Grocery lists are unpredictable. One week is fine, and the next one your check-out tab surprises you. You read the receipt in confusion as to how two bags can be so expensive so quickly.
If this is your reality, you are part of many. But inflated prices don’t have to leave you at the mercy of everyone else. With some pragmatic changes, you can actually make a difference beginning with your next shopping trip.
Grocery shopping is likely the most anticipated and significant expenditure in a household. And for families attempting to manage mounting costs of living, groceries are usually the first category to shave off. Fortunately, subtle tweaks to how you plan, shop for, and prepare can add up. You won’t need to cut meals or quality simply re-design the way you go about the whole shebang.
1. Plan Ahead to Avoid Impulse Purchases
One of the largest reasons why grocery expenses increase is because of impulse purchases. You are thinking about a couple things when you go out to shop, and the next thing you know, you’ve picked up additional snacks, pre-cooked meals, and more that did not make the list.
The key is to plan meals in advance and then go shopping. It doesn’t mean you have to do some crazy regimen or anything it’s more like having-a-backup-plan-for-the-week sort of attitude. If all the meals are prepared using the same ingredients, then all you shop for does double duty, and nothing gets wasted.
After you’ve planned your meals, plan your shopping list in relation to them. That list is your bible, keeping you on track and avoiding mindless meandering. Without it, it’s far too tempting to get sucked into “just-in-case” shopping picking up things you don’t need at the moment.
A fast but effective habit? Eat before you shop. A hungry belly shopper is much more likely to indulge in the chips and danishes. By shopping on a full stomach and with a list, you’ll be much less likely to give in to temptation and pay less.
2. Leverage Technology to Achieve Easy Wins
Most of the big grocery store chains now all possess apps full of electronic coupons, personal discounts, and rewards for loyalty. They are not used quite often despite them being free and only requiring a minute or two to sign up.
With the app, you can view weeklong ads, swipe to clip offers in one tap, and unlock store-exclusive deals. Even stores monitor what you purchase so they can reward you with special offers or discounts later on for the most that you purchase.
The good news? These discounts online actually do pile on top of sales you can find in stores. By pressing a few keys before you go out to shop, you can save on your overall bill without needing to alter what you are purchasing.
Even when you’re out shopping at a variety of stores, check out the app for each store in advance. Five minutes of planning can be pennies saved especially on a weekly basis.
3. Buy Store Brands for Everyday Items
National brands are expensive to market and package, but they are not always superior. Furthermore, the majority of store-brand products are manufactured by the same companies and are comparable in terms of identical standards just without the name.
Switching to store brand products from brand names will save 20% to 40% on most items on a daily shopping list. Cereal, canned vegetables and fruits, cleaners, and baking supplies often have nearly the same ingredients and quality but at dramatically lower prices under the store brand name.
To test the difference, substitute one or two name-brand items a week with store brands. You’ll soon see which ones you actually do miss and which give you the same quality for less.
These small substitutions, made over and over in your shopping cart, total up fast to substantial monthly savings. And once it’s second nature, you won’t even notice the difference.
4. Scan Below Eye-Level for Better Value
Product placement within a store is not random. Companies will pay to have their product at eye level, where they know the shopper will first notice it and purchase. These are typically the higher-priced choices.
To search for more value, search up or down. Bottom shelves particularly will contain bigger, bulk-packaged items or store-brand items that offer more product for less money. Top shelves will contain unpopular but better-priced items that do not have the advertising muscle to command prime space.
Condition yourself to check the entire shelf not only the middle. It’s an old-fashioned practice that cost-saving eventually returns, but it places you in a position to capture deals most shoppers overlook.
Gradually, all of these tiny differences in unit prices add up significantly in your purse particularly on products you buy regularly.
5. Utilize What You Already Have Prior to Purchasing More
Before you go to the store, spend a couple of minutes sorting through your freezer, refrigerator, and pantry. Chances are good that you already have ingredients for a number of meals sitting around the house just not in one location.
This approach, also referred to as “reverse grocery shopping,” instructs you to begin with what already exists at home. Rather than venturing out to purchase an entire new meal plan, you construct this week’s night dinner using what you already possess. That remaining rice, half-full frozen vegetables, or pasta box? That is the foundation of a dinner.
This system not only conserves money it keeps food from ending up in the trash. Using what you already have before it will spoil or go bad, you get the most out of your grocery budget and waste nothing in the back of a cabinet.
It’s an easy, weekly routine that equates to fewer store runs and a more streamlined, efficient kitchen.
6. Make Once, Eat Multiple Times
Cooking scratch style is wonderful doing it daily, however, is tiresome and time-consuming. This is why preparing larger quantities of foods that you like to eat is a strong tactic for conserving time and money.
- The idea is simple: if you’re making one serving, make two or three instead. Eat one now, store the others for lunch tomorrow or a quick dinner later in the week. This reduces the temptation to order takeout when you’re too tired to cook again and ensures that leftovers don’t go to waste.
Soups, stews, stir-fries, pasta dishes, and casseroles are the best choices for this technique. You don’t even need to eat the same meal every day for three consecutive days frozen portions mean you have something in reserve for later with minimal extra work.
Tracking in this manner not only saves dollars, but also stress, brings routine to your week, and clears your evenings for relaxation or spend time with the family.
