Money-Saving Secrets to Slash Your Grocery Bills: Uncover Supermarket Tricks & Special Deals
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Grocery bills can put immense strain on our wallets as it is, and with prices escalating more by the day, it will only worsen. Comparison website Finder also said that over a third (33 per cent) of Australians put groceries as one of their top three most stressful experiences for December 2022.
Fortunately, finance expert Joel Gibson shared some of his tips and tricks to maximise your grocery savings.
Get 10 per cent off once a month at Woolies and Coles:
Woolworths has long had a deal where mobile customers get 10 per cent off their first shop each month (capped at $50 per month). ‘So, if you do a big shop, this discount could cover the cost of your mobile plan for the month,’ Mr Gibson claimed.
In 2022, the retail giant extended this promo to their ‘Everyday Extra’ subscription, where non-mobile customers could pay $59 a year to get the same benefit, plus 10 per cent off a monthly shop at BIG W.
Coles also offers a 10 per cent refund on big shops each month for mobile customers. However, the mobile plans that qualify are at a higher price point, starting from $35 per month. In contrast, Woolies offers a deal for users that pay $20 per month for their mobile plans.
Don’t stick to one supermarket:
According to Mr Gibson, shopping at more than one supermarket pays off – especially if one of them is ALDI.
‘ALDI comes up cheaper in every price comparison, by anywhere from 10 per cent to 25 per cent depending on which products you compare,’ he explained.
Choosing to shop at more than one supermarket lets you pick the best specials and prices at each store. As we all know, Coles, Woolies and ALDI have weekly specials announced every Monday and Wednesday. So, if you check the catalogues before you do your grocery shop, you can buy the items on your list wherever they’re ‘super cheap’ that week.
‘Even if you don't have time to do that weekly, shopping at one supermarket one week and another the week after could save you money,’ Mr Gibson shared.
You can check the weekly supermarket discounts and specials online; however, you’ll have to download the app of each supermarket.
Coles
Or you can also browse through our Deals, Discounts and Bargains forum for more deals.
Bulk-buy, if possible:
‘If you can, it also pays to visit a bulk-buy warehouse and a farmers market once in a while,’ Mr Gibson said.
He continued: ‘Warehouses such as Costco or Campbells Wholesale or ABCOE usually have an annual membership fee of around $60, so you need to visit at least once every six months to come out ahead.’
He also said that when buying from these places, consider going with a friend or family member that can help you split the big boxes of non-perishables. This helps you get the best prices at a more budget-friendly rate.
Items from farmer's markets also cost half of what giant retailers offer, and the produce generally lasts longer as well.
Plan your meals:
Meal planning before you do a big shop means you can use some of the same ingredients a few more times to help stretch your budget. It also gives you the added benefits of saving time and energy of trying to think of what to cook every day and reduces food waste.
If you need more ideas, Shelley Moore, from Victoria, has whipped up a total of 49 recipes using her ‘three pot’ meal plan. She said you could cook up to three main dishes in bulk and turn the leftovers into separate meals. You can read more about this story here.
Know the ins and outs of your local store:
This is an unconventional tip, but knowing the layout of your favourite supermarket – including where to find the best deals and essential items – can help you save time and money whenever you’re out shopping.
Margaret Rafferty, from CHOICE, said that supermarket designers implement a ‘multitude of tricks’ to make you stay in the shop for longer.
‘Fruit and veg are always at the entrance to make you feel better about “treating yourself” later on in the chocolate aisle. Eggs are often hard to find because essential items are split up throughout the store to make you walk the whole floorplan,’ she explained.
She also said that the best deals are on the top and bottom shelves, never at eye level.
Shop online if you impulse buy:
Online shopping is convenient; it lets you buy the items you want without wandering through supermarket aisles for hours. However, the delivery fee that’s tacked on top of the total amount they have to pay typically deters most people from online shopping.
According to one study, this is because online shoppers don’t like to see increased prices and are less likely to complete a purchase because they perceive the shipping fee as a loss on the whole.
So, if you’re likely to buy something impulsively, consider shopping for groceries online. You might even find it easier to stick to a set budget because it’s quicker to remove items from your digital trolley rather than spend time putting them back on the shelves in stores.
Have you got any more supermarket-saving tricks up your sleeve? Let us know in the comments below!
