How to save money on food? Buying groceries is one of the biggest items in your family budget.
Salespeople research customer behavior and use their knowledge in targeted advertising.
The customer is encouraged to buy things that he did not originally want to buy and does not need them.
We bring you advice on how to save on food when buying groceries in the store and not run into the tricks of sellers.
1. WRITE A LIST
The shopping list is a proven and still working classic. If you shop according to the list, you are specifically looking for specific foods. So you are much less likely to pay attention to goods that you do not have on the list, and thus add uselessness to the shopping cart.
2. ASK THE SELLERS
If you follow the shopping list and you cannot find the goods in the usual place, ask the saleswoman to direct you. Moving goods is a popular selling trick. If the customer is forced to go around the store and look for the goods, there is a greater chance that he will be interested in something he did not come up with at all. And that means another expense from the wallet.
3. THINK ABOUT DISCOUNTS
Discounted goods are a nice way to save on food. Before you reach for discounted goods, think about whether you really need them. Buying goods at a discount in larger quantities is advantageous for the foods you normally buy if you have the option of storing the surplus in the freezer or refrigerator.
But don’t buy more than you consume. When food spoils and you throw it away, you will lose out on the discount as a result. Also assess the amount of the discount. The brightly colored inscriptions “discount” are a popular selling ploy, but the goods are discounted, for example, by only a cents.
4. USE A SMALLER CART
Instead of using a large cart, use a smaller basket in your hand. The big cart looks empty and the customer still needs to put something in it. If you take a smaller basket, you will fill it faster, and you will not have the urge to bid other things with the idea that you still have almost nothing in the basket.
5. LEAVE THE CHILDREN HOME
How to save on food? If you have the opportunity, you should shop without children. Every parent knows how much nonsense and sweets children can beg for. If you already take children with you for shopping, use cash registers without sweets. Some supermarkets already offer this service, especially for parents with children. This way you avoid buying things that the child will be interested in while waiting in line.
6. PAY CASH
If you keep all your cash or a card in your wallet, you will feel rich in the store and you will buy more things. Keep only the amount that is for one purchase or for the whole week in your wallet and you have to come up with this amount.
7. TAKE CARE OF TIME
Shopping is affected by time. If you have a whole afternoon to browse the store, it is clear that you will buy more. If you have limited time because you are rushing to a meeting or picking up children from school, you go to security for essential food and you do not pay attention to others.
8. EAT BEFORE SHOPPING
If it’s time to buy before you leave, have a small snack. It’s not a good idea to go shopping on an empty stomach. You spend a lot of money in the store for uselessness just because you just got a taste for the food.
9. BUY FRESH FOOD
Buying an unhealthy semi-finished product will save you time, but certainly not money in your wallet. You also invest in the time someone has spent on it.
10. CHANGE BRAND
Don’t focus on just one brand. Sometimes you come across two identical things, but one is expensive and the other at a normal price. You always pay for a well-known brand. So choose one that will be cheaper. In the end, you will find that they taste the same and you will save on food.
11. DO NOT BUY PACKAGED WATER
Bottled water is as good as the water that flows from the tap at home. In some cases, tap is even better, tastier and significantly cheaper than packaged. If you want to enrich it so that you don’t just drink clean water, you should buy mint, lime or lemon.
12. ORDER OVER THE INTERNET
Ordering online is very popular nowadays and can of course also be used to buy groceries and is just clothes. If you have experience with online shopping, you certainly know that this is a significant acceleration of shopping and at the same time saving some dollars.
The companies that deal with this will bring the durable goods to your home. Unfortunately, such a purchase has one disadvantage. You can’t choose which peppers you like more in the shop. You have to take the ingredients that will bring you. If you live in a village, use the mobile shops that are located in some villages.
13. CHOOSE A SHOP CAREFULLY
Surely we all have our own favorite store we like to go to. It’s also because we don’t spend a lot of time looking for food there, but we know exactly where something is stored. But change doesn’t always have to be bad. Some shops offer a different type of cuisine every week, so you can customize your menu. At the same time, you will also go through the flyers at home and find out where they have what you need in action. It happens that all stores have discounted products in one time period, but this does not mean that the price will always be the same.
14. CAUTION OF PACKAGING
Don’t cling to packaging that seems convenient. First, look at the price tags that are written in lower case. There is always a price for either one piece or kg or for liquids, the price for one liter. Stores are trying to force you to spend more.
15. SHOP IN SEASON
Seasonal shopping – when it’s summer, everything is easier to find. In summer you can have a lot of food behind the gardens from your grandmothers or go to the forest for blueberries and raspberries. Also make time for self-picking strawberries. You don’t have to consume food only in the summer, it is possible to process it in different ways and put it in the freezer.
16. DO NOT TAKE FOOD FROM THE WRONG SHELF
In every store, it happens that customers change their minds and store groceries differently than they originally took them. Never buy these foods. You do not know what their price is, at the same time in the case of milk statements, their quality may not be correct. Likewise, perceive the shelf as a whole. The shops place expensive raw materials so that they can be seen beautifully – right up to your eye level.
17. BUY IN BULK
How to save on food in the store? Buy durable food. If you come across groceries in the store that are not spoiled and are at least half discounted, buy them in bulk. These can mostly be vegetables for soup or pasta.
18. REDUCE SWEET
Sweet items are also very expensive in stores. It is not necessary to buy the chocolates that you eat during the afternoon, just because you like sweets. Only have the necessary cookies at home if an unannounced visit comes.
19. LINES CAN BE EXPENSIVE
Waiting in line queues whether you have forgotten anything and you are looking around to see if you can buy anything else from the exhibited goods at the box office. Don’t be seduced. Look for people rather than goods.
20. PLAN, COOK ACCORDING TO INSTINCT AND COUNT
Cooking is clearly related to food shopping. Always cook according to your instincts, not the recipes that everyone offers. If you think about cooking, you won’t have to buy every food at the store, but you can easily replace it at home with something you have enough of. Always use everything.
Go to the store with a planned menu of ingredients to buy. Also cook in more portions so you don’t have to cook different foods several times a day. This is how you will have lunch and dinner. It is not necessary to consume meat every day, which is unnecessarily expensive, but alternate it with vegetables or sweet food.
