How to Save Money at the SupermarketPosted by Tanner Marcher on February 24th, 2021 How to Save Money at the Supermarket Supermarkets employ several tactics to draw us in. Watch out for these ones to get you grabbing extra goodies! Supermarket smells - Take a wander around any of the large supermarkets, and you're likely to come across the enticing scent of freshly-baked bread. This smell of baking is designed to make us feel hungry; therefore we are likely to buy more food. Try eating before you go shopping to minimise the risk of your eyes being bigger than your stomach! Sweets and magazines by the till - This is the 'last chance grab' section, where we tend to spend time waiting at the checkout. Tempting chocolate bars and bright magazine covers have plenty of time here to catch our attention, especially if you have impatient and hungry children! Spreading out essentials - Items that we regularly buy are spread out around the supermarket so we have to go past other tempting items. Out-of-sight offers - The most profitable items for the supermarket are arranged on the shelves at the average person's eye level. To get the best deals, you really do need to 'search high and low'. Discount signs - These are usually bright and big to draw us towards certain products. For example, 'Only �1' usually makes us think we've got a bargain, but often the savings we actually make are in pence rather than pounds. Shop Online Shopping online is the best way to stick to a shopping list, without being tempted by the supermarkets' tricks. Buying groceries online is getting easier, and most sites help you to compare prices on items to keep costs down. A good place to start is the offers section, where you may find another brand of a product you regularly buy for much cheaper than usual. I try to look at the current offers available, and base my meals around those. A really handy website to compare prices and save money is My Supermarket. If you fill up your trolley through this site, they will tell you (from a selection of 4 leading supermarkets) which supermarket your trolley is cheapest at, and suggest cheaper and lower calorie substitutions to save pounds from your wallet and waistline! Downshift Brands Brand-aware or not, many of us seem to stick with what we know, but trying a product at one level below the brand you normally purchase could make a significant saving. For example, if you usually buy a well-known brand of pasta sauce, try downshifting to the supermarket's own brand. The idea here is to try downshifting with everything you can, and if you can't tell the difference, stick with the cheaper brand. We often associate the value brand packaging with poor quality, but this is not always the case. For example, my husband winced as I showed him several value items I'd bought - but didn't notice the downshift in cooking sauce that I put into his curry, because he didn't see the packaging. Obviously you probably won't be able to go value with everything - I find that sandwich meat in particular has to be at least the everyday supermarket brand, otherwise it's too fatty. The best products to go value on are store cupboard essentials like pasta, packet mixes and household goods like cleaning products and pet bedding. Money Saving Vouchers, Codes and Coupons Keep those coupons! If they are for something you regularly buy or could see yourself using, they can all help to shave down the costs of buying groceries. Check the Money Saving Expert forums for the latest codes for online shopping - many give discounts or even free delivery. If you regularly shop somewhere that does loyalty cards make sure you get one and use it. It's often hard to remember to use it if it's tucked away in a wallet or at the bottom of your handbag, which is why many cards now let you have a matching keyfob that can be scanned to add points to your account. Timing Timing is everything! Supermarkets tend to heavily discount good towards the end of the day to get rid of them, so try going after dinner or around 8pm to fill up your trolley. The only problem with this is that there may not be a lot on offer, so it's perhaps best not to plan a large shopping trip around this method. Other tips BOGOFs, (or Buy One Get One Free) may seem like a bargain, but only if you use the products before their expiry date. Use BOGOFs to stock up on non-perishable goods for less. Remember the difference between expiry dates: Use By - Don't consume the product after this date. Best Before - Try and use the product before this date, you can consume it afterwards but the quality will decrease. Display Until - This date is for the supermarkets, to assist with stock rotation. If the date has passed, you shouldn't be seeing it on the supermarket shelf. emploiLike it? Share it! |