Fortunately, finance expert Joel Gibson shared some of his tips and tricks to maximise your grocery savings.
Get 10 per cent off once a month at Woolies and Coles:
Woolworths has long had a deal where mobile customers get 10 per cent off their first shop each month (capped at $50 per month). ‘So, if you do a big shop, this discount could cover the cost of your mobile plan for the month,’ Mr Gibson claimed.
In 2022, the retail giant extended this promo to their ‘Everyday Extra’ subscription, where non-mobile customers could pay $59 a year to get the same benefit, plus 10 per cent off a monthly shop at BIG W.
Coles also offers a 10 per cent refund on big shops each month for mobile customers. However, the mobile plans that qualify are at a higher price point, starting from $35 per month. In contrast, Woolies offers a deal for users that pay $20 per month for their mobile plans.
Take note of the promos you see while out grocery shopping. Credit: scottiewarman/Unsplash
Don’t stick to one supermarket:
According to Mr Gibson, shopping at more than one supermarket pays off – especially if one of them is ALDI.
‘ALDI comes up cheaper in every price comparison, by anywhere from 10 per cent to 25 per cent depending on which products you compare,’ he explained.
Choosing to shop at more than one supermarket lets you pick the best specials and prices at each store. As we all know, Coles, Woolies and ALDI have weekly specials announced every Monday and Wednesday. So, if you check the catalogues before you do your grocery shop, you can buy the items on your list wherever they’re ‘super cheap’ that week.
‘Even if you don't have time to do that weekly, shopping at one supermarket one week and another the week after could save you money,’ Mr Gibson shared.
You can check the weekly supermarket discounts and specials online; however, you’ll have to download the app of each supermarket.
Coles
- Download the app
- Subscribe to email catalogues
- Check the website
- Join Flybuys and receive weekly emails
- Download the app
- Check the website catalogue
- Join Everyday Rewards and receive weekly emails
- Download the app
- Check the website for ‘Super Savers’
- Subscribe to the weekly email newsletter
Or you can also browse through our Deals, Discounts and Bargains forum for more deals.
Bulk-buy, if possible:
‘If you can, it also pays to visit a bulk-buy warehouse and a farmers market once in a while,’ Mr Gibson said.
He continued: ‘Warehouses such as Costco or Campbells Wholesale or ABCOE usually have an annual membership fee of around $60, so you need to visit at least once every six months to come out ahead.’
He also said that when buying from these places, consider going with a friend or family member that can help you split the big boxes of non-perishables. This helps you get the best prices at a more budget-friendly rate.
Items from farmer's markets also cost half of what giant retailers offer, and the produce generally lasts longer as well.
Mr Gibson said produce at the Farmer's Markets cost half of what big supermarkets have to offer. Credit: mrsmaria/Unsplash
Plan your meals:
Meal planning before you do a big shop means you can use some of the same ingredients a few more times to help stretch your budget. It also gives you the added benefits of saving time and energy of trying to think of what to cook every day and reduces food waste.
If you need more ideas, Shelley Moore, from Victoria, has whipped up a total of 49 recipes using her ‘three pot’ meal plan. She said you could cook up to three main dishes in bulk and turn the leftovers into separate meals. You can read more about this story here.
Know the ins and outs of your local store:
This is an unconventional tip, but knowing the layout of your favourite supermarket – including where to find the best deals and essential items – can help you save time and money whenever you’re out shopping.
Margaret Rafferty, from CHOICE, said that supermarket designers implement a ‘multitude of tricks’ to make you stay in the shop for longer.
‘Fruit and veg are always at the entrance to make you feel better about “treating yourself” later on in the chocolate aisle. Eggs are often hard to find because essential items are split up throughout the store to make you walk the whole floorplan,’ she explained.
She also said that the best deals are on the top and bottom shelves, never at eye level.
Shop online if you impulse buy:
Online shopping is convenient; it lets you buy the items you want without wandering through supermarket aisles for hours. However, the delivery fee that’s tacked on top of the total amount they have to pay typically deters most people from online shopping.
According to one study, this is because online shoppers don’t like to see increased prices and are less likely to complete a purchase because they perceive the shipping fee as a loss on the whole.
So, if you’re likely to buy something impulsively, consider shopping for groceries online. You might even find it easier to stick to a set budget because it’s quicker to remove items from your digital trolley rather than spend time putting them back on the shelves in stores.
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