out. 

‘Fakeaway’ friday nights are fast go-to recipes that mimic your favourite takeaway foods at home, without the unhealthy additives and price tag. Home made chicken burgers, home pizzas, fried chicken and bao buns are just some of the easy recipes that you can plan and cook on a dedicated night of the week as a healthy alternative to unhealthy takeaway food.

🍕 What’s on your fakeaway menu?