As the cost of living increases, for many of us that means we need to try and reduce our expenditure somehow - but where do you start? Groceries are something we all spend money on so let's start there. Here are my top 5 tips for spending less on your groceries.

Create a budget
Work out what you can afford to spend on your groceries and then don’t spend more than that. If you don’t know how to put together a budget, get in touch with us and we can get you on a CAP Money budgeting course - capmoney@thestreet.org.nz
Stick to your budget
Once you know how much you can spend, here are some things that can help you stick to it:
Pak'nSave have the facility available for you to scan your own shopping as you go round the supermarket. If you can’t do that, a calculator would do the same job, or try shopping online. Whatever it takes to know how much your shopping will cost before you have to pay.
If the total is more than your budget - put things back on the shelves! Think through the extras you put in your trolley and consider what you really need. Maybe some of those things could wait for next week. Make cheaper choices for some of the branded things in your trolley. Drink water instead of other drinks.
Shop smart
Think about the ingredients you’re using. If a recipe calls for an expensive cut of meat, or a vegetable that’s out of season, consider if you could use something cheaper.
Reduce the amount of meat you use. Regardless of what a recipe says, use no more than 100g meat per person and even less if you can pad it out with veggies/beans/pulses.
Eat vegetarian 2 or 3 times a week so you don’t have to buy as much meat.
Buy fruit and veggies seasonally and buy them at a local veggie market - it will save you lots.
Supermarkets don’t all cost the same. Compare prices and work out where the best place for you to shop is - you may find an extra 5 minute drive or a trip on the bus will save you $30 on your shopping!
Menu plan
Plan what you’re going to eat each night of the week and write a list of ingredients you will need for those meals. This will prevent you from buying extra things you don’t need and will save you from wasting anything. It will also help you not to impulse buy.
Have a set day to shop
It’s a well known fact that the more often you go to the supermarket, the more you will buy and the more you will spend. Buy everything you need on your set shopping day, and if you run out of something, try and do without it until the next week. If you can manage to do a fortnightly shop at a time even better - then you only have to go every 2 weeks! Oh and never shop when you’re hungry!

Hope that helps!

Much love,
Jenny

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5 Tips for Spending Less on Groceries