The secret to making your grocery shop smarter and cheaper

Author: Vanessa Walker on Houzz

Jody Allen was made redundant in 2009 while on maternity leave and pregnant with her second child, born 12 months after her first baby. She started her website, Stay at Home Mum, to share her money-saving experiences while her family lived on one wage. It has since become one of Australia’s biggest mothers’ networks. This is an extract from Jody’s latest book after the runaway success of The $50 Weekly Shop, Once a Month Cooking and Live Well on Less.

Shop smarter
I truly believe that all of us can shop smarter. Just take a bit of time before shopping to plan what you need, during shopping to ensure you get everything (and prevent another trip, which incurs costs on fuel) and after shopping to make sure your goods are stored correctly so they will last until you cook and eat them. Here are some tips:

Keep your shopping list
Ensure it’s somewhere where you will see it all the time and then remember to take it with you when you shop. I keep mine on a spreadsheet open on my computer (because I’m on the computer all day) – but I used to keep it on my fridge door. I attached some old magnets to the back so it would stay there. You can also keep it in your phone if you prefer; that way you will be less likely to leave it at home!

Take a calculator
Or, use your phone and add up what you are spending as you go.

Never shop when you are hungry
I know you’ve heard it before, but it makes a huge difference.

Try not to shop with young children
It’s distracting for you and stressful for everyone (especially if they’re hassling you nonstop to buy toys or sweets and you’re not giving in). If shopping with preschoolers is unavoidable, give them a special “job” to do (putting stuff in the trolley), or put them in the trolley with a colouring book.

Bring your own bottle of water
Then remember to sip it to get you past the chocolate, soft drink and snack aisles. Better yet, don’t even go down them!

Avoid shopping at peak times
Saturday mornings and 3-5pm weekdays.

And the biggest tip of them all: check your receipt
Supermarkets make mistakes all the time. If you find an error, they will often refund you the cost of the entire item, not just the error, so by checking for mistakes, you could get a few items for free!

This is an edited extract from The $50 Weekly Shop: Weekday Dinners by Jody Allen. Penguin Random House, $24.99, and was originally published on Houzz.