However, very often, after walking through the supermarket, we leave the store with an empty wallet and a tightly packed bag of various dishes. After a while, many of the purchased products are safely thrown into the bucket, since they expire, and we simply do not have time to eat them. How do you learn to choose products wisely? How to save money at the supermarket? You can learn about this and much more from this article.
Helpful tips: how to save money at the supermarket?
Before we start listing tips on how you can save on food, we would like to understand one important point. In this article, we in no way will offer you to purchase low-quality products or those that do not have today - tomorrow they will expire. No! On the contrary, we invite you to learn how to choose and purchase delicious, fresh, and most importantly - healthy products for yourself and your family.
The first and most basic rule that should be followed always and everywhere: you should always go shopping on a full stomach. If you go to the supermarket hungry, then all the products that are laid out on the shelves of the store will seem to you so appetizing and aromatic that you will buy much more in confusion than you originally thought.
Before going to the store, be sure to make a shopping list. First, it will help you remember to purchase all those products that ran out in the house. Secondly, making a list will help you avoid buying unnecessary products. If a product has caught your attention, you shouldn't deny yourself the pleasure. List the foods you like on your list for the next week. It is likely that after 7 days the desire to purchase some product will disappear and you will not spend extra money.
Try to get groceries from large supermarkets rather than from stores near your home. As a rule, the prices for goods in retail outlets, which, roughly speaking, “can be reached in slippers,” are much higher than in chain supermarkets.
Always get discount cards from those stores where you go shopping most often. As a rule, cards are issued either free of charge, or they can be purchased at a very low price. The cost of purchasing the card will pay off after 2-3 trips to this supermarket, but you can save on purchasing food in the future.
Plan your menu for the week ahead. Be sure to think through all the dishes you would like to prepare during the work week. Firstly, this way you will not forget to buy everything you need for pilaf, lazy cabbage rolls or borscht, but you will also save your refrigerator from unnecessary products that lie on the shelves "waiting for better times."
Never purchase semi-finished products. As a rule, such products are much more expensive, and they are enough for only one dinner for a family. If your loved ones love dumplings or dumplings, involve the whole family in the process of preparing these dishes. You can freeze some of the blanks, but this will allow you to easily prepare a hearty and delicious dinner on a weekday.
You should not buy bags from supermarkets. If you really want to save on food, you should also consider saving on packaging. For example, each package costs an average of 3 rubles, that is, for one trip to the store you will need at least 5 packages. This is 15 rubles. In total, you will spend 60-75 rubles per month, and 720-900 rubles per year. And that's just the cost of plastic bags! Alternatively, you can purchase practical, and most importantly, environmentally friendly cotton bags. They are easy to clean, durable, and also have very affordable prices.
Fast-consumable items such as sugar, potatoes, and onions are more profitable to buy from wholesalers. They can be stored for a long time, and it is much cheaper to buy in large quantities. You can cooperate in this matter with colleagues, friends or relatives.
When displaying goods in a supermarket, sellers usually use special matrices. One of the basic rules of display is to place more expensive products at the level of the consumer's eyes, and cheaper counterparts on the lower shelves. It is at the bottom of the shelving that you need to look for more economical product options. It is worth noting that food products placed on the lower shelves are not worse, and sometimes even better in quality than their more expensive counterparts. In addition, sellers often place fresh produce in the far corners of the shelves. This is done so that consumers initially disassemble goods that are expiring today or tomorrow, and then fresh goods. Therefore, if you do not want to pay twice or drink stale kefir, carefully study the expiration date of the product.
Make blanks. For example, greens and berries in the summer can be purchased on the market at a very affordable price. They will be of particular value to you as one of the main sources of vitamins in winter. Learn how to properly freeze greens and berries, and in the cold season, delicious vitamin salads will flaunt on your table.
Take homemade food with you to work. Lunches in business center canteens are usually quite expensive, so if you decide to save on food, cut the cost of lunches out of your budget. After one month, you will feel how much you could save. Also, do not spend money on coffee or tea from the machine. Start your can of coffee in a desktop drawer and enjoy a fragrant drink at an affordable price.
Buy meat and fish wisely. For example, it is more profitable to buy a whole chicken. In this case, you can bake the breast, and cook soup from the legs and legs. That is, you will get both the first and the second. Learn to plan and, most importantly, use the purchased products correctly.
Saving on food is easy enough. To do this, you should follow a number of rules that we have tried to describe in this article. In conclusion, I would like to say that in every case, not only mood is important, but also your desire! That is why, if you decide to cut down on food costs, it is worthwhile to approach this business wisely.
Do not seek to buy cheap, substandard goods. Such savings can then greatly backfire on you and your health. Buy high-quality and inexpensive products, visit large stores and markets, and choose the product wisely. You can save the money saved on food for something exciting, for example, a trip with the whole family to the sea!
