Save on your shop
Shop by unit price. The cheapest item on the shelf doesn’t always offer the best value for money. For a better buy, check the item’s unit price. This is a standard measure such as price per kilogram or price per litre.
Visit more than one store. CHOICE estimates you could save up to 40% by visiting more than one supermarket. Save time in the store by researching the specials before you go.
Save with imperfect fruit and vegetables. Big supermarkets sell fruit and vegetables under names like ‘Imperfect Picks’ or ‘The Odd Bunch’ at lower prices. Some online shops also sell ‘ugly’ fruit and vegetables for less.
Buy in bulk from wholesalers. You can save if you go straight to the source. Try searching online to ‘join a food hub to cut grocery bills’ or ‘buy fresh, imperfect produce’. You can save up to one-third on fruit and vegetables compared to supermarket prices.
Buy meat in bulk. Meat is usually the most expensive item on the shopping list. Buy it in bulk from a local or online wholesale butcher to save money (search online for ‘wholesale meat NSW’). Then break it into meal-size portions and freeze for later use. If you don’t have the freezer space, consider going halves with a friend.
Buy low-processed food. You often pay extra for convenience. Pre-made products like salads or items with sauces usually cost more than individual ingredients.
Buy frozen and canned foods. Swap some fresh vegetables and fruit with canned and frozen varieties. This can be cheaper and better than buying fresh produce if they're not in season. Long-life food is often as healthy. It is picked fresh and canned or frozen straight away. This also helps reduce food waste.
More information
Do you know which supermarket near you is cheapest? CHOICE's quarterly survey compares prices at supermarkets across the country. The survey results show average prices. Costs may change based on where you live and when you shop.
Plan out your meals
Get better value for your money by working out what you need in advance. Don’t have time? Use a meal planner instead. Even if you plan for just a few days a week, you’ll see a real difference in your supermarket spend.
No fancy ingredients? No worries! You can find easy, low-cost recipes from the University of Newcastle
Take a look at the NSW Government's Healthy Eating Active Living website for low-cost and healthy meal ideas and a weekly menu planner that you can print out and take to the supermarket.
The Australian Government’s Eat for Health website has healthy recipes with lots of vegetables. It also shows sample meal plans with all five food groups.
Nutrition Australia is a not-for-profit community organisation. It has lots of simple, quick, and cheap recipes.
Choice helps you compare frozen meals and other pre-packaged food to get the best value.
More cost-cutting ideas
- Make double batches of meals like curries, soups, or casseroles. You can freeze them or eat them later in the week.
- Have a meat-free meal at least once a week. It’s better for your health and will leave you with extra cash in your wallet.
- Make ground beef recipes like hamburgers and meatballs go further by adding breadcrumbs, rice, or finely chopped vegetables.
- Packaged food and drinks attract GST, which means you pay 10% more for these items. Learn more about GST-free food and find out which grocery items are taxable or GST-free.
Save on food waste
Before going to the supermarket, see if you have leftover groceries that you can use up. You’ll save cash and stop expensive food from going in the bin.
The NSW Government has a free online program to help you save money and reduce food waste. It also gives easy tips for using leftovers.
Oz Harvest, an Australian food rescue group, has lots of tips to use your leftovers. Ideas include ‘Fridge Clean Out Nachos’ and ‘Floppy Broccoli Soup’.
Got leftover food in the fridge? Use the Food Wise recipe finder and meal planner to get through your groceries. You’ll find ideas for almost every item in the pantry.
Super Cook helps you use what you already have at home. It gives great recipes to avoid wasting food.
More cost-cutting ideas
- Search online for ‘food scrap cooking’ tips to get the most out of your food scraps.
- Visit your local council’s website for food-waste ideas and advice.
Grow your own
You don’t need a lot of space to grow a few veggies. Grow one or two easy plants at home. This lets you choose what goes in your food and helps lower grocery costs.
NSW has hundreds of community gardens. They can give you ideas on what to grow and sometimes even seeds to get started. Consider swapping your time for a free share of the harvest.
Sustainable Gardening Australia
Want to know more about gardening? This not-for-profit group is a helpful resource. It offers planting schedules, growing guides, online workshops, and other ideas for gardening.
More cost-cutting ideas
- Polystyrene boxes are ideal for planting lettuce, parsley and leafy greens. You’ll need a deeper box for larger vegetables – cut the base off one box and stand it on top of another for extra depth.
- If you don’t have a suitable pot or box, try using garbage bags or reusable grocery bags instead.
Emergency and disability relief
If you’re struggling to pay for food or essentials, these community resources provide free meals, emergency parcels and other practical assistance.
The Ask Izzy website lists thousands of support services around Australia. Enter your postcode to find free community meals and street kitchens. You can also see school breakfast programs and emergency food services near you.
One Meal offers food relief services like free community meals and pantry packs in 5 areas of greater Sydney.
Australian hunger relief organisation Food Bank sources food for people in need. Search by postcode to find food support services and help near you.
Anglicare is a Christian charity. It offers low-cost fresh food and staples at mobile pantries and op shops. It also provides emergency food parcels for people in need.
Christian charity St Vincent de Paul provides people in immediate crisis with food and other everyday essentials through its support centres and Vinnies Vans.
The Rev Bill Crews Foundation’s tasty and nutritious meals are served from their popular free sit-down restaurants in venues in western Sydney, as well as mobile food van sites across the city suburbs.
Sikh charity organisation Turbans 4 Australia has helped thousands of Australians in need. Every Sunday, they give out free food and grocery hampers to people who need help. This happens at their Clyde headquarters in western Sydney.
Oz Harvest Market is a charity with the motto ‘take what you need and give what you can.’ It gives free rescued fruit, vegetables, and pantry items to people in need at its Waterloo market in Sydney.
Meals on Wheels offers cheap, healthy meals for those unable to shop or cook for themselves.
Tools and calculators
Nutritious food can be expensive – these tools can help you work out what you need to stay healthy.
Average recommended number of serves calculator
Work out how many daily servings you need from each of the 5 food groups.
Quiz: how healthy are my habits?
Check in with your current habits and see where you might be able to improve your diet.