How to be smarter, faster and savvier in the aisles.

You duck to the shops to grab a few things for dinner. $100 big ones later you're wondering what went wrong. What we see as a quick trip to the supermarket is more like a wander round Temptation Island with every advertiser on the planet desperate to distract you for a dollar. Here's how to do it your way.


Don't get sucked in
According to Zee Hutchinson, editor of Bargain Shopper's Guide to Sydney ($9.95, Universal Magazines), manufacturers pay more for eye-level positioning on the shelves.

"Look lower on the shelves ­- those brands are almost always cheaper," she says. "They also pay a fortune to place their items at the end of aisles, so you think they're on special when they're often not."

Watch out for new packaging, cautions Hutchinson - sometimes the item will weigh less yet cost more than it used to.

Shop around - literally
By working the perimeter of the supermarket you're more likely to fill your trolley with healthy wholefoods - fruit, vegies, meat, dairy and grains - while sidestepping the aisles of doom filled with lollies, chips and soft drink.

But don't disregard the frozen section: produce is usually picked when it’s freshest, then snap-frozen, so it may be even more nutritious than fresh produce that's travelled all the way from paddock to shelf.


Be self-sufficient
Think like your great grandma during the Great Depression. Short of killing your own cow, is there anything you can make yourself? Mix lemon juice, vinegar and baking soda and you've got an all-purpose (and eco-friendly) cleaner. Grow your own herbs: a bunch of basil can cost upwards of $3. And forgo bottles of liquid hand wash - they don't call it soap because it's actually not, and it just dries your hands out. Stick to cheapo soap bars.


Pick your moment
If you can, do your grocery shopping in the middle of the day when it's quieter. "You're also more likely to be hungry and buy junk at around 5:30pm," explains Hutchinson. Fruit and vegies seem to be cheaper, she adds, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and prices often plummet near closing time - to make way for the morning's fresh offerings.