Shopping smarter

You can often get a better price if you discuss paying in cash for furniture and white goods.

Look out for sales – most retailers have regular sales and catalogues are often available online.

Learn how to save money on everyday purchases.

Groceries, food and household items

You can save money on groceries by:

shopping at larger supermarkets and discount stores rather than specialty shops and convenience stores
shopping at one of Melbourne’s many markets around the CBD and in suburbs for fruit and vegetables
buying meat and bakery items at the end of the day when they are often at reduced prices
buying ‘no-name’ or generic brands. Many of these have the same brand name as the supermarket title and/or have plain packaging.

You can save on furniture and white goods by:

buying second-hand items at opportunity shops
buying online or at discount stores. You can get free furniture, white goods and clothes at:

visiting many outlets to compare prices on the same model
renting white goods. However, this can increase your weekly expenses and you may have to rent for a fixed term.
shopping at RMIT University Student Union (RUSU) that regularly offers free or low cost ex-RMIT office furniture at the city campus.

Note: cheaper white goods may not be as energy efficient and may mean higher utilities charges.

You can save on clothes, bedding and other accessories by shopping at:

factory outlets that sell excess, slightly damaged or imperfect stock at reduced prices
opportunity shops that sell second-hand and recycled items including clothing, bedding and furniture at very affordable prices.

Good areas around Melbourne for discount shopping where a range of shops are clustered together include: