It is becoming more difficult to make it through the week with your budget intact. If you want to save money on your weekly grocery bill you have to use all available technology.
One such innovation which many Australians are finding helpful is online grocery calculators. Both Aldi and Coles have an online catalogue and calculator which allows you to create a shopping list. Then all you need to do is compare it with the other company’s list and buy from the cheaper retailer. You may find yourself buying certain items which are on special at one supermarket and going to another for a different item.
Let’s start by looking at the Coles online shopping page here.
As you are not looking to order groceries online, but are simply researching prices, select the ‘New customers’ tab at the bottom left of the screen. Enter your postcode and click on ‘Start shopping’. If you are given a screen with more than one option, select the store you would be most likely to visit and click ‘Start shopping’.
There are several tabs at the top of the Coles online shopping page. The first you should look at is ‘Specials’. Once you have scoped out what may be a cheap buy this week, you can start shopping. Click the ‘Express Shop’ tab. This will allow you to create a printable shopping list.
Enter your shopping list as if you were writing it on a piece of paper (milk, cheese, bread, toothpaste etc.). Once you have entered all of the items required, on the right hand side of the notepad, click ‘Search’.
A range of options will come up for each item to select and add to your list (you can arrange your shopping options by brand, price or ‘on special’ to find the best bargain).
When you have selected which brand and price you would prefer and you are satisfied with your list, on the right hand side of the page select ‘View entire trolley’ and then click ‘Print Friendly’.
Using this method we selected eight items on the Coles grocery list and the visit amounted to a total of $30.86.
We then visited the ALDI online shopping website at www.smartershopping.com.au which has an incredibly user friendly shopping list. We selected either exactly the same item or brands that were of a similar standard to those offered at Coles and came out with a total of $21.08, a saving of $9.78.
