Supermarket Sleuths: The supermarket switch that will save you $12 a week
By Jo Abi|
I? keep trying to find ways to free up as much grocery money as possible each week, and I've come up with a doozy.
Already I'd developed an elaborate system that allows me to take advantage of all the different weekly specials, then there was strict meal planning to reduce food waste.
Now I am taking a close look at the non-food items I regularly purchase at supermarkets and trying to find alternative retailers.
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Already I'm buying items such as cleaning products and stationary and homewares elsewhere, and for the most part they are cheaper.
The next group of items on my hit list is pet food and pet products, which is eating up a major chunk of my grocery budget simply because I'd gotten into the habit of buying them at the supermarket out of convenience.
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This was fine when I had just one cat, then I got two, then pet food prices began increasing along with seemingly every other item in supermarkets.
I don't know about your pets, but mine are so fussy. They won't eat whatever random pet food is on special. They prefer one particular dry food and a couple of wet foods and nothing else.?
My cat's favourite wet food has gone up from $7 for a pack of five to $10, which seems ridiculous to me. And? their favourite dry food is equally pricey at $32 per bag.
I need eight packets of five of their wet food and one bag of dry food each month, which costs me approximately ?$28 a week or $112 a month.
There is so much I can do with that extra $28 a week in our grocery budget and equally, can save so much money if I buy cat food at other retailers.?
I have a relative ?who suggested I begin cooking cat food, but I'm not convinced this will be more affordable, for one, and I struggle to find time to cook for my human children. So that's not a realistic suggestion.
So I began a quest to find the most affordable pet food retailer, and it wasn't any of the major supermarkets.
I found affordable pet food at The Reject Shop, of all places, and also cat litter, which I always need more of.
The only problem was The Reject Shop didn't have enough of the pet food I needed to stock up, so I bought what they had and plan to keep an eye out for more of it.
They were selling my cat's favourite wet food in packs of five for $8.50, saving me $12 a week and $48 per month.?
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Then I headed to Big W where I found cat litter on sale too. I'd never thought of Big W as a place for pet products but they have a pretty extensive range.
Then there are online retailers that regularly sell affordable cat food.
So, I have removed cat food from my weekly grocery budget and created a separate monthly budget for cat food and cat litter.
That leaves my grocery budget for human food only.
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This will take a little effort at the beginning, like all of my money-saving strategies, but it is worth it and will soon become a part of your routine.
The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. The information has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information on this website you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.
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