Help, My Grocery Bill Is over $800 a Month!

[Deactivated] on 30/11/2018 - 04:10
Last edited 30/11/2018 - 08:37 by 1 other user

Shocked today to see my grocery bill on my Commbank app at $643 for the month plus add eating out/ takeaways expense at $192

Problem is there is only me!

I never have bothered looking to save expenses before

I mostly shop at 7/11 or IGA because it’s convenient and if course I know the prices are more expensive but they are close and I don't have a car

I'm thinking of shopping online now (Woolworths) to save money,so that I can shop say twice a month, I'm thinking every second Wednesday when the Specials come out,problem is I would stay have to pay delivery fees

How can i cut my grocery bill? Meal planning? I work shift work so it's hard.

I'm just a middleaged single male.

Food & Grocery

closed Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 30/11/2018 - 04:53

    Get a Coles Mastercard, and Coles online deliveries over $100 are free.
    Woolies over $200 is $6 I think, or over $250 is $3, but is often cheaper than Coles even paying full delivery fee. Coles you have to be home to sign, Woolies you can accept responsibility and they just drop off.
    Last thing, I find Woolies are very irritating, Coles usually a more pleasant experience in most areas.

    A lot of people live off the half price specials.

    Anyway I got an electricity bill last winter for more than double ever before. I got a similar shock.

  • [Deactivated] on 30/11/2018 - 05:41
    +1

    i can shop say twice a month,im thinking every second Wednesday when the Specials come out,problem is i would stay have to pay delivery fees.

    The specials last the whole week, so shopping on Wednesday (or any other specific day) is not needed. You can choose to shop on Saturday and you still get the specials that came out on Wednesday.

    Delivery fees are minimal, given how much you will save.

    As username mentioned, you can live off half price specials and I have done this and continue to mostly choose my groceries on what is half price or 33% off. For example, toilet paper, shampoo, frozen meals, are always either 50% off or 33% off, so Im not picky with getting same brand every shop. Also, stuff like this can last along time, if I really like a certain brand I could stock up when on sale. I probably like the 'healthy choice' brand meals a bit more, so will often fill freezer with them when half price, but then I won't ever buy at full price, I can wait until they go on sale again.

    Maybe you can go shopping with a friend or family that lives closeby. This would save the delivery cost. My friend without a car does this, he just worked it out with his brother to go shopping together.

    Since you are probably shopping much more frequently than once every 2 weeks, I would try once a week to start with (get grocery delivery, or tag along with friend/family that drives to do their shopping).
    Going from shopping all the time, to shopping once a fortnight would be a difficult leap for most. Try once week, make a list so you don't end up having to pick up stuff at 7/11 etc when later you realise you forgot something. Make your list not brand specific for most items (if 1 brand is half price, why not try that, instead of the usual brand you get).
    Eventually you might change to once a fortnight, or even once a month. But even a weekly shop with the small delivery fee, you're still going to come out wayyyyy ahead in savings ;) .
    All the best with it.

  • pantsparty on 30/11/2018 - 05:59
    +5

    $643 on groceries for one person - what are you eating?! Do you ever cook and plan ahead? Eat cereal/oats for breakfast - this is cheap. Get a rice cooker and make your own rice to eat with lunches or dinners - rice is very cheap and fills you up. Eat fresh fruit and vegetables and proteins.

    • SBOB on 30/11/2018 - 08:12

      what are you eating?!

      im more curious on what he must be throwing out.. thats a heap of food..

    • Cheeper on 30/11/2018 - 08:20

      He shops at 7-11 or IGA.. much more expensive there than colesworth/aldi.

  • Yummy on 30/11/2018 - 06:32
    +3

    I mostly shop at 711

    There is your first big problem.

    Ever consider going to Aldi?

    • Cheeper on 30/11/2018 - 08:21

      He does not have a means to get the groceries home… no car.

  • whooah1979 on 30/11/2018 - 06:38
    +5

    Im just a middleaged single male

    Are you sure? Your grammar reads like a teenager.

    Edit. Your posts date back more than three years. Your earlier posts are easier to understand than this one. What happened between "People cant mind their own business" and "Apartment fire regulations".

    BTW. I'm not having a go at you. I'm curious as to what may prompt someone to stop posting and then return.

    whooah1979 on 30/11/2018 - 06:38 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
    • [Deactivated] on 30/11/2018 - 07:28
      -1

      Big thankyou to all you guys that responded and hints about meal planning and half price specials,as well as buying a rice cooker

      Mods I think time to close this thread now , as it went off track with the last comment , as its turned into about my grammar and personal attack.

      • Quantumcat on 30/11/2018 - 07:46
        +1

        You get a thread closed by reporting it, not by making some random comment asking for it to be closed (a mod will never see that).

        • [Deactivated] on 30/11/2018 - 08:13

          Thanks for that, i have asked the Mods

  • Quantumcat on 30/11/2018 - 07:45

    It would be cheaper for you to get a car and shop at Woolies than to shop at 7-11 and not have a car.

    I spend about $100/week between two people, might be $70 if I was on my own. So monthly = $280. $800-$280 = $520. Registration and insurance might be something like $1000 a year, petrol probably $100/month (you're not driving a lot) $520 X 12 - ($1000 + $100*12) = $4040

    You would have a $4040 profit by buying a car and shopping the same as I do (all 50% off specials etc).

  • c64 on 30/11/2018 - 07:49

    Shocked today to see my gricery bill on my commbank app at $643for the month plus add eating out/ takeaways expense at $192

    the solution is clear - you need to cut out those expensive groceries and stick to eatout/takeaways

  • Savas on 30/11/2018 - 07:59
    +1

    I used to live off IGA for $50/week. I'd buy whatever meat was on special and eat it with carrots and potatoes. God only knows what you were buying. Even $192 for takeaway would surely he enough to eat at a restaurant almost every night.

  • chumlee on 30/11/2018 - 08:18

    Why not just do lite & easy for something like that if you still want convenience with a set budget in mind?

  • Cheeper on 30/11/2018 - 08:24
    +2

    $643 mth.. Are cigarettes included in that?

  • daalinz on 30/11/2018 - 08:54

    Here's a few ideas:

    • I'd suggest cooking in bulk. Make enough for 5-10+ meal servings in each cooking session and freeze the meals (may need to buy an additional freezer).
    • Get some kind of portable trolley and go to a fruit and veg market fortnightly.
    • Oats are a cheap breakfast.
    • You can buy bread and freeze it.
    • See if someone you know has a costco membership and a car - do a bulk shop.
    • Buy a slow cooker (i got a rice cooker/slow cooker combo) and try slow cook recipes - throw stuff in and it'll cook itself
  • Baysew on 30/11/2018 - 09:06
    +1

    Perhaps you should look at your spending. Take a leaf out your workmate's book Grocery shopping itemising everything?? instead of trying to ridicule them.

  • [Deactivated] on 30/11/2018 - 09:15

    Maybe start with having mainly oats for breakfast.

    Annalisa beans and canned tomato are 70c bargains this week at Coles. Stock up.

  • renster72 on 30/11/2018 - 09:24

    Could even look at youfoodz, plenty of discounts on OzBargain

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