In the first part of this series I covered how to save money shopping by planning your shopping trips in advance. Here I discuss some of the tips to avoiding spending extra cash at the supermarkets.
Supermarkets are fantastic nowadays as they provide a central location for us to get many different house hold items, from food, cleaning products, DIY tools, clothing and much more. However, business is business and a supermarkets ultimate aim is to make money from your purchases.
We all know what supermarkets are like. They are full of offers to tease out our cash. Remember to go shopping armed with your shopping list. With this knowledge you will be aware and able to save additional money on items that could otherwise cost a lot.
Save Money Shopping By…
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Not shopping on an empty stomach. We are all aware of the link between our brains and our stomachs, and an occasional fondness for indulging. Maybe that’s just me!
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Going to the supermarket in the evening to avail of the end-of-day offers. These will include bread that was cooked fresh that day, however, if stored properly will remain edible for a few days.
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Using cash. Once you’re familiar with how much items are going to cost, use cash. This way you have not the convenience of a debit/credit card to afford yourself some unnecessary items.
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Using a basket/trolley appropriate to your needs. If you’re going for a few small items, using a basket makes much more sense as you are immediately reducing the volume of items that you can purchase.
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Checking the offers. Some offers are good value, to the point that you can get branded items for a cost similar to unbranded items. However, on occasion, I have noticed supermarkets sell items that are sold as multipacks for more than buying the items individually on offer. An example recently is a supermarket chain selling the pre-packaged multipack of 2 x 2 litre bottles of diet-cola for £2.89. However, further down the aisle bottles sold individually are on offer at 2 x 2 liter bottles for £2.50.
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Bulk buying items which keep. Items such as rice, pasta and canned food can keep for a long time, provided it is stored in a cool, dark larder. These items are best bought on offer because of the long self life.
There are also a number of methods that supermarkets employ to tempt you to spend more.
Avoid Supermarket Temptation
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Common items such as bread, milk and canned items are stored at points in the store furthest from the entrance. This is a marketing ploy used by supermarkets because they aim to force you to walk past all the other items on offer before getting to what you need.
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Supermarkets will occasionally swap shelves. If you shop regularly you will know exactly where you need to go for a particular item. However, when they change the shelves, you will be presented with something new and tempting on your next visit.
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If you use a loyalty card, you will be offered vouchers to use against items that you haven’t bought recently. Remember, there is probably a perfectly good reason that you’re not buying the items!
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Try not to fall into the marketing hype associated with products. Powerful wording is used to strike engage your emotional mind, weakening your temptation into purchasing.
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Check shelves thoroughly for items. Occasionally you can find that equally as good and cheaper items are on the top or bottom shelf because they are more difficult to see.
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Savings. I’ve noticed over the past few months that our local supermarkets post the price of the item on the shelf, however the larger font is the saving you are making, not the cost. I’m constantly getting my eye caught by the saving, only to find the item is a lot more expensive – sneaky!
