One of the unfortunate discoveries that almost all young families make is how expensive food can be. For most people, this expense is second only to rent or a mortgage. Of course, the budget for food depends on where you shop, what exactly you buy, on the number of people in the family. There are simple steps you can take to help reduce your spending. We share tips on how to save on food in the store and at home.
- Plan your budget
Any mobile application will help to do this, where you need to make all expenses: your own and, possibly, family members’. In a month, you will know exactly where the money goes, and you will be able to adjust the budget. This discipline helps to avoid impulsive spending immediately after the salary and situations when you have to borrow money. - Make grocery lists
Set aside half an hour to think through the menu for the week and make a shopping list based on the budget. By following a plan, you’ll save time shopping because you won’t be wandering between the aisles thinking about what to buy. Plus, avoid impulse purchases.
Another effective way to save time is to place an order in an online store. - Don’t shop on an empty stomach
When we are hungry, every second product in the store seems attractive to us. It is difficult to fight the leading physiological instinct.
Therefore, do not go to the supermarket on an empty stomach, otherwise, you will be tempted by ready-made salads, sweets, and snacks. And even if there is a list, it will be difficult to follow it. - Compare prices in stores
If you live near several grocery stores, compare prices in advance. See what is offered in online stores. You can visit two supermarkets to buy some of the goods in one of them.
Yes, it is troublesome, but it will help to optimize costs and savings. And for the sake of savings, you can switch to a budget supermarket, if you suddenly visited only high-class stores before. - Sign up for loyalty programs
Have you already chosen a favorite store that meets your price requirements? Become a member of the loyalty program, install a branded application, and get a loyalty card.
Retail chains want to have regular customers – and will do everything possible to keep you. So you can receive personalized offers, and discounts on different categories of goods and on special dates, and accumulate points available for debiting when paying at the checkout. - Use apps with promotions and discounts
There are services that help to simultaneously track the prices of goods of interest in different retail chains. With the help of such applications, you can plan purchases: in which store it is best to buy goods on the day allocated for shopping. - Buy Private Labels
Don’t shop at eye level! At this height of the shelves, stores place the most expensive brands, as if forcing customers to spend more. But if you take a closer look at the entire storefront, you will see that below are the best deals for the price. Here you can find products of the supermarket’s private labels (PL).
Canned food, cereals and pasta, cereals, baking products, sausages, and cheeses under their own brand are now available in many retail chains. Such goods can cost several times cheaper than the products of leading and recognizable monopoly manufacturers. And do not concede to them in quality and taste. - Buy in bulk
Canned food, cereals, frozen meat, and fish can be stored for several months without compromising quality. So why not stock up on them when one of your favorite stores offers a good discount on them? You can make bulk purchases in specialized supermarkets, where a one-time purchase of 6 packs of goods is much cheaper.
But keep in mind: this method is only beneficial if you already have an idea of \u200b\u200bplanning and you know exactly what kind of bulk products you will eat. - Keep track of the seasonality of goods
If bananas are available at the same price in any month of the year, then red caviar, as a rule, rises in price before the winter holidays. So why not buy a couple of jars at least in the fall? The shelf life allows.
Fresh berries and exotic fruits will always be more expensive in our strip during the autumn-winter period. Replace them with seasonal sources of vitamins: frozen berries, citrus fruits, and grapes – the transportation of these products does not affect the price as much.
The same goes for vegetables: asparagus in October will cost more than in April, its official month.- Avoid prepared goods
Buying pre-cut vegetables, grated cheese, and cut fish can save time in the kitchen. But often these products are more expensive: your convenience is included in the price.
By choosing whole chicken and whole heads of cheese, you save. If you need more ideas follow the Nepali restaurant blog.
