Fast food eating away at Queensland budgets
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Queenslanders looking to tighten their budgets have been urged to consider how much they spent on lunches and take away food as new RACQ Bank research revealed one third of those surveyed admit they have had to forego buying groceries due to financial pressures.
RACQ spokesperson Lucinda Ross said the research revealed, on average, those surveyed spent $46 per week on take away food and 67 percent purchased lunch out at least once per week at an average cost of $21.29.
“Food and consumables make up a large part of the weekly budget for most families, and this amount grows considerably when adding take away to the mix,” Ms Ross said.
“While we think it’s great to be able to get out and eat at a local restaurant or café, just make sure you’re factoring these extra costs into your budget, so it doesn’t come at the expense of other important bills and necessary purchases.”
Ms Ross said the research showed 64 percent of Queenslanders set a food budget, but more than 80 percent struggled to stick to it.
“If you’ve set a food budget for the week and unexpectedly decide to eat out, take a look at how you can bring down your grocery bill so you can still stick to your plan,” she said.
Eating out or not, Ms Ross said Queenslanders surveyed claimed they were looking to tighten their spending on food, with 75 percent saying they had tried to reduce the cost of their groceries.
“Making a list, shopping around and meal planning are some of the things Queenslanders told us they’re doing to cut their grocery bill,” she said.
“Sadly, some people are also simply going without certain items.”
RACQ’s top tips to reduce your weekly food bill:
• Plan your meals and make a list of ingredients to cut costs and avoid waste
• Clean out your pantry and fridge before grocery shopping and use what you have first
• Do your grocery shopping online and click and collect to avoid temptations instore.
The information in this article has been prepared for general information purposes only and not as specific advice to any particular person. Any advice contained in the document is general advice and does not take into account any person's particular investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on anything based on this advice you should consider its appropriateness to you, having regard to your objectives, financial situations and needs.
“Food and consumables make up a large part of the weekly budget for most families, and this amount grows considerably when adding take away to the mix,” Ms Ross said.
“While we think it’s great to be able to get out and eat at a local restaurant or café, just make sure you’re factoring these extra costs into your budget, so it doesn’t come at the expense of other important bills and necessary purchases.”
Ms Ross said the research showed 64 percent of Queenslanders set a food budget, but more than 80 percent struggled to stick to it.
“If you’ve set a food budget for the week and unexpectedly decide to eat out, take a look at how you can bring down your grocery bill so you can still stick to your plan,” she said.
Eating out or not, Ms Ross said Queenslanders surveyed claimed they were looking to tighten their spending on food, with 75 percent saying they had tried to reduce the cost of their groceries.
“Making a list, shopping around and meal planning are some of the things Queenslanders told us they’re doing to cut their grocery bill,” she said.
“Sadly, some people are also simply going without certain items.”
RACQ’s top tips to reduce your weekly food bill:
• Plan your meals and make a list of ingredients to cut costs and avoid waste
• Clean out your pantry and fridge before grocery shopping and use what you have first
• Do your grocery shopping online and click and collect to avoid temptations instore.
The information in this article has been prepared for general information purposes only and not as specific advice to any particular person. Any advice contained in the document is general advice and does not take into account any person's particular investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on anything based on this advice you should consider its appropriateness to you, having regard to your objectives, financial situations and needs.
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The information in this article has been prepared for general information purposes only and is not intended as legal advice or specific advice to any particular person. Any advice contained in the document is general advice, not intended as legal advice or professional advice and does not take into account any person’s particular circumstances. Before acting on anything based on this advice you should consider its appropriateness to you, having regard to your objectives and needs.