How to slash your grocery budget by $3000 a year

Approximately 20% of all food bought in Australia is wasted. This means, for every five bags of food we buy, we throw out one.

If you spend $300 a week on groceries, that's $60 a week you're throwing in the bin, or $3000 a year! Get the whole family involved in reducing food waste with these easy and effective ideas.

Start a 'food penalty tin' for your household

For every food item which has to be thrown out, its monetary value has to be put into the tin. For example, if you buy a $4 tub of yoghurt and end up not using half of it before it expires, you put $2 in the penalty tin to cover the wasted amount. It's amazing how quickly everyone begins using everything up to avoid having to put money in the tin!

Have a weekly 'Smorgasbord'

Once a week, grab everything out of the fridge and freezer that needs using up and turn it into a buffet style feast. Cook or prepare as necessary, then serve everything up at the table and allow everyone to help themselves.

A sticky solution

Have you noticed how small expiry dates are on food items? No wonder we forget to use things up in time! Solve this problem by re-labelling food with a cheap roll of tape and a marker; clearly writing the use-by date.

Be realistic

Often we buy more food than we'll ever realistically use, just because it's cheaper. However it's better to spend $2 on one cucumber than buy three for $5 and throw away two! If you buy a whole lettuce because it's cheaper and routinely throw out half of it, it's more economical in the long run to buy a smaller bag of leaves you will actually use.

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