How to save on shopping at the supermarket: tips to squeeze every penny out of your basket
Having a fixed budget for purchases can help you save thousands of euros per year. Here’s how.
Finding out how to spend less money on shopping can save you thousands of euros every year. Therefore, the first thing is to budget what you spend on your purchases at the supermarket to help the financial health of your savings.
According to the National Statistics Office of the United Kingdom, a person spends an average of around $123 per month on purchases, or about $31 per week. For each additional member of your family, this amount is doubled.
In other words, a couple spends about $247 per month on groceries ($123 multiplied by two), a family of three spends about $370, and a family of four spends nearly $494 per month — and that’s just at the supermarket!
Using the above figures as a reference, if you spend about $20 instead of $30 per week in the supermarket, you will save $40 per month. In annual terms, you can save more than $450! This is a considerable contribution to your annual budget objectives, which may include amortizing an overdraft, saving for a luxury item, or creating an emergency fund.
Organize your money into sub-accounts and set savings goals, in addition to protecting it.
How to create a budgeted shopping list
Before budgeting your monthly purchases at the supermarket, it doesn’t hurt to draw up a general financial budget to better control the health of your personal finances:
- Keep track of your monthly expenses to know what you spend your savings on each month.
- Separate your fixed expenses from your variable expenses. Fixed expenses are things like rent, while variable expenses are things like purchases.
- Calculate how much you want to save on variable expenses each month.
Implement the household budget, track your progress, and adjust as needed.
Rule 50: 30: 20 can help you allocate your net monthly salary to savings and spending.
grocery savings
If you improve your household budget, you’ll be able to save a lot more money and reach your savings goals much faster.
Easily save
Control your usual expenses and savings to get the most out of your money.
How to Save Money on Groceries
Here are some very easy tips that you can start turning into habits to save at the supermarket:
1. Plan your weekly meals with a shopping list.
Planning your purchases in advance is essential. Before going to the supermarket, you have to know exactly what you are going to eat that week so that you can calculate the expected costs before you start spending.
This will help you stay within budget and inspire your weekly meal planning.
2. Keep track of what you buy.
In order not to lose sight of how much you are spending while shopping, keep track of the price of everything you put in the cart. You can use your phone’s calculator or round off all the prices to make it easier for you to add them upside down. In this way, you will avoid accidental waste.
3. Use a basket instead of a cart.
Another method that supermarkets use so that you don’t save on shopping is to provide you with oversized carts and baskets. So it seems that you have fewer items since they simply do not seem to fill the space that contains them.
The best way to avoid this mirage is to choose the smallest option available, which is usually a basket. If there are none and you are only going to buy a few small items, dispense with the basket and take them in your hands. how save money on groceries
4. Take a look at the lower shelves.
Supermarkets display pricey items at eye level to increase sales.
However, the identical food sold one or two shelves below your eyes is cheaper and closer to the ground.
5. Buy the white label.
One trick to save very effectively is to buy the white label of essential products. Contrary to what it seems, white label items have the same quality as those of major brands; the only thing that varies is the price.
6. Compare prices by weight.
A good practice to save on the purchase is to compare the prices of the items by weight, not by the sale price. Normally, in addition to the sale price, the chains show how much they cost per 100 grams of product.
If you want to buy Parmesan cheese and there are two sorts, priced at $4 and $6, you might think the $4 container is the cheapest.
When you look at the pricing per weight, the $6 parmesan costs $1 per 100 g, whereas the $4 container costs $2.
That is, although it costs you $2 more, the $6 Parmesan container is 50% cheaper than the $4 container, and it provides you with 200 g more for only $2 extra. This is the smartest option, since the cheese will last longer for less.how save money on groceries
7. Compare prices between supermarkets.
It is well known that not all supermarkets and food establishments have the same prices. Many times, the price of the same product varies greatly from one store to another.
Visit different establishments and write down the price differences of the items you usually buy. It won’t take you long to get used to going to several supermarkets, depending on the items you need. But be careful: these prices may vary depending on the season, and, in addition, supermarkets make discount campaigns, such as a price reduction in the second unit of the same product.
8. Pay for the purchase in cash.
A great tip to save on the purchase is to use Dave Ramsey’s envelope system. This budget method requires you to withdraw your monthly income from the bank in cash and divide that amount into several envelopes that correspond to your budgetary objectives.
Thus, it involves having envelopes for fixed and variable expenses like leisure, clothing, eating out, and grocery shopping. . By paying for the purchase with a fixed amount, it is practically impossible to waste!
Habits that can help you save on shopping
In addition to the tips for saving money at the supermarket, you can also apply these habits in your day-to-day life to reduce your expenses in the shopping cart:
1. Cook simpler dishes.
Developing complex recipes can squander the budget for the whole week since they require a long list of ingredients.
If you want to start saving on shopping, choose a few simple recipes that are also tasty—things that you love but that only require a maximum of five ingredients and fresh products.how save money on groceries
Or, better yet, when you choose the meals you want to prepare next week, opt for recipes that share some of the ingredients, especially if they are made with seasonal foods. You will save money in the long run because buying in bulk is usually cheaper… but only if you use all of the food you buy!
Save money, discover vegetarian dishes, and eat less meat.
food savings
2. Eat less meat.
It is well known that meat is one of the most expensive food products on the market. Therefore, a good trick is to challenge yourself not to eat meat at least one day a week.
You will save money, learn more vegetarian recipes, and consume less meat.
grocery saving
3. Eat before going to the supermarket.
It happens to everyone: your guts churn as you rush the shelves, filling the cart with superfluous food because your appetite blurs your judgment.
Shopping on an empty stomach is the easiest way to overspend and drain your money.
The solution? Eat before you buy! It seems simple, but it can make a difference. Eating a banana or energy bar before grocery shopping can save $15.
