How a family of four slashed $18,000 a year from their grocery bill

We all head to the supermarket with the best intentions of saving.

But after a few impulse buys, some extra snacks and a lovely cut of meat, you suddenly find your grocery bill has spiralled out of control.

Sydney couple Michael and Sabrina Maiorano and their two children spend on average A$650 (NZ$707) a week on groceries, equating to A$37,000 (NZ$40,000) a year at the checkout.

Their food bill equated to more than double the Australian national yearly average of A$13,900 per household.

But now the family who once made all the wrong supermarket mistakes has cut an incredible A$17,000 (NZ$18,000) a year off their grocery bill by making small and simple easy swaps.

The Maioranos have released their five tips that'll save families around New Zealand and Australia thousands of dollars...

1. MAKE YOUR OWN CRUMBED CHICKEN
   The family was buying 2 x 400g of pre-crumbed chicken tenders each week, which costs around A$20. Crunching the numbers, they were paying someone A$8.60 just to crumb the chicken. But by buying the same amount of plain breast chicken for A$11.20 and making their own crumb from scratch using bread, rosemary and other herbs, it saves A$670 a year.
   
   
2. MAKE YOUR OWN SNACK PACKS
   The Maioranos were buying pre-packaged cheese and biscuits snacks for their daughters each week. But by buying sliced cheese and a packet of biscuits, and creating their own snack packs, they can save A$290 a year.
   
   
3. MAKE YOUR OWN YOGHURT TREATS
   The family was buying around A$1248 worth of Chobani flip yoghurts each year for their two daughters as an after-school snack. Not only do they contain around four teaspoons of sugar per serve, they are costing around A$3 per item. But by buying a larger tub, and a few additives like frozen blueberries and muesli — the family could save themselves A$780 each year — and cut the sugar intake by half.
   
   
4. SWAP BIG BRANDS FOR GENERICS
   Australians eat over 180 million kilos of cereal each year, with the favourite being Weet-Bix. But by swapping to a generic brand the average family could save A60 cents per packet. The savings can even apply to beer. With some craft varieties costing around A$20 for a sixpack, swapping to a cheaper alternative could save an average consumer A$1500 a year. Another saving comes from the deli section at your local supermarket. By simply ordering your bacon from the butcher section instead of buying pre-packaged, you're looking at an average saving of A$60 a year.
   
   
5. GO VEGETARIAN TWO NIGHTS A WEEK
   On average, for a family consuming meat or poultry ever night a week, opting for vegetarian just one day could save around A$650 a year. Not only can it be good for your hip pocket, but going vegetarian just once or twice a week and leaving steak off the barbecue can do wonders for your health, a leading dietitian says. If you're unlikely to cut out meat, try opting for a cheaper cut of meat. They might need a longer cooking time but they are often even tastier than expensive joints, especially if marinated or seasoned.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission.