July 13, 2022

The KIC Squad’s Money Saving Grocery Hacks

It seems like every time we turn on the news we’re met with more deflating information and statistics about the cost of living being on the rise.

We recently surveyed over 1200 women & non-binary people and found that 35% are unable to meet their healthy eating goals due to financial barriers. Unfortunately this was before the cost of fresh produce was on the rise, so it’s likely that even more people are now feeling the pinch. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or experiencing any financial stress, please know that you are not alone and that your feelings are completely valid. 

Knowing that eating well is such a priority to so many, we’ve pulled together our top money saving grocery hacks to keep your body well nourished without breaking the bank. 

Buy frozen veggies and berries

If you’ve purchased a fresh head of broccoli or punnet of berries recently and was shocked by the amount on your receipt we don’t blame you. Frozen veggies and berries are incredibly versatile, if you’re whipping up a stir fry, curry, minestrone soup, meat and 3 veg, baked oats or a smoothie, we highly recommend heading to the freezer section. Vegetables and berries are often snap frozen so they maintain all their nutrients and defrost quickly and easily. Frozen produce will also help to reduce your prep time, win! 

Shop online

Have you ever gone grocery shopping when you’re hungry and filled your trolley with so many yummy things because you have food on the mind? Then when you get to the checkout you realise you’ve blown your grocery budget? You’re not alone!

One really easy way to help stick to your budget and keep an eye on your basket size and only purchase what you actually need is by shopping online! Doing this means you can see the total cost of your shop and remove things at the click of a button if it gets too expensive.

Plan your meals to reduce food waste

One of the easiest ways to ensure that your money is well spent and that you’re not wasting the produce you’ve bought is by planning what you’re going to cook! For example, if you buy 800g of chicken breast, that amount will be more than enough to prepare 2 separate recipes or make 1 recipe twice and freeze one batch!

It’s all about being smart to maximise the produce you’ve bought. Remember that the freezer is your friend often, even if you have bought too much, there’s a high chance you can freeze it (provided it’s still fresh) and save it for another time.

Shop what's in season

Often the winter months rule out the chance to purchase at a reasonable cost some of our favourite produce like watermelon, basil, cherries, stone fruit, sweet cherry tomatoes and cucumber, lettuce and zucchinis. When we plan recipes around summer ingredients in winter, it can sometimes inflate the cost of our grocery shop.

Instead, we encourage you to plan your recipes and meals around what’s in season and what is in a surplus on our shelves. Surprisingly at the moment avocados are very well priced so avocado toast becomes a great contender for a good, nutritious and cheap breakfast or lunch!

Start your shop at ALDI

If you’re in Australia, ALDI has had a longstanding reputation of being the go-to supermarket for cheaper groceries, so we encourage you to milk it! Although some specific products and brands aren’t stocked there, one way to help cut the cost of your grocery bill is by starting your shop at ALDI and marking off as much of your grocery list as possible before heading to Coles or Woolies. 

Living outside of Aussie? Do your research and find your most affordable supermarket or grab yourself a catalogue beforehand and plan your recipes around the weekly specials. 

We hope these tips help to bring down the cost of your weekly shop. We encourage you to plan, research and get creative. It’s all about finding a routine that works for you. 

KIC