Four life-saving spending hacks for your next trip to the supermarket.

I will admit, I am one of those people always looking for money-saving tricks.

Whether it’s never spending your $5 notes or skipping the morning coffee, a money tip is music to my ears.

But, one of my real weaknesses is going to the supermarket.

My plan is just to get a few things for my lunch tomorrow, and the next minute I have bought four different moisturisers, Cadbury’s latest chocolate invention, and definitely two tubs of ice cream.

It appears I’m not alone, after Scott Cunningham, founder of HaggleGroceries.com.au, appeared on The Today Show with some genius tips for people like me.

Get your pen and paper out, and take note.

Listen to our Podcast Queens on money saving. (Post continues after audio.)

1. Prepare before you leave the house

As Scott says, before even entering the shopping centre you should be checking out what you already have.

Snoop through your entire pantry and fridge to see what’s there, so you don’t end up buying two.

“How often do you go into and buy some tinned tomatoes and you come home and realise you already have some,” Scott said.

And, boy, is that right.

I honestly don’t know the amount of times I have planned to make spaghetti bolognese, bought myself all the ingredients and then realised there are already five cans of tinned tomatoes.

Not only that, but Scott recommends to not be wasteful of your food.

Particularly in the fridge, many people have the tendency to throw food out as soon as it ticks over the best before date.

Here are some more ways to save money in the kitchen. Post continues after gallery. 

The idea that all your food goes sour and gross after the best before date is a complete fallacy, according to Scott.

“If you use your nose, if it smells goods and looks good, then it’s okay to eat.”

2. Only fall for the right kind of deals.

Straight up: I’m guilty of falling for all the bargains.

If you’re offering me 2-for-1 chocolate bars, ice creams, or biscuits, then I’m immediately grabbing a trolley.

Unsurprisingly, this is something we really, really shouldn’t be doing.

Some may argue it’s actually saving us money, but on food products like chocolate, it’s something that we eat so quickly. In just one sitting, I can easily eat two chocolate bars, but if I hadn’t fallen for the 2-for-1 deal I would have been happy with one.

Compare that to a product like Wheetbix, we’re never going to “splurge” on our morning cereal. It’s always the same.

So, on those products that are generally portion controlled (think condiments, spreads, etc.) the bargains are something we should embrace.

Basically: don’t be a fool and shop impulsively (like me).

3. Double the shelf life of your items.

Supermarkets are always trying to maximise the time that food items can stay on shelves, so why don’t we do the same?

Instead of being wasteful, Scott says we can pick up heaps of handy tricks to make our food last longer.

Kochie and Libby share their tips on managing money. (Post continues after video.)

One great example is to always keep your fruit and vegetables separate. Many fruits emit a gas called ethylene, which causes the vegetables around it to ripen faster than we can eat them.

Unless you purposefully ripen your avocados, then keep them far away from your fruit.

4. Introduce a fridge dinner once a week.

Yep, that’s right.

Rather than shopping daily for dinner ingredients, check out what you already have in the fridge.

Despite the fact it might only look like you have milk, apples, and some dodgy cheese leftover, Scott says people are amazed by what you can actually put together.

If you promise, for one night a week, you don’t buy anything from the supermarket and rely on what’s at home, you can save $20 on a meal.

For more money-saving tips, you can visit HaggleGroceries.com.au.