Even a quick visit to your local grocery store can become pricey if you don’t watch out. Sometimes we walk around the store buying unnecessary items, just because we didn’t plan the shopping accordingly. This behavior can cost you thousands of dollars per year. Fortunately, there are a lot of tricks you can learn to save money on groceries. Check them out here:
1) Always Make a List
More often than not, we go grocery shopping and buy things we don’t need, or forget other things we needed to buy. Creating a list will maintain your focus, help you not to make impulse purchases, making you save money. If you’re also looking for a way of making healthier food choices, a list will also be helpful.
2) Don’t buy sliced fruit or prewashed salad
Pre-sliced or prewashed products usually cost three times more than the fruit or vegetable. Sure, it’s convenient, but it’s also expensive. You can slice them yourself, put on little containers and they will taste the same.
3) Freeze Your Food
Certain types of food spoil quickly. Therefore freezing them will avoid waste, making them last longer. To freeze your meals, you’ll need to wait for them to cool down before putting them in your refrigerator. Here are some ideas of things you can freeze: grapes, bananas, cakes, loaves of bread, soup, cooked meats, and berries.
4) Cook More Vegetarian Food
Did you know that eating vegetarian is cheaper than eating meat? Usually, the meat will be the most expensive item in your grocery list. Eating too much of it can also be unhealthy. Try to add some vegetarian dishes like beans, chickpeas, or lentils to your diet at least once a week.
5) Don’t Take Impulse Buyers With You
If you have children, you know that they often ask for junk food at the grocery store, and it’s hard to say no. However, sometimes the biggest spender is not even your child, but your spouse. Therefore, if you notice this, you should go shopping alone.
6) Going to the Store Hungry is a No-No
Always be smart about your food shopping if you don’t want to overspend. Plan to go after you’ve eaten something substantial and with enough time to compare prices. We tend to buy more things when our stomach is making our decisions for us.
7) Use Coupons
Many stores offer discount coupons to attract more customers, and you should take advantage of that fact to save some bucks. If you don’t like carrying out paper, you also have the option of downloading their app.
8) Buy In Bulk
Did you know that you can save anywhere from 20 up to 80% if you shop in bulk? For this tip to be worthwhile, you need to buy things like canned food, meat, pasta, and even toilet paper. In other words, non-perishable items that won’t expire that soon.
9) Eat Seasonally and Locally
Produce such as fruits and vegetables cost a lot less when they’re in season. That happens because there’s more supply than demand for these products. If you want to save even more money, you can go to the farmer’s market, which will often be cheaper and fresher than your grocery store.
10) Shop Online
Not only shopping online is convenient, but it’s also a way to avoid impulse purchases. So, if your local grocery store offers this service, it’s an excellent way to save money.
11) Have a garden
Why pay for herbs when you can have them for free? Create a small garden in your home. It doesn’t take that much effort, space, and time, and it’s also relaxing to take care of plants. Some ideas to include in your garden: parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme, cilantro, chamomile, and oregano.
12) Give a chance to generic
Buying brand name products can become expensive in the long run. You can save up to $1,000 a year if you make some changes and buy more generic products. People usually think they’re not as tasty or nutritious, but that’s a myth. Give them a try, and you probably won’t even notice a difference.
13) Don’t waste food
Eating out can cost you a lot of money. Do you have leftovers from last night’s dinner? Why not take them to work the next day? This way you can avoid throwing food away and also save some bucks. You can also prevent waste by storing food in the right places. You shouldn’t put your bread and some types of fruit and vegetables in the fridge.
14) Set a budget
It’s very easy to get carried away when you don’t have a specific budget to stick to when grocery shopping. Limit the amount of money you can spend, and then use your calculator as you add the item to your cart.
15) Search around
Not a lot of people know this, but stores use science to trick you into buying more. The priciest products are always placed at eye level, and the cheaper ones are kind of hidden. Scan the shelf from top to bottom before making a decision.
