Savvy tricks: How mum cut $600 from monthly shopping bill

The blogger explained that there are certain foods people should always have stored in their pantry: pasta, rice and tomato purée. Photo / Instagram

A busy mother who use to spend $320 on groceries every week has revealed how a few simple tricks slashed her food bill in half.

Blogger Chantelle Ellem's food bill was spiralling out of control, that's until she sat down and came up with easy but effective changes to her shopping habits to get the price down to just $160 a week.

Speaking to Femail, the mum of two said she can sometimes get the bill down to just $100, even with hungry kids roaming the cupboards.

"Sometimes I can get it down to $100. Those weeks we'll eat less meat, but also cook from the freezer.

"On average, I usually hit around the $150 mark, and I'm pretty happy with that."

So how does the Fat Mum Slim blogger do it? Firstly, she targets the specials in grocery catalogues and plans her weekly meals around the items she can get on special.

"I start out by looking at the specials for the week, so I know what I'm working with, and then I have a meal plan sheet that I work from," she said.

"I write out what ingredients we need, what I already have in the pantry, and then create a list from there."

One tip was to look for the food items that are on special due to their odd shape or items on clearance.

Often supermarkets will have drop prices on oddly shaped fruits and vegetables that may not look as appealing but share the same flavour.

Another of Ellem's magic tips is to leave the kids at home and only go shopping when you're not hungry.

"You can also avoid overspending by shopping without the kids, making sure you shop on a full tummy, and by shopping to a list without straying from it."

The mother of two says your pantry should always be stocked with food such as pasta, rice and tomato puree as they are cheap and easy ways to bulk up a meal for little cost.

View this post on Instagram

Dinner idea // Cheesy vegetable and rice fritters. So easy to make and delicious to boot {add herbs for adults, or don't 😉}. Recipe over on my blog right now. {sp}

A post shared by Chantelle Ellem (@fatmumslim) on Aug 16, 2016 at 11:12pm PDT

Pasta and spaghetti can be as cheap as $1 which can be the base of delicious meals.

She added that it's better to incorporate fruit and vegetables that are in season as they tend to be cheaper.

When it comes to lunches she makes them in bulk at home, her go-tos being meatballs with a salad or soups for herself and her husband.

"It's all about balance, when feeding a family. You'll notice that the Vegemite pasta doesn't have a vegetable in sight, but it's one of those meals that you throw together and know the kids will eat," she said.

But the biggest change she's made was deciding to online shop instead of physically walking into the supermarket.

Ellem believes shopping online reduces the chances of impulse buying and forces you to stick to your shopping list.

Chantelle's grocery saving tips

• Meal plan. I always save when I'm organised.

• Shopping when I'm not hungry.

• Using my grocery rewards card

• Shop online. Without a doubt, when I shop online I spend less.

• Grab something from the Odd Bunch.

• Shop solo. I'm a sucker for giving in to my kids.

• Pick and choose. There are some things I like to spend more on (cuts of meat, the best hams from the deli, and local milks).