How to Save $ on Groceries

Did you know Australians paid close to 10% more for groceries in 2022 than in 2021? Inflation is stressing family budgets to breaking point. This is something really personal to me, as I am trying to feed a growing family of 3 young boys, a baby daughter plus my wife and I. We feel the pinch each week at the checkout. Our weekly spend is around $500, and that is if we've been particularly conscientious. If we're not organised with our food, that results in multiple trips to the shops, which in turn further blows a hole in our food budget.

Before we got ourselves organised and started planning out our meals, we would waste a mountain of food. Food waste is a MASSIVE problem globally!

🌍Did you know that if food waste were a country, it would be the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases behind the USA and China?

🤒Did you know that enough food is produced in the world to feed everyone?

💲Did you know that one-third of all food produced is lost or wasted – around 1.3 billion tonnes of food – costing the global economy close to $940 billion each year?

The above facts stunned me when I read them. Here we were trying to keep our food bill in check, yet some weeks we were wasting a lot of food. Social events or kid's sports would (and still do) interrupt our week. Prior to planning, what would eventuate was sporadic meals that resulted in more money spent on food, and more food waste than we care to admit.

This is why when we created MEALZEE we partnered with OzHarvest. OzHarvest is an amazing charity that helps divert food waste away from landfill and instead creates meals for people in need. With every MEALZEE subscription, we cover the delivery cost of 2 meals being delivered to someone in need. Ozharvest has some great tips for reducing food waste which helps save you money while helping the planet and those in need.

OzHarvest contributed to a report from 2022 by the Cooperative Research Centre that can help you achieve all of the above. The report devised 7 evidenced-based strategies to reduce household food wastage. Those 7 strategies are as follows:

#1: Prepare appropriate amounts of food by meal planning, assessing requirements, follow through on the meal plan. You can do this with MEALZEE (saves you time), or the traditional pen and paper method (see the free meal planner download link at the end of this article).

#2: Plan for changes by checking how many people will be at home before cooking meals.

#3: Eat leftovers! Allocate 1-2 per week for leftovers (I love this one).

#4: Purchase appropriate amounts. Use a shopping list, and avoid impulse buys (MEALZEE comes with an editable shopping list).

#5: Eat the oldest items first. Label a section in the fridge, freezer and pantry for “Eat me first”.

#6: Appropriate storage in fridge/ freezer. Store products according to the packet instructions.

#7: Encourage small servings. Offer small servings, but create enough to freeze or for second servings.

If you'd like to reduce food wastage and save money on your groceries bill, click on the appropriate link below to create your MEALZEE account. If you already have an account and would like a personal demo on how to get the most out of MEALZEE, please click the 'Book a Demo' button at the end of this article.

MEALZEE - Meal Planning Made Easy!

If you want to access recipes like this, create your MEALZEE account by clicking on the appropriate links below.

MEALZEE for Health and Fitness Professionals

MEALZEE for Dietitians

MEALZEE for the Personal Use

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