Shopping for food and other groceries can be expensive and prices always seem to be rising. It can be hard to live frugally but still live well. However, with a little bit of savvy shopping, you could reduce your bill immensely. Here are some tips on how to save money on your weekly shop.
Make a List
Before you start shopping, make a list of everything you need and stick to it. The budget can be blown while walking around a supermarket and finding new things you never knew you needed. If you didn’t know you needed it, then you probably don’t.
Check your cupboards, fridge, and freezer to see what you already have. It can be easy to think that you need something and then realise you already have three of them in the cupboard when you get home. Avoid this mistake and it will save you a fortune.
Eat Before You Go
Shopping on an empty stomach is never a good idea. It makes you head straight for the expensive, high-calorie items and buy too many of them. Make sure you have something to eat before you leave the house, and you won’t be tempted to impulse buy.
Shop Around
Before you go shopping, check online to see which supermarket is cheaper. This can change from week to week as special offers are promoted in different stores and they all try to undercut each other. If the stores are roughly the same distance from your home, it can really pay to check which store you are going to go to first. If one store is further from your home or harder to get to, it is worth weighing up if you will pay more in petrol or transport costs than you will save.
Shop Online
Shopping for essentials online can save you time and money. Even if you want to go to the supermarket for your fresh products, using an online provider such as Pharmacy Online for vitamins, medicines, and beauty products can be a lot better for your finances.
Make Time to Shop
If you go shopping in a hurry, you are more likely to throw things in your trolly that you did not plan on buying. The pricier items or things the supermarket wants to sell are more likely to be in places it is easier to grab them from too. This is done on purpose to make you spend more money. Panic buying is expensive so make sure you have enough time to shop before you set out. It is often quieter in the evenings, and you’ll feel less rushed.
Shop at the End of the Day
If you need to buy fresh produce, it can be cheaper to go shopping at the end of the day when products are reaching their sell-by date. Supermarkets want to get rid of this stock so that it doesn’t go to waste and will offer huge discounts on items that need to go. If you are going to consume the products in a timely fashion, it won’t make too much difference to the food itself, but it will make a massive difference to the cost of it.
Look Around
If you are going to the store, look around before you buy. Supermarkets will place the products they want to sell, or the ones they will make more money on at eyeline level. This means it is always going to be easier to see these products once you reach the aisle. Look on the shelves above and below and you may find much better deals available that you would not have seen before.
Buy Own Brands
Supermarket brands tend to be a lot cheaper than branded products and most of the time they don’t taste much different. Try some for yourself and you could make big savings.
Buy In Bulk
If you know you will use a lot of one item, and it will not go off quickly, it is a good idea to buy in bulk. Things such as pasta and rice have a long sell-by date, and it works out a lot cheaper to buy bigger quantities. If you have somewhere to store it, buying in bulk can save you money. This is not a good idea to use with fresh produce though as it is likely to go off before you eat it all and you would have wasted your money.
Check Out the Reduced Section
Buying from the reduced section can be very cost-effective if you are savvy about it. A dented tin or product that is nearing its sell-by date can save you a lot of money. Many offers such as a price reduction if you buy several of the same products can work out fantastically as well. However, make sure you are likely to use all of these before you buy as it could work out more expensive if you don’t. Check the price of one item on multiple buy products too. You may think you are saving a lot of money but sometimes it can work out cheaper to buy two items that aren’t on special offer. Compare the prices of different sized items too as it may be cheaper to buy in bulk per kilo than it isto buy at the offer price. The reduced section is not always as it seems.
Follow these money-saving tips and see how much you can save on your weekly shop.
