I like the idea of keeping a record for a couple of weeks!

A few years ago we realised almost HALF our pay was going on food! When we finally worked out the crazy amount we were spending we purposed to be more mindful of eachdollar we spent and we ended up saving around 3/4 of what we were spending!

My husband is one to buy a drink or burger here or there and not think about the cost.

I always write a fortnightly list of meals, then I shop only around that. I also add a backup option every fortnight for those nights you end up out later than expected or are too tired to cook, sometimes its a frozen pizza or family pie, but it definitely saves us money.

My husband and I love our food and do not actually spend much on other entertainment. Most of our expenses are spent on food lol..

Keeping a record for a couple of weeks – a real, detailed record – can help you get a handle on this.

We do this now to save money. We are lucky to have all the supermarkets in one place so it is easy for me to find the cheapest and purchase there.

I agree and our family pays close attention to where our money goes food wise as well. Planning ahead for trips saves unnecessary spends when on the road making extra at dinner leaves us with leftovers for lunch etc buying from farmers markets and basics from aldis has made a huge difference to the monthly expenditure for food.

I love shopping at Aldis… then the odd trip to safeway.

i keep an eye on it. i have to budget

I go through the weeks catalogs and write down the specials (that we use) from both Woolies , Coles and Aldi but my major shop is Coles.

For main grocery shopping its a mix of aldi, iga and coles. But for takeaway we get pizza occasionaly, for the local pizza shop its on special on mon, tus and wed nights for two pizza about $10 off normal priceand free delivery so we buy it once a month on one of thoose days we usually order enough to do the family two nights but its our special treat and worth the discount.

I always check how much I spend for groceries. I shop just at Coles though. It’s the most convenient place for me, I go there walking, so no transport expenses to keep into account.

I have been very carful on spending since having kids. Checking for specials and using discounts coupons helps too.

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  • • mom93821 replied
    • 06 Jun 2015 , 12:00 pm

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  I love discounts and specials and it does pay to shop around.

We always check specials with both the supermarkets that we have. Then shop for our meat at the local butcher as it cheaper than woollies and Coles we also buy our fresh fruit and vegetables from our local fruit and vegetable shop.

it’s Great to be aware. I buy less on impulse since becoming a mum

Avoid impulse buys-I ponder an impulse purchase for 15 minutes and then I forget about it! Then it’s no longer an impulse!

My husband is the biggest culprit of incidental spending. A drink here a snack there all adds up.