21 (legal) ways to save at the supermarket
As costs rise, 7% of Australians admit to having stolen from a supermarket or scanned something as something else at the checkout.
But there are better legal ways to cut costs.
The average Aussie household spends $191 per week on groceries, our data shows.
You could spend much less with these tips and tricks from Finder crew.
1. "Don't shop when you're hungry."
2. "Plan your meals for the week, including all snacks and some treat Friday and Saturday night meals, instead of looking for treat meals in a takeaway on the weekend."
3. "I do an online pick-up shop at Woolies. During the week I add my shopping to the app. I then go to Aldi and go through the list. If it's cheaper, I remove the item and buy it then. I then order the remaining items through Woolies. I generally save $1-2 per item."
4. "Buy a gift card at a discount and use it to pay for your grocery shop. For instance, you can get Woolies and Coles gift cards for 3-4% off as part of your roadside assist membership, and 3% off Woolworths gift cards within the Everyday Rewards app."
5. "Shop at your local fruit veg shop, local butchers, etc. It's often cheaper and more ethical."
6. "I order my fruit and veg online from a fruit and veg shop. It's cheaper and better quality, plus I don't have to carry it home from the shop."
7. "Try to go to the store just once a week and get everything you need, unless you can't help it! You'll unnecessarily splurge on things if you go multiple times a week, because making a trip for just eggs or bananas seems like a waste."
8. "Another good one is keep an eye out for discounts on gift cards – you already get a discount on giftcards through some free platforms like Shopback, so the added bonus of an additional % off can add up."
More than half of Australians do their grocery shopping weekly (53%) – up from 38% in 2021. Perhaps a sign that the cost of living is biting?
9. "Save heaps shopping at local farmers markets over supermarkets; you'll find it's better in quality too, as it's fresh from source."
10. "Bulk buy fruits and veg at a wholesale market with family or friends. It's way cheaper! I do this with friends sometimes and it's really good bang for buck."
11. "Supermarket loyalty benefits them more than you – scour the catalogues each week and look at where you can get a better bargain."
12. "Get good at cooking. This involves time and freezer space but all of a sudden you're making things go further, breaking a chicken down and making stock out of the carcass plus veggie scraps."
12. "This might be an obvious one, but look at value per kilogram for meat shopping. For example: I nearly went for 2 packets of pork belly slices at $12 per 500g each at Woolies, but realised that on the bottom shelf, they sold 1kg of pork belly roast that isn't cut at $16. Much better value!"
14. "Not sure on the ethics, but I've now seen people in person break the broccoli heads off the stems to save on weight."
15. "Plan your meals based on the items you'll get bonus points for that week."
Finder stats show that 4 in 5 Australians are signed up to a supermarket rewards program.
16. "I'm a shop hopper! I always look at the Woolies and Coles catalogues first, then start with the essentials at Aldi. Then I'll go and buy what's on special at Coles and then what's on special at Woolworths. This usually means my meals and snacks differ each week, but between the three I usually get everything I need either on special or cheaper from Aldi."
17. "Keep an eye on the bottom shelf. The cheapest stuff is there. Name brands pay to be at eye level."
18. "I like to use the unit pricing to compare things - looking at the cost per unit, I can compare prices between different brands and sizes to see the cheapest and best overall."
19. "Apps that help you to compare Coles vs Woolies with your shopping list so if you're going to buy from both, you know what to get from each."
20. "Don't live in a suburb where your only supermarkets are Woolworth Metro, which charge more per item than regular Woolworths. We've got three Woolies Metro's walking distance to us now, as they are converting the standard stores over ..so the tip is, go to standard Woolworths / Coles, not the Metro stores."
21. "Download the apps for Woolies and Coles – they will give you the price on-shelf at your local store to see which is cheapest."
Not enough inspo? Check out more ways to save on groceries
