Mummy blogger Sam Jockel has perfected her shopping strategy. Picture: Ric Frearson

Watching the Reserve Bank’s interest rate decisions and complaining about the cost of premiums are something of a national pastime.

But there’s one area where we are recklessly bleeding cash: buying groceries that will end up in the bin.

A new report shows that Australian households waste a collective $10 billion, or $1100 per household, on wasted food each year, with the average household tossing a whopping 14 per cent of what they buy.

And the results were even worse for brunch-obsessed Gen Ys, who were even more likely to throw food in the bin; one in four admitted to wasting more than 20 per cent of their food each week.

Australians living in capital cities tended to be more wasteful than those in regional areas, and NSW residents were the worst offenders, with 18 per cent throwing out more than 20 per cent of their food.

PLANNING IS KEY

One shopper who has learned the hard way how to minimise food waste is Queensland mummy blogger Sam Jockel.

With five mouths to feed and shopping on a budget of $200 a week, the bargain hunter has her strategy all worked out.

“The times that I go wrong is when I drop in or I go without having double checked what I actually have in the house,” Mrs Jockel told news.com.au.

“Sometimes I think ‘Oh, I don’t have any mushrooms’ and then I get home and it’s like ‘actually I have 500g of mushrooms, so it looks like we’re having lots of mushrooms this week’.”

Having made this mistake one times too many, the mother-of-three is now “super organised”, going shopping armed with a list, and sticking to it.

“I’ve also learned with bread, even if I think we’ll use it, I just stick it in the freezer and then I know it’s not going to go mouldy or go off.”

She said sticking to a set rotation of meal plans made it easier to avoid waste, while impulse buys made with the intention of “getting creative” could be a downfall.

MAKE A CHANGE

Rabobank head of market research Glen Wealands urged Australians to take a look at their spending and food waste habits.

“When we reduce the amount of food that gets wasted, or reaches landfill, there are significant environmental, economic and social benefits that can be realised, that goes beyond the obvious benefit to the hip pocket,” Mr Wealands said.

The Rabobank survey found that the annual cost of groceries had tipped $720 billion nationally, with Sydneysiders the biggest spenders — forking out $163 a week, against the NSW state average of $159.

Households from the ACT and Queensland spent $154 per week, while Victorians spent $149 per week, and Western Australians spent $146. South Australian and Tasmanian households spent an average $145 and $136 on groceries per week respectively. Families spent almost $30, on average, per child each week.

“By making a few changes to your everyday life, such as using leftovers for lunches throughout the week and making sure you check the fridge before going shopping, Australians can reduce food waste and save money,” Mr Wealands said.

“Picture what an extra $1100 in your bank account every year could do to help achieve your financial goals or investing in your passions. If you invest the additional $21 a week into a true high interest saving account you’ll be another one step closer to achieving that goal.”

The RaboDirect Financial Health Barometer found a correlation between food waste, financial stress and overall happiness, with those who waste more than half their food are more likely to indicate they have financial problems.

The report is based on a survey of 2300 Australians aged between 18 and 65.

dana.mccauley@news.com.au