15 Ways To Save Money On Your Shopping Bill
Whether you are working to get by on a tight budget, or just trying to make savings here and there, it has become important to be careful with every euro you spend. Whatever your situation, one of the easiest and best ways to cut back on your spending is to look at and examine what you spend on food each week, because whether you know it or not, that’s where a good portion of your monthly income goes. Because of this, it's vital that you become intentional about planning out your meals and using resources like this site to plan ahead and save money on food and household necessities. We have put together some tips to help you save money on your meals and shopping bills with these cost-effective tips:
1. Save money on your shopping by using weekly flier’s from shops:
Try to organise your main meals during the week around what happens to be on offer at the shop. For example, if chicken thighs, wraps and bacon are all on sale, your menus might include chicken fajitas, sweet wraps, bacon rolls, chicken stir fry, even club sandwiches! Challenge yourself to save money on shopping by coming up with as many different meals or lunches as you can using what's on offer. It’s also very handy to take note of what snacks, biscuits and breakfast items such as cereals are on offer too, and stock up on them, particularly kid’s favourites, while they are on offer.
2. Stockpile:
Most items are discounted or on offer just once during a sales cycle, Seasonal items such as barbecue sauce or ice cream in summer and soups in winter show up regularly, while the more used, highly-competitive categories like cereal, soft drinks, alcohol come up less regularly. So really, while it's not necessary to buy ten boxes of cereal, it's not a bad idea to buy one or two of the household’s favourite while it’s on offer, because more than likely when you run out later it’ll probably be back to full price.
3. Try store brands:
It's very unlikely you'll notice a quality difference between Tesco's frozen chopped broccoli and Birds Eye's, in fact, most store brands are produced by the same manufacturers and production plant’s that make the brands you know, use and love. (This is not to say that Tesco and Bird’s Eye frozen veg. are made by the same manufacturer!). However, there's a HUGE difference in price. Store-brand products are often 44% cheaper than the brand name counterparts.
4. Bring your lunch to work:
People who buy their lunches every day spend on average €7 on lunches. Taking this into account, do the math: The average working year is 260 days a year, multiply by seven..... this amounts to 1820 a year! Tot up a homemade sandwich, water, apple, even yogurt; the cost comes to about 500 a year!
5. Always look at your receipt:
This is a good idea firstly to see that you have not been overcharged. Most shops offer money back on any item if you have been overcharged, so effectively it becomes FREE! Secondly see how much prices have changed. If one of your favourite or frequently bought brands have increased too much it is definitely time to look for a cheaper alternative. Thirdly, sometimes offers are discounted at tills. If this is so, check to make sure you got the value you are shopping for.
6. Eat First:
Shops know the power of the sweet smell of freshly baked bread. It’s a tactic that fells even the best of us, one sniff will whet the appetite and send even the most hardened and seasoned buyer down the aisle grabbing for anything that looks good. Remember, everything looks good when our tummy is shouting, "Feed me!"
7. Do your homework:
Planning your shopping list before you head off to the supermarket will help you shop more economically. Take the time to do a quick inventory of your kitchen to find out what you need. Keep a piece of paper on the fridge and jot things you need down as you use them up or think of them. Prepare your shopping list and make notations of any coupons that you might have.
8. Look below eye level:
Usually the cheaper brands are on the lower shelves, and often placed near their brand name counterparts. So take the time to look around the brand name you want and more often than not you’ll find what you want!
9. Buy meat on offer or on sale:
Buy meat when it’s on sale and store it in the freezer. Put the date you bought it on the freezer bag and don’t forget: When you add food to the freezer bring the older stuff up to the top so you use that first!
10. Sale rails/ stands:
Look on the discontinued or reduced stands, as sometimes you can find some really good deals there. In most supermarkets there are designated reduced areas in both the perishable and non perishable aisles. In the perishable aisle reduced stands there are often expensive probiotic drinks and soups slashed in price. Most can be frozen too.
11. Check dates on packages:
All supermarkets do something called stock rotation. No matter what the item, they put the newer or fresher items to the back of the shelf and the older items at the front. So don’t just grab the first one you see, particularly with vegetables or milk. Put your hand back and grab the fresher stuff, it’s longevity will often be much longer.
12. Shop around:
Use this site to see what different offers different supermarkets have. This will help you get the best value, and help you decide on what to look out for in the future.
13. Buy fruit and vegetables that are in season:
Fruit and vegetables are what a lot of people spend a good chunk of their food budget. If you stick to fruit and vegetables that are in season, then you will save quite a bit. Just think of the price of strawberries in winter!
14. Grow your own herbs:
Herbs are one of the easiest plants to grow, and they are oh so useful! You can often pick the seeds up for very little, and most of them grow very well on the windowsill over the kitchen sink. Herbs are extortionately priced in supermarkets, and the packets often have too many in them so you end up throwing them away. Grow them yourself and use them as they are needed.
15. Eat more healthily:
it may have come to your notice before, but all those sweets and treats come not only with a high calorie count but also with a high price. Try to cut back on the sweets you buy. You don’t need to eliminate them, but maybe buy a little less and make up the difference in healthy snacks like fruit.
