Knowing how to stretch your grocery budget can go a long way towards helping you meet all of your financial goals. When you make savvy shopping choices, you’ll have more money to save and invest. What’s more, you’ll also get to enjoy a much healthier and tastier diet.
Your personal financial health will suffer if you don’t learn the basics of smart investing, but wise investments are only part of the picture. It’s just as important to be aware of common money mistakes people make in the grocery store, so you can avoid these pitfalls and enjoy greater success as a result.
Over-Committing to Your Shopping Routine
There’s a lot of value in a grocery shopping routine. You know which local markets have the best prices, the freshest produce and the choicest cuts of meat. You may even be one of those shoppers who moves through the grocery store along the same route each week, buying the same items at the same time of day. You might even put them into your cart in the same order.
A shopping routine can help you get your shopping done quickly, there’s no doubt about that. No one wants to linger in the grocery store all day. But don’t let yourself get too committed to specific stores, products or routes. You’ll miss great opportunities for bargains in stores you don’t usually shop at, or in aisles you don’t usually frequent. Nor should you feel obligated to buy specific brands, especially if another brand is cheaper or you’ve scored a coupon. If you must go to the store at the same time each week, make it on a Wednesday at 8:00 pm.
Strictly Sticking to a List
Like a shopping routine, a shopping list has value if it isn’t abused. Using a list is the best way to make sure you come home with all the staples and essentials you need, without forgetting the milk, bread or butter. If you need specific items for recipes you want to make — and you’re sure you’re actually going to make them — lists are helpful for that, too.
But you should give yourself the freedom to deviate from your list. It’s often cheaper to buy what’s on sale and then look up a recipe you can use it in later.
Letting Fresh Food Rot
The most expensive groceries are the ones you throw away uneaten. When you let fresh fruits and vegetables or even leftovers rot instead of eating them, you’re just throwing money away. If you have trouble eating your fresh food before it goes bad, you have a couple of options. If you have time, you can make shopping trips more often — break your weekly shopping into two smaller trips, for example, so you’ll have fewer fresh ingredients to eat after each trip. If that’s not feasible, try putting fresh ingredients in the freezer if you don’t get around to eating them after two or three days. You can freeze leftovers, too.
Not Doing the Math
Your phone has a calculator on it for a reason. Use it when you’re in the grocery store to find the best deals on bulk items and packaged goods. You’ll often find that larger containers are cheaper by the ounce than smaller containers, or that loose produce items, like mushrooms, are cheaper than their packaged counterparts. Calculate the price per pound or per ounce to find the best deals on the products you need. Don’t forget to keep track of the regular price of items you use regularly, so you can tell when they’re on sale.
Not Using Technology
If you have a smart phone, you have access to a plethora of savings apps to help you find the best deals on everything from gasoline to airline tickets. Apps like My Grocery Deals let you comparison shop for the best prices in all your local grocery stores, without leaving home. If you’re already in the store, you can check to see if that sale price on strawberries is really the best deal in the neighborhood.
Savvy shoppers know how to make the most of their grocery dollars. Don’t fall prey to common shopping mistakes. Commit to finding the best bargains and using all of the food you buy, and you’ll be surprised how far your grocery budget can go.
