With soaring food prices, redundancies and mortgage stress, it's hard to eat well on a budget. Here are six easy tips to cut your weekly bills, save money and stay healthy.
1. Choose the basics
Stick to the basic food groups; you'll get all your nutrition and save money too. Basic foods such as fruit and vegetables, milk, meat, pasta, rice, wholemeal bread and legumes are important nutritious foods to have in a healthy diet.
Nutritionists generally divide foods into basic food groups (sometimes called core foods) based on their nutrition profile. Eating from all the food groups regularly means you get your full quota of vitamins, minerals, protein, fibre and various antioxidants to ensure good health. 'Extras' like snack foods and soft drink can push you over your budget and add no nutrition.
2. Compare prices
Know your prices and watch for things on special. Private labels (home-brands) are generally the cheapest but don't buy them unless you like the quality. Most supermarkets are introducing "unit pricing" so you can compare prices per kg or per 100grams which makes things a lot easier given the different pack sizes and weights.
Unit price comparison - how it helps
Here's a comparison of 6 different types of orange juice, from kids' lunchbox poppers to premium chilled fresh juice. As expected, the large 2 litre ‘Home Brand' juice was the best value per litre; whilst the premium concentrated 'Nudie' juice was 8 times more expensive. Poppers (tetrapacks) with their packaging cost almost as much as premium pulp-free top of the range juice.
Juice – Price - Price per litre
Just Juice 250ml poppers 6 pack - $3.49 - $2.30
Just Juice 1 litre tetrapack long-life - $1.85 - $1.85
Just Juice 2 litre premium juice long-life - $2.95 - $1.50
Coles 2 litre bottle premium juice chilled - $2.29 - $1.15
Daily Juice 2 litre pulp-free chilled juice - $5.39 - $2.70
Nudie orange, carrot & ginger juice 250ml bottle - $2.99 - $11.96
3. Stock up when it suits you
Buy in bulk or buy the biggest size. But only if it's something you like to eat and if it has a long shelf life. Take care though; compare the prices of large packages with smaller ones.
4. Write up a list
A shopping list saves time and money, and prevents those impulse purchases that are often unnecessary and not the best for your health or your wallet! Keep a pad on your fridge to jot down things when you run out.
5. Use your freezer
Freezing is the most nutritious way to store food. Freeze bread until you need it. Freeze soup, stews and curries in single or family size serves so you have quick meals ready to microwave. If possible, take the serve out of the freezer and thaw in the fridge the morning you need it. Then cook up some potato or rice along with whatever vegetables you have to make a balanced meal.
6. Buy fresh but in season
Fruit can be expensive, so only buy what's at its peak and cheapest. Vegetables tend to be less costly than fruit and give you the same nutrients (vitamin C, folate, fibre) so you can substitute vegetables and cut back on fruit if you like. Consider ordering a mixed seasonal box from your local market, or team up with friends and buy bulk.
Have a bag of frozen peas or mixed vegies in the freezer as a stand-by. Nutritionally these are equivalent to fresh that have been cooked but remember to follow the directions on the pack and don't over boil.
In season in spring:
Even though they're around in spring, try not to buy things that are grown overseas and flown to Australia or trucked down from other regions such as cherries, blueberries, mangoes, grapes and stone fruit and summer herbs like basil.
- Choose the basics
- Compare prices
- Stock up when it suits you
- Write up a list
- Use your freezer
- Buy fresh but in season
1. Choose the basics
Stick to the basic food groups; you'll get all your nutrition and save money too. Basic foods such as fruit and vegetables, milk, meat, pasta, rice, wholemeal bread and legumes are important nutritious foods to have in a healthy diet.
Nutritionists generally divide foods into basic food groups (sometimes called core foods) based on their nutrition profile. Eating from all the food groups regularly means you get your full quota of vitamins, minerals, protein, fibre and various antioxidants to ensure good health. 'Extras' like snack foods and soft drink can push you over your budget and add no nutrition.
2. Compare prices
Know your prices and watch for things on special. Private labels (home-brands) are generally the cheapest but don't buy them unless you like the quality. Most supermarkets are introducing "unit pricing" so you can compare prices per kg or per 100grams which makes things a lot easier given the different pack sizes and weights.
Unit price comparison - how it helps
Here's a comparison of 6 different types of orange juice, from kids' lunchbox poppers to premium chilled fresh juice. As expected, the large 2 litre ‘Home Brand' juice was the best value per litre; whilst the premium concentrated 'Nudie' juice was 8 times more expensive. Poppers (tetrapacks) with their packaging cost almost as much as premium pulp-free top of the range juice.
Juice – Price - Price per litre
Just Juice 250ml poppers 6 pack - $3.49 - $2.30
Just Juice 1 litre tetrapack long-life - $1.85 - $1.85
Just Juice 2 litre premium juice long-life - $2.95 - $1.50
Coles 2 litre bottle premium juice chilled - $2.29 - $1.15
Daily Juice 2 litre pulp-free chilled juice - $5.39 - $2.70
Nudie orange, carrot & ginger juice 250ml bottle - $2.99 - $11.96
3. Stock up when it suits you
Buy in bulk or buy the biggest size. But only if it's something you like to eat and if it has a long shelf life. Take care though; compare the prices of large packages with smaller ones.
4. Write up a list
A shopping list saves time and money, and prevents those impulse purchases that are often unnecessary and not the best for your health or your wallet! Keep a pad on your fridge to jot down things when you run out.
5. Use your freezer
Freezing is the most nutritious way to store food. Freeze bread until you need it. Freeze soup, stews and curries in single or family size serves so you have quick meals ready to microwave. If possible, take the serve out of the freezer and thaw in the fridge the morning you need it. Then cook up some potato or rice along with whatever vegetables you have to make a balanced meal.
6. Buy fresh but in season
Fruit can be expensive, so only buy what's at its peak and cheapest. Vegetables tend to be less costly than fruit and give you the same nutrients (vitamin C, folate, fibre) so you can substitute vegetables and cut back on fruit if you like. Consider ordering a mixed seasonal box from your local market, or team up with friends and buy bulk.
Have a bag of frozen peas or mixed vegies in the freezer as a stand-by. Nutritionally these are equivalent to fresh that have been cooked but remember to follow the directions on the pack and don't over boil.
In season in spring:
- oranges, mandarins, grapefruit and other citrus
- mid-season apples
- asparagus
- avocado
- beetroot
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- mushrooms
- peas
- spinach
- sweet potato
Even though they're around in spring, try not to buy things that are grown overseas and flown to Australia or trucked down from other regions such as cherries, blueberries, mangoes, grapes and stone fruit and summer herbs like basil.