If you are looking for some genuine ways to save money on your weekly shop, look no further. I am going to take you through 6 life hacks for budget buying. Let’s get into it!
1 – Reduce meat consumption
Meat is in high demand. For this reason, choice cuts have risen in price in recent years. And, most recently, even cheap cuts are starting to get expensive.
Many people have decided to cut down for economical and animal welfare reasons, but it can also benefit your wallet.
You don’t have to go a whole week without meat, so don’t worry. However, maybe do some research on meals that you can make without meat or with meat replacements. Having even just 3 or 4 meatless days per week will make a difference in your spending.
2 – Get a club card
Getting a club card won’t immediately make a difference in your grocery spending, but it all adds up, especially if you tend to shop at the same place regularly.
Eventually, you’ll find that you can get a whole week’s worth of food at a discounted price, just by using your club card.
Downloading the store’s app can also give you access to coupons or limited offers.
3 – Meal prep
Making the time to cook and organizing portion sizes, although time-consuming, is also practical. To start, this prevents you from overeating and allows you to stretch your money further.
Aside from this, it also means you don’t have to buy ready meals for work or other outings. And saving money by not eating out can make a huge difference for your monthly budget!
Check out: https://www.eatthis.com/saving-money-tricks-grocery-stores/
Most meals can be frozen and will last until they are required. Plan your meals so that each recipe uses similar ingredients if you want, that way you won’t need to buy as many items.
4 – Go to several different stores
So this option is even more time-consuming than the previous one; however, if you want to save money, this could work for you.
An idea would be to compare prices online first before heading into the stores, so you know what to expect. Purchase the cheapest items from each shop based on current offers or just general brands.
If going to multiple shops isn’t possible for you, you could also order online, as long as the delivery fees don’t rack up.
5 – Check your stock thoroughly before shopping
Always double-check what you already have in the house before you head out. This way you can use up the remaining food, and reduce what you need to buy with your new load. If you have vegetables, all you need is a sauce and you can make a stew.
It also prevents double buying. Some things can be frozen, or just have long-lasting perish dates, but others such as bread won’t last too long.
If you have some of the loaves from the previous week in a good condition, considering only buying a half, or if you need more at all.
6 – Limit your shopping trips
Try to limit how many times you go to the store. If you don’t go to the store all the time, you will be forced to eat what you have in the house.
If you make sure you only go shopping once a week, say every Sunday, this won’t allow for extra spending here and there.
If you want snacks, alcohol, or any other luxury items, get your weekly bulk at one-time and encourage yourself to spread that amount throughout the week.
Ok, those are some surefire tips on how to cut some costs at the grocery store. Add any ideas we missed in the comments below!
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