We have been there at that moment when we checked that little screen at the cash register and was surprised with the total price of the items we purchased because it doubled our supposed budget for the week. The beeping hasn’t stopped yet and there are still more items at the conveyor’s belt to run under the laser scanner. Now, you ended up wincing while taking out some cash from your wallet.
Probably others may ask “Why don’t you make your vegetable garden at home?” because it is actually one of the best possible ways to save your monthly food bill, but not everyone has a backyard to plant their own vegetables. Many of us are totally reliant on grocery stores and markets near us for our food supplies.
Yet, despite the uncontrollable price hikes, there is still a chance for a penny-pinching which will make it possible for you to stretch your budget. If you want to know some insane ways to save up money on your groceries, read on.
1. Stick to your item list.
To avoid impulsive buys and unconsciously adding items to your cart, you must have a list of items on hand. You may come up with a hand-written list or go digital with the help of mobile applications such as Grocery Shopping List – Listonic, Shopping List – SoftList, and Grocery Shopping List by Stocklist. Sticking to your list helps you refrain from picking up items that you probably don’t need. It is much better to include the projected price to assure that you are not going over the supposed budget for your groceries.
2. Create a meal plan.
This is one of the best ways to save up money on groceries. Create your weekly meal plan based on the cheapest finds in the market for a particular period. For instance, include in your meal plans the seasonal vegetable recipes. When the veggies are in season, you can get them for a cheaper price. You could also anticipate what ingredients are needed so check first if some are available in the fridge so you can lessen the cost for recipes in that particular meal.
3. Go meatless sometimes.
You might also consider having a day or two to lie-low from your meat recipes for a week. It will not only save you money but will also make you healthier. There are a lot of cheap but delicious vegetable recipes that you can search on the Internet. Another tip is that you could buy directly from the farmers. Another option is to buy at the nearest marketplace because vegetables are actually cheaper there than in the grocery stores. Spare the animals for a while and let’s go green.
4. Check the unit price.
Do not be a reckless buyer. As much as possible, check the unit price of every item that you are going to purchase. Compare the price of a solo pack, a bundle, or a promo pack of the item in your list. This will help you decide what you should get to save more money. It may be time-consuming, but it is worth it for the sake of saving up some pennies for your weekly budget.
5. Go to the cheapest store.
With the choices you have when it comes to grocery stores, choose the one that has the cheapest price. Usually, these are the stores that are not air-conditioned or offering big discounts on purchases from time to time. Look for the stores where there are promos and if possible, do not stick to one store. You may stop from one store to another, or shop at the grocery stores for some items and go ahead to the market for vegetables and meat. The latter is actually cheaper at the wet market than at the grocery stores most especially if you are a “suki.”
6. Look for other products that are beyond your eye level.
Here’s the trick – stores are putting products with much expensive prices within the eye level of the buyers. So, you must go beyond your eye level. Some cheaper products are placed at the top or the bottom of the shelves. Do not always go after the famous brand names because many infamous quality products serve the same purpose but for a cheaper price. You sometimes need to explore for some low-priced great finds.
7. Go for coupons or cashback apps.
Coupons may not be available all the time but grab the opportunity to secure them if there are some. These will give you big discounts and promos. Also, you may download cashback apps if your store has them. If you are regularly shopping for grocery items, then this one is great for you. After saving up those cash backs, you may use them to deduct your savings from the total price of your next purchase.
8. Do not shop when you are hungry.
When you are hungry and you go to the grocery store, there is a tendency to buy a lot of foods that you do not actually want to eat. With a hungry stomach, you cannot think clearly about what are the most important purchases for the week. You will just simply listen to your growling stomach than to your complaining pocket.
9. Do not shop with kids.
Shopping with kids is a big DON’T! It’s a trap! They tend to point on something they want without considering the price of the item. It will also be stressful to argue with a kid in a grocery store because you will be left with no choice but to buy what they want once they started throwing tantrums. Of course, you do not want to have everyone’s eyes on you.
10. Do not be obsessed over chips and soda.
Chips and soda are irresistible because for how many times, you regretted not having them when one night you woke up and felt snacks. I can’t blame you. We’ve been there not just once but for countless times. But, you still need to consider your budget. Maybe you could have some but only a few because sometimes, obsessing over chips and soda scrapes off a big portion of our weekly food allowance without even realizing it.
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With the high prices of commodities in the market, many consumers feel the need to tighten their budget for food allowance. From vegetable to meat prices, almost everything skyrocketed. Consumers are often left with no choice but to ride with the tide of the prices set by the majority of the stores. During these trying times, we are cornered by unstable commodity prices and we are being left clueless on how much do we have to spend for the upcoming months.
The best way to survive is to become wise when it comes to our spending. Budgeting is part of adulting and by this time, we would realize how challenging it is to compress the budget that we have for a particular time. Hence, with these ten simple ways, we could save money on groceries and we could now somehow worry less even the prices keep on spiking.