Bargain Mums top tips on the $100-a-week grocery shop.

After asking how much money Bargain Mums Facebook fans spend per week on grocery shopping, I have had many fans wanting to know how our family, consisting of two adults, one toddler and two dogs, keep our grocery bill so low.  So I thought I would put together my top tips for how I personally feed our family for so little.  Before you all start thinking we must live on air, keep reading, it can be done and after a while it just becomes habit.  Here is how I do it:

1. Buy your meat from your local butcher - Our local butcher in SA happens to be Gawler River Cattle Co, they are amazing.  They release specials each week, one of my recent favourites being beef rump steak for $4.99kg.  We now have a freezer full of rump steak, but it is so much cheaper than the major supermarkets, and better quality (A major supermarket recently had beef rump on special for $14.99kg, so you can see the difference between butcher and supermarket prices)
2. Buy your fruit & veg from your local greengrocer - Once again for those in SA, my pick of the greengrocers is Virgara's Fruit & Veg in Angle Vale, I am a massive fan.  They also have advertised weekly specials, often including bargain such as 1c apples and onions.  I use these specials to my advantage, thinking of meals that involve the current cheap veggies.  Buying in season will always reduce your grocery bill.  
3. Use natural cleaning products - There is no need for most of the overly expensive cleaning products lining the supermarket shelves.  Using mostly natural cleaning products has shaved hundreds each year off our grocery bill.  Try stocking up on bi-carb and vinegar, these two ingredients have so many uses.  Keep watching this blog, I will be sharing my natural cleaning tips in the near future.
4. Choose your supermarket wisely - I discovered a long time ago that the big two supermarkets charge so much more for essential items than the smaller, independent supermarkets.  Sure, The big two have many items half price each week, but I can't say the endless soft drink and chocolate bars ever really make it into our trolley.  I find the independent supermarkets have amazing specials on the basic everyday products that we actually use.  For those in SA, my tip for the cheapest supermarkets is Foodland and Drake supermarkets.  For those in other states, Aldi are fantastic for certain items.
5. Make as much as you can from scratch - This has been something I have always done, there is no need for recipe bases, cake mixes etc.  Packets of cake mix only include the dry ingredients, you still need to add the majority of the ingredients, making for one expensive cake.  As for those recipe bases, invest in some great cookbooks (I love Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food) and start experimenting with herbs and spices to add flavour to your meals.

These are just a few of my tips, I hope they help you shave some money off your grocery bill.