food

What's in my trolley: Everything Canna Campbell grabs in her family grocery shop.

What's in my trolley is Mamamia's look into the weekly grocery shop of Australian women. From food to everyday essentials, here's a peek at what different people are putting in their trolleys. This week, Canna Campbell shares her affordable shop, including her go-to meals and snacks.

Canna Campbell knows how to save money. It's literally her job.

If you didn't already know, Canna is a financial expert, author and creator of the financial media platform, SugarMamma.TV. She's also a mum-of-three and a partner with everyday grocery app, Frugl

In between her busy schedule helping other people save money, get out of debt and reach their financial goals, Canna's always looking for ways to minimise her own family's expenses. And with grocery prices on the rise, that includes their food bill.

Watch: Four money hacks that don't cut out your daily cup of coffee. Post continues below.


Video via Mamamia.

We asked Canna exactly what goes into her weekly shop, including her top tips for saving on pantry staples and fresh produce.

How Canna Campbell approaches her grocery shop.

At the beginning of each month, Canna does a big supermarket shop for the non-perishable items she can buy in bulk - think washing powder, toilet paper, cooking oil and dog food. 

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"[It's] a great way to save money on things that will last," Canna told Mamamia.

Then each Sunday, she'll plan out the meals her family will eat for the week ahead - usually staples including spaghetti bolognese, chicken pie and fish with roast vegetables - and what produce she will need for each.

"By planning out our meals I know what ingredients I need and don’t buy unnecessary things," Canna said.

Once her grocery list is jotted down, Canna prefers doing her shop online.

"It saves me so much time and energy," she said. 

"Trying to wrangle the car park, a wonky trolley and a two-and-a-half-year-old is pretty stressful! [And] because the shop is quite large, I usually qualify for free delivery so this is a no-brainer for me."

When Canna occasionally needs to duck to the supermarket, here are some of her staples. Image: Supplied. 

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How Canna saves money with her weekly shop.

"Each week we’ll buy fresh fruit and vegetables that fit into our family staple meals," Canna shared.

"We like to go for whatever is in season because it’s usually cheaper and more delicious... For veg I love to go for the Imperfect Bunch - these look a little different but they taste the same and are always cheaper."

Canna also looks out for meat or fish that's on sale, and recommends baking snacks instead of buying prepackaged options.

Not only does it save money, but it also reduces unnecessary plastic waste. Her family regularly makes banana bread, smoothies and biscuits.

"These are the ANZAC biscuits I love to make at home for the kids," Canna shared. "They’re such a simple yet healthy and nutritious snack."

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Canna's go-to homemade snack. Image: Supplied. 

How Canna Campbell prepares her family's food each week.

Once Canna's done her weekly shop, she'll group her produce for each recipe together in the fridge, making it easy to grab when she goes to cook.

"We’re so time poor as a family that I’m looking for fast and easy nutritious meals," she said.

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She also makes extra for her and husband Tom's lunches, so they don't spend unnecessary cash when they're out.

"Bringing lunch is one of the easiest ways to save money," Canna said.

"I also cook up chicken breasts and blend them for quick chicken sandwich spreads, and I’ll cook one meal in bulk, like mince, so that it can be frozen and used for lots of different meals," she added.

Listen to What I Eat When, Mamamia's food podcast that's all about meals, moments, and memories. Post continues after audio.

The products Canna Campbell can't live without.

On top of the fresh fruit and veggies, there are a few staples and treats that go into her weekly shop. 

That includes fresh cream for morning coffee, diet ginger beer for her husband, and some sweet snacks for the whole family.

"Lindt chocolate - we have a bit of a sweet tooth in this family, Connoisseur vanilla ice cream - my family loves this for an after-dinner treat and Gippsland vanilla yoghurt," Canna said.

"[It's] another multipurpose item to have in the fridge. I love to add [the] super creamy yoghurt to any fruit smoothie or it’s great as a snack on its own.

"It’s also often on sale!"

Read more what's in my trolley articles:

Feature image: Instagram/@sugarmammatv/Supplied.

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