As the cost- of-living crisis continues to bite, Australians are always looking for new ways to save money on their weekly shop.
Consumer advocacy group CHOICE last week released the results of the second wave of its quarterly, government-funded report on supermarket prices across Australia.
It found that the cost of both Aldi and Coles baskets including specials have dropped since the first survey, while the price of the Woolworths basket with specials has increased.
CHOICE says the data shows that genuine specials and knowing where and how to shop can make a difference when it comes to saving money at the supermarket.
We’ve rounded up some of the best tips experts say will make a difference to your grocery bill.
Be wary of words like ‘discount’
The psychological impact of words like ‘discount’ can influence people to skip extra detail, academics say.
That illusion of a discount plays into a human bias to process information as quickly and easily as possible, according to Deakin University consumer behaviour expert Paul Harrison.
“There is really strong research that people do bypass detail when they see something is discounted … it serves as a shortcut and a way for a person to say, ‘I don’t need to process detailed information about it’,” he told AAP.
“You could say it’s a form of manipulation.
“We trust these institutions to tell us the truth and if it says it’s a discount, we assume it actually is.”
Macquarie University marketing professor Jana Bowden agreed and said supermarkets actively “exploit” that psychology.
Prof. Bowden said a shopper can shift from “rational and careful” to “emotionally-laden” when confronted with a discount.
“Consumers are confronted with a full FOMO effect — they feel a simmering sense of unease and guilt if they don’t buy now, and buy on a deal,” she told AAP.
Compare the price per unit
So, how can you rationally work out if you are getting a good discount?
“Learning to read the unit price on the price tags in supermarkets is the first thing you need to pay attention to if you want to work out the best deal,” CHOICE spokesperson Mark Serrels said.
Unit pricing is where you compare deals based on the price per a standard unit of measurement.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) gives some good examples of this:
- beef: price per kilogram
- laundry detergent: price per litre
- avocados: price per avocado.
In this example from the ACCC, two laundry detergent price stickers are shown.
While the ticket price for the 2.5 litre option is more expensive, it works out to be a lower price per litre — which means it is actually better value for money.
But Mr Serrels said unit pricing sometimes showed it was not always cheaper to buy in bulk.
“Sometimes you think you’ll buy in bulk and save money but you check the unit price and go ‘actually its cheaper if I buy this one instead of that one’,” he said.
There is a mandatory code set by the ACCC under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 that requires retailers to display unit pricing for certain products.
These are:
- bread
- breakfast cereal
- butter
- eggs
- flour
- fresh fruit and vegetables
- fresh milk
- meat
- rice
- sugar
- other packaged food.
You can read more details on the unit pricing code on the ACCC’s website.
Try to shop around
If you can, CHOICE advises shoppers to shop at different supermarkets to take advantage of specials.
According to the group’s new research released today, buying a basket of Aldi groceries is $18 cheaper when compared with the same items sold at Coles and Woolworths.
The research also again found little price difference between the two major grocers.
Mr Serrels said starting at Aldi is the best way to save at the check-out.
“I’ll shop at Aldi first because they tend to be cheaper for all staples and what I can’t buy I go to Woolworths or Coles,” he said.
“This is a bit more challenging if you don’t live near somewhere that might have a shopping centre with a few of the supermarkets but it is a really smart way to shop,” Mr Serrels said.
Mr Serrels said it was harder for Australians living in areas with limited choices — this is especially true for people in rural areas or who have mobility issues.
But there are still options, Mr Serrels said.
“More co-op style shops are becoming more popular,” he said.
“You can also do things like shop direct from farmers or farmers markets for fresh produce.”
Other options might include a group of neighbours car pooling to shop further away to save on fuel.
Or perhaps going in with family members buy staples in bulk at discounted prices (again, check the price per unit!) and dividing them up amongst themselves.
Consider home-brand products
Mr Serrels said CHOICE often found home-brand ranges outperformed other more popular brands in blind taste tests.
“In general home-brands are pretty solid,” Mr Serrels said.
And it’s not just for food items either.
In December last year, a CHOICE test ranked a supermarket home-brand dishwashing tablet higher for cleanliness overall than brand-name products.
They cost just 19 cents a tablet.
Try frozen fruit and vegetables
Depending on the time of year, certain fruit and vegetables can be much cheaper from the tinned food or freezer aisle.
Nutrition academics say frozen produce can be just as health as fresh fruit and vegies — sometimes even healthier.
“Organic nutrients in fresh produce can decline in transit from paddock to your plate, and even while stored in your fridge,” University of South Australia nutrition and food science director Evangeline Mantzioris told the ABC.
But frozen fruit and vegetables are also often frozen at peak ripeness, so their nutrients are well preserved.
Canned fruit and vegies can also be health-conscious choices, just opt for low-salt options.
And pick tinned fruit preserved in juice instead of syrup to cut back on sugar.
The added benefit of frozen or tinned foods of fresh produce is that they keep for longer — meaning less food waste.
Use apps to track discounts and spending
There are various apps you can use on your mobile phone to check which supermarket has the products on your shopping list at the lowest price.
Apps like The Frugl or WiseList can help you compare prices of products across major Australian supermarkets.
Apps like Half Price show all the products that are currently half-price at Coles and Woolworths.
There are also various websites that compare prices between major supermarkets.
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I wish the government would legislate that unit prices have to be printed at a readable size. It’s almost impossible to read the miniscule print at which unit prices are printed under a label that shows the price in big letters.