THE MOST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
-WHILE GROCERY SHOPPING-
3 GREAT TIPS
-WHILE GROCERY SHOPPING-
3 GREAT TIPS
What do we want to accomplish?
Well I want to save money anyway I can. Why should I want to save money? Easy answer right, most sane people want to save their hard earned dollars. You might want to put more money towards retirement, or save for a much needed vacation or maybe you just need to buy a new living room set. Saving $100 dollars a month which is a smooth $1200 a year will go a long way in most households. Right now I’m about to show you a way to do this with little work. You just need to work give these tips a shot and you’ll be on your way to extra money each month.
Planning ahead.
First we all need to plan ahead. We need to make a weekly meal menu. This will not only prevent waste each and every week. Considering you won’t be buying things you don’t plan on eating. This will also prevent last minute eating out. And from a health perspective, we will be able to plan smart and healthy meals in advance. So when your flyer's arrive this week sit down, grab the ads from wherever you enjoy shopping and make a list of meals. Pay particular attention to what is on sale, this can save you a lot of money over the course of a year. Now decide on a specific day each week to go shopping. For simplicity I would recommend Saturday so you can plan you meals for the entire week beginning on Sunday. So when creating your menu lets say roast beef is on-sale (assuming you like roast beef) plan to have roast beef on Monday for supper, and roast beef sandwiches Tuesday at lunch. Carry on for each day of the week.
Using a shopping list
Second you need to learn how to shop with a list.The food on your shopping list should be structured around the menu you created for your week, if it’s not on the menu then don’t buy it. Most people will view a shopping list as a memory tool, so we don’t forget something while shopping. Lets change this view slightly. Although you don’t want to forget anything you also don’t want to be buying a bunch of stuff you don’t need. This is how you need to think about your shopping list, it's a tool to keep you on track, so you don’t buy things you don’t need. If it’s not on the list then don’t buy it. Maybe it's not a good idea to grab a new waffle iron just because it’s %20 percent off. But if you realize you forgot to add toilet paper to your list, maybe you should make an exception, it’s a matter of wants and needs. A list helps us avoid compulsions. Sticking to your list will save you from being lured in by the advertising. Who wants to spend money on things they don’t really need.
Getting bang for your buck
Third lets explore some methods of cutting cost while at the grocery store. Lets take a look at Tylenol aka acetaminophen. How many of you have purchased Tylenol before? Why not buy generic acetaminophen instead? You are purchasing the exact same product either way. Why do we pay for a brand name? This same example can be used all over a grocery store. Buy the private label brands like Compliments and President’s Choice. Once upon a time these were considered cheap imitations, but now they are less expensive and the quality sometimes surpasses that of the national brands. You may spend the small amount of time to become an informed consumer now, but it will be well worth it if it saves you hundreds or possibly thousands of dollars in the long run.
Start Saving!
Hopefully you can use these methods in the future to save money. We looked at how effective meal planning can cut waste and help us a guide for grocery day. We looked at how to make a grocery list using our menu and finally we touched on how to save money buying generic brands. If you were to use just one of these tips I’m sure you would end up saving more money shopping than the majority of the general public. If you used all 3 I’m sure you would be amongst the small group of individuals who saves hundreds of wasted dollars each year shopping for groceries.
