Most of us are cooking at home as the cost of living bites

Most Aussies are now cooking at home or swapping cafe coffees for a tasty cup made at home, new research shows.

The research reveals 68 percent of Aussies are so concerned about the rising cost of food and groceries they have forgone takeaway, are now thrifting clothes and swapping the gym for home workouts.

Choosing to line dry clothes instead of using a dryer (52%) was the third top swap – and bringing leftovers for lunch instead of buying it (42%) came fourth.

Despite 30% of Aussies spending an estimated $195m a week on takeaway, the majority are now limiting how much they spend on fast food and are cutting back.

More than two-thirds (64%) say they choosing to cut back on takeaways – opting for making their own meals at home instead.

Aussies are also hacking their meal portion sizes too. Almost half are downgrading portion sizes to make the weekly shop last longer, while 42% say they have reduced portion sizes to cut down on food spend.

According to the study, by meal kit brand EveryPlate, the majority of people have now targeted the weekly food shop as one of the key places to save money.

Almost all Aussies (84%) say that saving money on their weekly food shop is important to them.

Here, personal finance expert Joel Gibson reveals his top tips for cutting household costs.

1: Reducing takeaways: One of the best places to look for savings in the household budget is eating out and takeaways – for a family of four, it can cost almost $100 to order burgers from a local takeaway.

Why not make your favourite takeaway at home? Burgers, Thai food, fish and chips are all easy to make and quite delicious!

2. No cost entertainment: The research also revealed that nearly half (44%) of us are cutting back on entertainment, travel and fitness classes.

You don’t need to go without these things and curb your hobbies and interests, instead there’s actually quite a bit of free stuff around if you’re determined to hunt it down.

From free streaming services to free workouts to free music and events, you can still enjoy what you love while watching your spending

Platforms such as 10Play, 7Plus, 9Now are free and full of content, as is Spotify if you’re happy to listen to some ads. You can also join your local library for free books and DVDs.

3. Eschew the new: Vintage and recycled clothes aren’t as easy to find but when you strike gold, you’ll love them for years.

Surf online marketplaces next time you need a new outfit or join your local ‘buy swap sell’ page and see what you find.

If you find yourself browsing for new clothes online, apply the ’24 hour rule’: leave items in your cart for 24 hours and see if you still really need them – funnily enough, we often don’t.

For homewares and furniture, you could even join your local ‘Buy Nothing’ group on Facebook and you’ll see people giving away homewares and other unwanted goodies that might be exactly what you’re looking for.

Article originally posted on: https://www.lifestylenews.com.au/post/most-of-us-are-cooking-at-home-as-the-cost-of-living-bites