I dunno about prices in NZ. I only buy most things when they go on sale and buy plenty to stock up the pantry/freezer.

As a basis for prices normal prices for items and what I normally pay for them buying on sale....

Item / normal $$ / Price on sale

1 gallon of milk - $3.20 / $1.50

Loaf of bread store brand - $2.50 / $1.05

Goober Grape PB&J - $3.89 / $2.59


Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. You get the drift though. Buying on sale really adds up. I watch the sale papers and basically only buy sale stuff even if it means stopping at 5 different stores and taking 5 hours to get my grocery shopping done for 2 weeks. If I'm absolutely out of something I only buy one of the smallest size to keep me going until it goes on sale then stock up extras so that doesn't happen again.

I keep a note book for shopping, separated by catagory (frozen, canned, cleansers etc) and write down the best prices I've found, where I got it, the date and price per unit. The price per unit is a MUST as sometimes another store has a different size and sometimes the larger size is NOT always cheaper. If I know what it costs per oz or lb then I won't be decieved when buying in bulk or in a different size.

Best site for tips on saving money....

http://www.stretcher.com/menu/topic.htm

It has a great section under Grocery. I don't agree with most of their tips on saving money on pets though.