Take note that this all relies on you disciplining yourself from buying something completely useless and money-wasting, while getting the bare necessities that will get your through the month. Tips don’t work if you don’t practice them properly, okay?
And in any case, as long as you can curb your spending habits, everything will go the way you want it to.
- Organise the food in your fridge, storage area and cupboards. This helps you know what to buy if you know what you have and what you’re lacking with.
- Don’t forget about checking the expiry dates so it becomes easy what to get.
- Never shop while hungry. Shop with your stomach full so you don’t recklessly buy a lot of snacks while buying the needed groceries.
- Shop with a list. This helps you get on track. STICK to the list, by the way.
- Plan your meals in advance. Say about 4 days in advance, plan the kind of food you will have for those next few days so you know what to exactly shop.
- Shop weekly. Don’t do it daily or monthly since there is a big possibility you would spend too much if otherwise.
- Shop when energised and in a good mood. If you do so without feeling tired, you get to focus better on what to buy.
- In the event that you have no choice but to shop while tired and stressed, shop in familiar stores. Things get done quickly if you’re familiar with the place you’re shopping in.
- When on the run, never buy snacks. Those are mostly the ones that are far less healthy and more expensive.
- Try new food you haven’t tried before, they might be healthier and tastier, not to mention cheaper.
- Don’t forget to use your phone’s calculator when shopping.
- When buying non-food items like soap or trash bags, go buy them at discount stores instead.
- ONLY buy what you can afford and what you need.
- Don’t dismiss the no-name brands.
- Give the “on sale” items a squinty look before going for them. Remember that they are sometimes not-at-all worth their supposed “cheaper” price.
Hey, if you only take one tip from this list of tips on saving money, try to at least get the one tip that’s actually good and will help. Don’t just do it once either. Do it every time you go shopping for groceries. Don’t forget that it all will depend on you. Your own self-discipline can be hard to keep track on but if you’ve got it down then it won’t be much of a problem. Just remember to practice it if you don’t want to regret your purchases later on down the line. The next payday is still going to be a long way, after all.