Saving money on essential grocery shopping items means we have more for life’s little luxuries or the holiday fund. Those things that make working hard all the more worth it.
The main rule about grocery shopping is trying to resist tempting offers. We’re all the same, and the shops know it. Hiking up the prices for products that we buy on a whim. Remember, no matter if it’s a weekly, monthly, or just getting stuff for that one meal on the way home from work. If you want to keep the cost down, stick to your guns. Write a list and stick to it.
Here are five ideas from QuidMarket, to help keep your bank balance looking as stocked up as the kitchen cupboards:
Meal Plan
The best place to start is to draw up a weekly meal plan using up the ingredients you already have in the cupboards and make up a shopping list of any missing items. It is also worth looking at what ingredients can be used across several meals and plan these close together (fresh peppers can be used in Lasagne, Spaghetti Bolognese and Fajitas if you had them on three consecutive nights)
Budget recipes
You can get a number of budget meal ideas from such sites as: Skint Dad. Websites like these have some great recipes for dishes such as Spaghetti Bolognese, Pizza, Fajitas and many more family favorites and they won’t cost you the world.
Waste nothing
It is easy to waste a lot of food, but by planning your meals you can take the leftovers for lunch the next day or freeze them for when you are in a hurry.
Shopping when hungry
Never go shopping when you are hungry. This will make you buy more food then you need and also things that aren’t on your shopping list. It will also make you buy more things that are easier and quicker to cook, like noodle pots or ready-made sandwiches and these will not fill you up
Value brands
You can save money by buying cheaper brands than what you normally fill your shopping trolley with. There is not much difference between supermarkets branded produce and other premium brands. Some times it is exactly the same product just in a different wrapper. Remember the supermarkets fill the end of the aisles with brands to make the un-savvy consumer purchases these products, just look around the supermarket and you can find some great bargains.
QuidMarket offer short term loans to those facing an unexpected financial emergency. We could help with our emergency loans or bad credit loans for those in a difficult position.
