Does grocery shopping excite you? Do you love to step into big malls in the name of grocery shopping? Well, you might be making a mistake. Here are some thrifty tips on how to save money on groceries and get more from life.
How to Save Money on Groceries
1. Create a Shopping List
Grocery shopping could skimp down the cost and may not blow your pocket if you preplan it with a shopping list.
In the list, you can note down the items that you need not what you wish for. It inculcates discipline and makes you a more thoughtful buyer. It is the first tip for frugal living.
2. Find a Place that Offers you all Grocery Items Under One Umbrella
Rushing to different grocery centers is not only inconvenient but also adds impulse buying to your purchases.
Instead, stick to one place that has different grocery items. It will make your shopping experience pleasurable and convenient.
Related: Top 10 Money-Saving Hacks for Everyday Expenses
3. Use the One-hour Rule before Making a Purchase
Grocery Shopping sometimes can become overwhelming with so much lying on the shelf; instead, you can follow one hour rule before making a purchase. The rule impedes your luxury shopping habits and lets you focus on mindful buying.
For example, you have a heart on a pair of shoes that you desire but do not want for. But in this one-hour time window, you will think about whether the decision is considerate or whether you can invest money in something worthwhile.
Of course, the rule might not find its acceptance while shopping online. For that, you need to ponder on it for a week or maybe a few days.
4. The 60/30/10 Rules
Do you know that every game has rules? Grocery Shopping is not left far from it. While we have discussed rule no 1 about thoughtful shopping; another rule that can make you save money is the 60/30/10 rule.
The rule is a hack to stay financially balanced and disciplined. It says you should spend 60% of the total budget on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and 30% on proteins, like fish, meat, eggs, and dairy, and leave out 10% on indulgent snacks like chocolate spread, processed food, etc.
5. Cards Can Come to your Rescue
Different cards make up your wallet but what facilitates the best shopping deal is the loyalty cards or cash back cards.
These cards will lower your spending and will enable you to earn bonus points, rewards, and discounts.
You can have a look at the loyalty schemes and try to redeem those points to cut down your grocery bill.
Related: 8 Best Credit Cards with Rewards
6. Cashback Offers
Another facility that makes us close to thrifty shopping is cash back rewards that you can get from online or retail shoppers. You can sign it up for free or some retailers may charge subscription fees.
7. Make Use of the Apps
The market is saturated with grocery-saving apps that are an absolute boon for regular shoppers like you and me.
They offer cashback, rewards, and other facilities for people who are shopping online.
These apps will make your life comfortable and give you a way to enjoy more and that too within your budget.
8. Shop Local/Seasonal
It may sound like grandma’s rule but they are brownie points.
While shopping, always go for local or seasonal items, including fruits and vegetables.
In this way, you are helping the farmers abundantly and you can get fresh produce at better prices.
Related: 5 Ways to Live Frugally as a Mom
9. Beware of Grocery Owners’ Tricks
Have you ever noticed even when you have created a shopping list, you end up buying more and thus making your wallet thinner? Well, the blotch is on grocery owners.
Here are some strategies or gimmicks that they make to make you spend more.
Beware of their game, keep an eye on their slick tricks that might overshoot the budget.
- Go for Baskets Instead of Carts
Have you ever imagined why grocery stores keep carts at your nearest eye level? The reason behind it is they want you to stack more food without even noticing it. Our tip is do not fall wide of the mark instead take a basket to grab the items.
- Make a Thoughtful Purchase
To set their cash registers ringing, the grocery supermarket stores keep the impulse buying items on the aisle like ice creams, candies, magazines, soda or fancy hair clips, or anything that you would get influenced by. These grab-to-go items may seem to be easy to pick and add to your pocket but they can dismantle your budget.
- Research Thoroughly
To capture your attention, the grocery owners place the priciest products on the eye level. However, as a buyer beware and look at the bottom and top of the shelves to strike a deal.
- Don’t get Tempted
The grocery or supermarket owners force you to gaze at other items before zeroing to essentials; hence they keep the necessary items like bread and milk at the back of the store. It is not a coincidence but a sneaky attempt to make you trek through different aisles so that they can bait you and improve their sales. Instead of befalling them, ignore the temptations and stay on track.
- Don’t get Deceived by your Eyes
To make matters worse, these supermarket owners place elaborate signals at the entrance of the supermarket causing you to stop and look. These eye-catching signs and product displays will grab your attention and may stop you from looking at other cheaper deals, so stay fruitful and do not let the eyes deceive you.
- Limited Time Offers
Another intimidating trick that they use to enforce the buyers to buy more is they place limited-period offers which can create an adrenaline push in our bodies and persuade us to buy more than required. In reality, it could be a faux deal, so don’t stock up without thinking.
10. Take Benefit of the Money Tracker App
To leverage the maximum benefits from cash at your disposal, have a money tracker app handy.
These apps will keep an eye on your daily expenses and preserve your cash leakages.
Bottom Line: How to Save Money on Groceries
The biggest blunder that we commit while grocery shopping is we zoom in on our temptations by watching the flood of items, supermarket decor, layout, and soft and splendid music.
The melange of all these things makes us sit on the throne with a false crown. Voila! And we keep repeating it.
But with these tips and tricks on how to save money on groceries, you can save more on your grocery and let your bank balance sparkle. For more tips, on how to gain financial muscle strength, stay tuned to our blog.