Did you know that about half of the average family budget is spent in supermarkets, markets, and grocery stores? How to get out of the store with money in your wallet? How to learn to save on grocery shopping with a complete and healthy diet? It may seem too complicated, but there are simple and effective ways to reduce your expenses and save on grocery shopping, which will save you up to 30% of the family budget per month.
1. Planning your expenses
Ideally, determine in advance how much you will spend on products this month, week, or day. Immediately after receiving the salary, you need to allocate money for specific expenses. For example, if you spend $750 on food monthly, it is highly desirable not to exceed this amount. Ideally, these costs will be about the same from month to month.
2. Finding cheaper places
If you are not the first day living in your city, then you probably know places where you can buy certain goods cheaper. It’s not a secret that prices for the same product can vary significantly in different stores or supermarkets. Maybe it makes sense to buy meat in a butcher shop and dairy products — in the market, etc. Or maybe, you have a supermarket nearby, where you can find affordable prices for all these products? For instance, the upcoming Dollar General ad is easy to find on the Internet.
3. Making a list
It is crucial to make a clear shopping list before each visit to the store. Just sit in a quiet place and think about what you want to buy. It is not necessary to specify specific brands — it can be just the word dairy and a budget of $10-20. In this way, you can easily avoid the temptation to spend more, minimizing the risk of impulsive purchases. Following this simple recommendation will allow you to save more on food.
4. Avoid expensive brands
Do not buy products from expensive brands, if you can buy other products of similar quality. Of course, finding such goods will take time. You may have to try many products from new manufacturers for the first time. However, only in this way, you will be able to determine the optimal ratio of “price-to-quality” and not overpay extra money for the advertisement.
5. Attention to packaging
It is extremely reckless to buy a product only because of the bright and beautiful packaging. Unfortunately, the image of the product in the picture does not always correspond to the content of such packaging. You should pay attention not to bright pictures but the price and content of the product. Besides, the more beautiful the wrapper, the more expensive it is.
6. Products by weight
You have probably noticed that buying different products by weight is much cheaper than in packages from the manufacturer. First of all, we are talking about sugar, cereals, other bulk products, cookies, candies, etc. Why do you overpay for unnecessary packaging that doesn’t bring any value to this product?
7. Discounts and promotions
If you regularly visit supermarkets, then most likely you already know that in such stores there are various discounts and promotions. For example, this week, there may be a 30% discount on coffee, the next week — 20% off on dairy products, etc. All these details are usually indicated in flyers and booklets. Naturally, it is better to give preference to goods with a long shelf life. Also, many stores present a special discount card that will save you about 4-5% of all purchases, while the cheapest grocery delivery service will bring all your purchased goods to a convenient place.
8. Cooking at home
Many office workers and schoolchildren like to visit various fast foods, cafés, canteens during the lunch breaks. If you make simple calculations and find out exactly how much money you spend even at a regular café, the amount will not be small. It is much more rational to cook food at home, pack it, and take it with you. In this way, you will not only save a lot of money but also eat healthy food.
9. Rational portions
If you have a habit of throwing away excess food, you should get rid of it as soon as possible. Do not cook more than you or your guests can eat. If you are thinking about how to save on food, then carefully calculate how much food you need per day, and do not cook more than you eat.
10. Strategic approach
Try not to visit supermarkets too often. The more often you visit the store, the more you face dangerous temptation to buy something unplanned. It is much better to follow the principle of more is less. Finally, never go to the grocery store while hungry. When you are in the store, you want to buy more food than you need. As a result, you buy a lot of unplanned goods, which are also quite hard to use in the kitchen.
In Conclusion
Now you know how to save money on grocery shopping. Try to apply these simple recommendations in practice in the nearest future, and do not hesitate to share your personal tips with us. Good luck!
