Simple trick to help save money on your food shop

Cost of living has hit Aussies where they shop – yet food waste is still on the rise. One expert offered a simple solution anyone can implement.

That sad salad in your fridge may be saying more about your spending than you think. As grocery prices climb and budgets tighten, one wasteful habit is quietly draining Aussie wallets – and it’s hiding in plain sight.

A new survey has revealed cost of living has hit Aussies where they shop – yet food waste is still on the rise.

The findings come from a survey of 2503 Australians by the Lighthouse Consumer Tracker: March 2025 Update, conducted exclusively by the News Corp Australia’s Growth Intelligence Centre (GIC).

The survey found Australians continue to waste food, with nearly one in two doing so in March (46 per cent up from 38 per cent in Jan) and everyday habits such as buying ingredients for a meal then ordering takeaway have doubled since January.

One in four surveyed spent money on lunch instead of bringing it from home, while buying ingredients for dinner then deciding to order in/eat out rose most in the younger generations with Gen Z up to 28 per cent in March.

Participants were asked which of these have you personally done in the past month?

Senior research fellow at Monash University’s BehaviourWorks Australia Dr Mark Boulet said the trends aren’t surprising but there are some simple fixes Aussies can implement to help.

“There’s a disconnect that’s happening at the moment where the food that we throw out, we still don’t associate with an actual loss,” Dr Boulet said.

“And that cost of living crisis hasn’t yet translated to people actually avoiding wasting food at home.”

The survey also found Aussies are turning to budget brands, loyalty programs and the freezer section in order to save some cash on groceries with one in two turning to cheaper/budget brands (49 per cent), 39 per cent using loyalty programs and rewards, one in four buying frozen items (28 per cent), and the same amount of people (25 per cent) buying in bulk.

Participants were asked in relation to buying and paying for groceries, which of the following are you doing?

“One growing trend we’re seeing in this space is home cooks are increasingly seeking out recipes that freeze well, and the good news is we’re now in the peak season for it,” Content Director at Australia’s #1 cooking resource taste.com.au Laura Simpson said.

“Freezing salad ingredients in summer is pretty much a no-no (although our food team has a clever method for freezing avocados that really does work), but freezing dishes like slow cooker stews and bakes often has the effect of making them taste even better than the day they were cooked,” Simpson said.

“The most popular dinners on taste.com.au right now can all be made in batches and frozen.”

Simson said her top two recommendations include slow cooker braised steak and onions, which can be served with mash, in a pie, or even with a side of veg and crusty bread, and slow cooker lamb shanks, which will freeze well for up to three months.

“I’d encourage everyone to think of their freezers as an extension of their pantries,” Simpson said.

“Just be sure to keep it in order and label things well. We’ve all had that moment where we’ve gone diving down to the bottom of the freezer to find a miscellaneous meat dish of unknown origin! Use a permanent marker, and always include the date you made the dish.”

Dr Mark Boulet works with campaigns such as OzHarvest Use it Up and The Great Unwaste. Picture: Supplied.

Dr Boulet said people can save money by cooking what they are going to eat.

Dr Boulet stressed food behaviours are largely habitual and there’s strong data showing the effects of cost of living on Australian families but that an obvious ‘two birds with one stone’ solution could be used to help reduce food waste and stretch shopping budgets further.

“The things people are doing like buying cheaper brands, buying frozen items which is great, buying in bulk (of which there are questions as to whether or not that actually produces food waste),” he said.

“So it’s interesting that the sort of stuff that they’re turning to, probably in terms of bank for buck to reduce food waste, are potentially a little bit limited.”

“I always check what’s in the house before I go shopping so I don’t double up on things and I’m a father of a family so we always try to cook what we are going to eat.

“So that means we measure out spaghetti and rice and all those things we try and measure that out based on who will be eating so we don’t cook more than we’re gonna eat,” he said.

Australian of the Year Local Hero in 2023 and head of the Turbans 4 Australia charity Amar Singh has seen first hand the harsh effects of cost of living.

“We have seen a sharp decline in donations up to 50 per cent, as cost of living hurts average Aussies, it’s also making donors pull their hand back,” Mr Singh said.

Food charity Turbans 4 Australia are experiencing a simultaneous drop in donations and increase in demand. Picture: Supplied.

“We have seen the demand go up by 40 per cent across Sydney and Melbourne, people are asking for personal hygiene, sanitary products more often now. Many young families are asking for food vouchers and baby food.”

The Turbans 4 Australia program is seeking community and corporate sponsors in an effort to keep providing food to those who need it.

“This cost of living crisis is only getting worse day by day, on average we will get 10-15 new people reach out for assistance.”

Originally published as Simple trick to help save money on your food shop