Saving money on life’s essential expenses will give you more money to spend on things you enjoy most. It is sometimes a great pleasure to spend money in a posh restaurant to feel like a millionaire. Do YOU want to know how to save money to do that every now and then?
Supermarkets make a lot of efforts to get your hard earned money. It took me years of analyzing my local supermarkets’ techniques to see what was going on. Now I am opening that can of worms and letting that information out.
Kids make you spend more money while shopping. Make sure you leave kids at home while you go grocery shopping. A good idea – create a ‘supermarket shopping club’ with other parents and take turns to stay with kids while you are grocery shopping. There is a reason for that: supermarkets place popular kids’ products on the children’s eye level to make it easy for kids to grab these items. If your kids are home they are not going to grab these popular products and you are going to avoid some tantrums when you try to put back these items.
If you must take kids along while grocery shopping, ask a friend or partner to come with you. Just before you get to the checkout ask your friend or partner to take kids back to the car. You will avoid last minute sweets grabbing by the kids. The sweets are deliberately placed right in front of the checkout to make it easy to grab. Just imagine how much money you can save by leaving kids at home while you are grocery shopping.
Stay away from sliced and bagged vegetables and fruits. They cost much more money – up to 10 times more – than fresh produce. I am serous. After all you are NOT that busy that you cannot cut lettuce or slice a melon. Besides, those sliced veggies are not that fresh anyway. You get much better quality fruits and veggies if you slice them yourself.
While you are grocery shopping look above your head, to the right and to the left – in all directions, not just on your eye level. Similar products with a better price are often placed there. Products you see in front of you usually cost more money. More expensive items are placed on the right. That’s because we scan shelves the same way we read: left to right. Be aware of this supermarket trick.
Going food shopping while being hungry – death to your budget. Don’t do it! Eat well before going shopping. You will spend less money by not being tempted by good looking expensive food and snacks. If you are not hungry, you won’t pay attention to the ladies with trays of cheese snacks. That’s designed to get your juices running and get you even hungrier to buy more groceries on impulse.
Avoid ‘Buy One Get One Free’ food deals. Most likely, you don’t really need so much of the same stuff anyway. It might end up being total waste. When it comes to toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper – not food related items – ‘Buy One Get One Free’ is a much better idea.
The supermarkets make huge profits. My little supermarket tricks will save you money to spend on things you love most.