5 Tips To Help You Save Money On Your Supermarket Shopping
Your weekly supermarket shopping can take a large percentage of your earnings. That is why it is so important that you don’t spend any more money than you really need to. The following are five great tips to help you save money on your weekly supermarket shopping.
1. Buy Supermarket Brands
When it comes to brand products, it can be very easy to get a bit snobbish about them. Why would you want to purchase a cheaper, less well-known product when you are able to afford to buy the better brands? However, it is precisely this type of thinking that can cause you to spend more money than is really necessary. One of the main reasons why we have a tendency to not purchase supermarket brand products doesn’t have much to do with taste and everything to do with appearances. Supermarkets actually make their brand packaging bland on purpose. However, these brands offer a much better value than the famous brands tend to do, and many times you can’t even tell the difference. This isn’t true in every case, however it is definitely worth trying to see places where you can save some money on your weekly shop.
2. Don’t let the supermarket tricks fool you!
A majority of people tend to assume that a supermarket’s layout is basically random, and that not a lot of thought has been put into what is stocked in each section of the store. However, if that is what you believe, you are definitely sadly mistaken. Supermarkets are purposefully designed to ensure that you spend as much money as possible.
For example, doesn’t it seem a little too convenient that the sweet are located right next to the checkout?
Have you noticed how you better value deals can be found by looking at the lower and higher shelves as opposed to the ones that are directly in your line of sight? Supermarkets definitely know what they are doing.
In order to beat them at their own game, you need to be aware of what the dirty tricks are. Then make sure to take your time when you are making your decisions on what to purchase. Ask yourself if it is something you really need and want.
3. Look for real offers.
Big discounts and offers for buy-one-get-one-free might be very appealing. However, they can frequently cause us to spend money on things we wouldn’t have otherwise purchased. Some of the offers can also be quite misleading and don’t offer anywhere near the huge savings that they claim to.
In order to locate the real bargains, you need to determine where reduced items can be found in your supermarket. Those are the items that have not sold quickly and are getting close to their expiration date. The best times for finding reduced products are evenings and Sundays. A majority of these items you can freeze if you aren’t going to use them right away. That way you can still take advantage of different kinds of great bargains on a regular basis.
4. Research prices
You can use websites like MySupermarket to compare prices of various items from all of the major supermarkets. That will tell you exactly where you can find the best deals. Even when the savings is fairly small, just think about how much money you can save over a year’s time.
5. Stretch your food to make it go further.
One of the very best things you can do to save money on your supermarket shopping is reducing how many things you need to buy in the first place!
Always keep a steady supply of dried, frozen and canned foods that all of your household members will eat. That way when the refrigerator starts to get empty, you won’t need to rush out to the store right away.
Also work on reducing the amount of food that you end up throwing away on a regular basis. Think of creative ways to use and save leftovers. For example, to use up leftover vegetables and meat, why not try out a delicious and expensive curry recipe?
Another thing that we strong recommend is that you have one to two vegetarian meals each week. That will help you save a significant amount of money on not having to buy as much meat. You will save money and feel healthier at the same time!
Please also check out our free food and drink section on our freebie site where you can find some great freebies!