The MyCountdown app also has a shopping list, which is organised by aisle. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
The MyCountdown app also has a shopping list, which is organised by aisle. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Opinion by Diana Clement
Diana Clement is a freelance journalist who has written a column for the Herald since 2004. Before that, she was personal finance editor for the Sunday Business (now The Business) newspaper in London.
The cost of groceries has gone through the roof. Never mind that the supermarkets say they're rolling back the prices. Whether it's individual items or the overall bill at the till, groceries cost more.
Canstar's Pulse report earlier in the year found a doubling of people saying their biggestfinancial worry is groceries.
The vast majority of shoppers could spend less at the supermarket without impacting their nutrition or enjoyment of the food.
One great way to start if you want to reduce your overall spend is to plan your meals and have a paper or electronic shopping list. I use Google and just have to say: "OK Google, add milk to my shopping list" and it's done. The AnyList app has a 4.9 rating on Apple and 4.7 on Android, and has lists as well as meal planning that can feed into your lists. The MyCountdown app also has a shopping list, which is organised by aisle.
Shopping around can be another way to save money, but do be careful of racking up a petrol bill, says David Verry, financial mentor at North Harbour Budgeting Services.
Every day, thousands of New Zealanders are using the Grocer.nz app to compare the supermarkets' prices. Much to the surprise of the app's developer Roc Wong, the supermarkets send him price feeds to upload.
Some tell Wong they use the app to scan their spend as they put items in their trolleys. It avoids embarrassment at the till. Countdown says it's rolling out a Scan&Go app which will allow customers to track their spend as they go.
Another Grocer.nz user made a special trip to Pak'nSave to buy a bulk lot of discounted chocolate gift boxes, but didn't even find an empty shelf. When she waved her app at the manager, he found them in the warehouse for her.
Verry has a lot of good tips for cutting your supermarket bill. Start by making sure you eat before you go. Try to shop on your own, and get in and out quickly, which will help you stick to your list.
The vast majority of shoppers could spend less at the supermarket without impacting their nutrition or enjoyment of the food.
His service, and telephone-based mentors through MoneyTalks (0800 345 123), spend 90 per cent of their time helping clients deal with debts, but believe people could spend less at the supermarket if they learned how to meal plan and to cook from scratch. Takeaways for two adults and two or three children can cost the same as the entire week's supermarket shop for just one person, he says.
Meal planning can help make cooking easier, and lessen the temptation to order takeaways. The Lovefoodhatewaste.co.nz website is a great way to learn to plan and cook.
Another great tip that I learned from a MoneyTalks budget adviser a few years ago is to cost out the protein on your plate. The cost of protein varies hugely and assuming that you need to eat a huge slab of meat every day is a misnomer. When did you last hear of anyone dying from cutting back their meat intake?
Use a slow cooker, or do stir-fries, and bulk up the food with vegetables, rice, pasta or potato. NZ beef mince was $14.49 per kg this week, but a cauliflower weighing more than a kilogram was $4.89. A can of lentils, that can help make the mince go further, was 99c.
Make your own fast food. It's not a crime to eat mince on toast with an egg, says Verry, who does just that sometimes. Or cook in bulk and freeze spare meals.
If you want to use your cost of living payment from the government to help out at the supermarket, stock up on essentials that last such as flour and toilet paper, and especially items on sale, he says.
Also, avoid the corner store. Always shop at competitively priced supermarkets and consider 'click and collect' services where you're not going to be tempted to buy more than you need.
Finally, do the maths on creating a vegetable garden. It really helps some people save money on fruit and vegetables.
