Am I Australia's most Boring Grocery Shopper?

Am I Australia's most boring shopper?

I asked myself that question this afternoon after I wrote up my shopping list, using the IGA, Coles and Woolworths catalogues to round out what I wasn't able to get at Aldi (always my first stop for groceries).

There were lots of things on sale at all three supermarkets, but out of all the grocery items available, and there were hundreds, I put four things on my list.

The problem is I don't buy chips or Cheezels, blocks of chocolate, soft drinks, alcohol, sugary cereals, biscuits, washing powder, bathroom cleaners, deli items (well not regularly anyway), yoghurt, lollies, cakes and muffins or meat. OK, I do buy meat, but I buy it from Tasman Meats or Australian Butcher or Farmer Joe's, where it is half the supermarket prices.

My trolley is usually full of flour, sugar, milk, oil, butter, eggs, wheat biscuits, bran, milk powder, peanut butter, honey, baked beans, tomato soup, tuna, pineapple rings, beetroot, dried beans and soup mix, frozen corn, cheese and dried fruit.

My problem is each week when I look through the catalogues, I don't find very many of those things on sale.

So am I Australia's most boring grocery shopper? I get excited at half price shampoo and toothpaste; I go crazy and stock up on baking paper and foil when it's on sale; I jump for joy when I find mince for $5.99 a kilo and when tea bags are half price you won't get the grin off my face for days.

But cans of Coke for $18? Washing powder? Frozen lasagne? Nothing. Nada. Zilch. I'm not even tempted.

I make my own washing powder - it costs 2-1/2 cents a load, a fraction of even the cheapest commercial powder.

Cheapskates Washing Powder

There isn't a commercial lasagne that even comes close to my homemade from scratch lasagne, for taste or price, so why would I buy it, especially when it costs less than $5 to make 12 serves?

If we want a fizzy drink I make it, there's nothing as refreshing as homemade gingerbeer or cordial or real lemonade  and there's nothing artificial in any of them.

Overnight Ginger Beer

Biscuits? We tried some bought biscuits last week. I was told everyone was raving about how good they were. I didn't mind them, but my family? No, they did not like them at all, and were quite adamant that homemade are much, much nicer. For me, homemade are cheaper too.

Homemade ANZAC Biscuits

Using the boring ingredients I buy each month I can make biscuits, cakes, breads, scones, pancakes, jams, soups, casseroles, stews, pies (savoury and sweet), sausage rolls, cordial, ginger beer, yoghurt, cheeses, sauces, gravies, dressings, even sweets and lollies that are full of flavour and devoid of rubbish ingredients. And all for much less than buying them.

If I am Australia's most boring shopper, so be it. I probably spend less for those boring ingredients a month than most families spend in a week, and we eat so much better.

I can live, happily, with that.