Cost of living: Tauranga mum shares advice on how she keeps the bills down as grocery costs increase

The rising cost of living and the return of inflation is hitting Kiwis hard. Today, NZME is broadening its coverage of the cost of living crisis impacting all New Zealanders. We look at how skyrocketing costs of living are impacting us all, and seek advice from experts and locals on how to manage your finances through these tough times.

The food budget for Chanchal Saraswat’s family has doubled in three years, but the Tauranga mother saves money in her weekly shop by buying seasonal vegetables, buying in bulk and sharing with others.

When the Bay of Plenty Times last spoke to Saraswat in 2020, she had a weekly budget of $120 to feed her family, but that has ballooned to between $250 and $300.

The increase was largely due to the cost of food, she said, but their two sons, aged 10 and seven, were eating more than they used to.

According to figures released by Stats NZ earlier this month, food prices increased by 12 per cent over the past 12 months – soaring the most since 1989 in the year to February.

In a bid to inform New Zealanders through these tough times, the Herald Price Tracker has been launched online today.

The digital tracker looks at the price variations of different items and the average living costs of different households in New Zealand.

Saraswat said she had noticed that prices for most food items had jumped for “milk, butter, fruits, vegetables, bread - almost everything”.

Saraswat works part-time and her husband full-time, and each week she plans meals and creates a list of the groceries she’ll need to feed the family and their two dogs for the week.

To help keep costs down, Saraswat buys seasonally, heads to the farmers’ market, trades goods with other people and buys in bulk.

“We plan what specials are there, what specials on fruits and vegetables are there, because they help reduce the cost.

“Going to the farmers’ market is always helpful because it’s cheap and fresh and sometimes gives you a deal - it’s always a good place to go.”

The family, who own a home in Bellevue, avoid getting takeaways as best they can and Saraswat prefers cooking from scratch and avoiding processed, unhealthy foods.

She said it was “hard to start” even when it came to cost, but was worth it in the long-term — she had been grocery shopping this way for nearly 12 years.

Tauranga mother of two Chanchal Saraswat. Photo / Andrew Warner

“I’ve been doing it for so long so it’s easy-peasy, but you have to want to do it,” Saraswat said. “Starting the process is a bit challenging, but once you’re into it, you know where to go, where it’s cheap.

“When you start buying bulk, you spend a lot of money in the first and second week for one product, but over a period of time, you start saving loads.

“You might be nervous; it might be tricky because you don’t know, but you’ll see the prices around you and will see the difference.”

Saraswat also shares with others via social media, finding that some people often have surplus goods that can be traded or bought.

Bay Financial Mentors manager Shirley McCombe said there were three key areas people needed to focus on when setting up a food budget.

The first was planning.

People should plan their meals for the week and make a list of ingredients without buying anything else.

Taking a calculator and using it while shopping would help people stick to their budget.

“Don’t take the kids if you can avoid it and don’t go when you’re hungry, or you’ll be more tempted to buy quick and easy food,” she said.

“Limit the days you go to the supermarket to once a week. The more you visit, the more you spend.”

It was important to think about what nights people would be busy or tired and what they could prepare that was easy to avoid reverting to takeaways, McCombe said.

Bay Financial Mentors general manager Shirley McCombe.

Taking lunch - and even breakfast - to work in the morning was a great way to avoid stopping at the service station on the way to work and buying a sausage roll or energy drink to fuel the day.

“With a little planning, they could feed their family for a week on the money they are spending each day at the servo.”

McCombe said growing vegetables at home - in particular, those that grew quickly like lettuce and spinach - helped keep costs down.

The second key area was how and where people shopped.

Changing supermarkets or buying items from bulk purchasing stores was worth thinking about.

“You can save significant amounts of money by taking the time to look at the options,” McCombe said.

“Vegetables are often much cheaper elsewhere, you don’t have to buy them from the supermarket. Don’t buy it just because it is what you usually have. Look at what is in season or readily available and find ways to use it.”

Shopping for the important stuff first and using any leftover money to buy treats enabled families to have the food they needed for the week.

The final key area was maximising ways food could go further, such as adding grated vegetables - those on special - or lentils to mince, McCombe said.

The price of potatoes could rise, so choosing rice or pasta some nights was a good idea, as well as not wasting food by freezing leftovers.

“If your kids have lunches in school, encourage them to eat them,” McCombe said.

“Make a game of how much you can save by making the most of the resources available, then put the savings toward something you can all enjoy.

“Work together as a family, street or community. Share the produce from vegetable gardens and fruit trees with each other so nothing goes to waste.”