Saving Money at the Supermarket
credit: denn
When you’re trying to save money, it’s easy enough to stop going out to dinner or cut back on a vacation - but going to the supermarket is something that you can’t avoid. But here are some tips on keeping your supermarket bills lower:
- Go to the supermarket less. It’s an obvious tip, but we sometimes get caught up in rushing into the supermarket on the way home from work to grab something for dinner. Make a list, plan ahead, and try to get it down to a weekly shop - perhaps with a smaller trip mid-week for fresh fruit, vegetables and bread.
- Stick to your list. Don’t buy anything that’s not on your list, unless they’re staple items at a bargain price. Eating before you go to the supermarket also helps you stick to the list and avoid impulse buys because you’re stomach’s rumbling.
- Don’t be a brand snob - basic brands or supermarket own-brands are always cheaper but not always lower quality. Plenty of studies have shown that nobody can tell the difference. The packaging may not be so pretty, but it’s how it tastes that counts.
- Know the supermarket’s tricks. Remember that they are trying to make you buy more - that’s why they put all the candies and magazines near the checkout, so you’ll see them while you wait. They also put milk, bread and other staple items in far away spots so you’ll have to walk through the whole store. And sometimes the “specials” at the end of the aisles are not specials - check the prices to be sure you’re actually getting a bargain.
Tags: Budgets & Money Management | Shopping
This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 18th, 2008 at 4:21 am and is filed under Saving Money, Shopping. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
