The weekly trip to the supermarket can be one of the biggest expenses in our week and it only gets bigger the more mouths there are that need to be fed. An average family with 2 or 3 children can often hundreds of dollars a week on groceries (not to mention all the other little expenses on the way).
Luckily, there are several good tips you can follow to make your grocery shop less expensive without giving up on the lifestyle you have now.
Do your research
Half the battle of making grocery shopping cheaper can be done from home on your phone or laptop. With major supermarkets listing their prices online, it’s easy to find out how much your groceries are going to cost before you get in the car.
This can help you compare different shops and their prices before you go out, allowing you to plan your trip and how much its going to cost you. When you plan ahead in this way, all of the little savings can add up significantly.
Don’t shop on an empty stomach
This is a simple tip but effective enough to warrant mentioning. If you go grocery shopping while you’re hungry you are much more likely to buy a bunch of snacks and other things you don’t actually need.
Prepare things yourself instead of buying pre-made items
Lots of items you spend money on while grocery shopping are simply pre-diced or pre-mixed versions of things you could prepare yourself from scratch for a fraction of the cost. For example, tomato sauce is simple to make and could be made in bulk with just a few tomatoes rather than you buying individual sauce bottles of it.
Plan meals ahead of time
When you know exactly what you’re going to make for dinner, it takes the uncertainty out of grocery shopping meaning you’re more focused while you’re there. This means you’ll be less likely to get distracted and buy something you imagine you might want for dinner but lose your appetite for later.
Don’t shun the ‘no frills’ brand
The store brand version of basic products like milk and sugar are often cheaper than name brand products while having the exact same contents. This is because the companies have deals with supermarkets to produce a certain number of products to be re-branded as store brand.
Go to discount stores for the ‘non-food’ grocery items
While you often think of things like toothpaste, toilet paper and garbage bags as being a part of your supermarket trip – they don’t need to be. These items can often be found at cheaper prices at discount stores.
Keep your kitchen neat and tidy
If you have a messy kitchen and you struggle to find things while cooking, then its more likely you will accidentally double up on things you already have while you’re at the supermarket. Have a clean kitchen will also make you more likely to use it, meaning you can save money on take-away dinners.