10 Tricks to Make Sure You Stick to Your Grocery Shopping Budget

With prices continually rising, kapit lang mga misis, money has a tendency to become just like sand falling through your fingers. Costs go up, but our demand for essentials stay the same. Let’s help each other out, shall we? How can you minimize your grocery costs? I’m breaking down some things you should learn to avoid saying to help change your mindset about grocery shopping. Check out these neat little “mind tricks” below!

Baby and Breakfast: Home 10 Tricks to Make Sure You Stick to Your Grocery Shopping Budget

 

“Yes, payday’s here!”

No one hates getting paid, and most likely, when the wallet is full, it becomes almost second nature to empty it all out again. Malls are often full during paydays and weekends that follow, because we’ve spent the days in between daydreaming about how to spend it. When you’re prone to breaking the bank, make sure to stick to your grocery budget, unless you want to end up sacrificing other needs and/or wants.

 

“Sure kids, let’s go grocery shopping!”

We love our kids, but they sure do love to point out things at the grocery. It’s very tempting to give in to their requests, and they often distract us from sticking to our #adulting strategy of making lists and following them. Mom almost never resisted me tagging along with her, but she sure did make it known that I made the bill higher just by being there.

 

“I’ll buy everything from the big, fancy store.”

Yes, the ones that sell organic produce are more enticing, but have you ever tried buying produce from actual wet markets? Not a lot of young parents go this route, but when you go to the clean and regulated wet markets, you get freshly caught fish for a fraction of the price that you’d get from supermarkets. Market Day also makes for a very interesting Saturday morning.

 

#SwipePaMore

Credit card companies really amp up the marketing during the holiday season, and points or rewards really do make swiping those cards attractive. But remember, cards often lead to bills racking up. With the right budget, you can just withdraw the amount you want to stick to and pay with cash. That way, you could lessen the risk of going over budget.

 

“Buy everything in bulk.”

Buying in bulk is a good method, but try not to go overboard with this. If you buy more than you need for say, two to three months from then, items tend to either go bad or be forgotten at the back of the cupboard. Buy in wholesale if you must since that can also save you money, time, and gas (which is also a budget-killer!) but be mindful of the longevity of the stuff you actually can use within a given timeframe. Stick to the items that you regularly use, like rolls of tissue paper and baby diapers!

 

“I will do it all by myself even if it kills me!”

It seems that lately, a lot of us have started having Martha Stewart illusions. D.I.Y.s are very impressive when done correctly, but when doing your groceries, plan out which ones would really cost you less to do by yourself, as compared to just buying something from a store. Less time, less effort, and less cost. More time to tick off a million other things on your to-do list!

 

“I’ll just wing it.”

I know a lot of homemakers that still don’t go by using grocery lists. That’s fine too, except that it really allows you to buy spur of the moment purchases as you push that cart up and down different grocery lanes. Make a list, check it twice, and you will be rewarded with a less costly subtotal.

 

“I’ll just eat after.”

One common trick is to not go to the supermarket when you’re hungry. Hunger tends to trigger grabby hands, because anything you see seems appetizing. Snacks that you don’t actually need but want in the moment are always tempting, so that’s something you have to be wary about.

 

“It’s more cost-effective if I fill up the cart.”

Keep an eye out for sales and be aware of marketing strategies that target YOU, the excitable grocery shopper. Supermarkets usually have items on sale just for having a little dent in the tin can, and in the big scheme of things, a little dent on your “cheaper” tuna can won’t make much of a difference anyway. Supermarkets also tend to stock up the costlier items at eye level, so look down or upwards for cheaper alternatives to the more popular brands. They also give customers bigger carts to entice them to fill them up, so don’t feel pressured by that. If you notice, some upscale stores play classical music to give shoppers the feeling that they’re sophisticated, and perhaps also buy accordingly. When you know that they’re playing tricks on you, learn how to resist.

 

“I should be able to afford it.”

It’s a fact of life that there are periods when times get hard, and with the cost of prices rising up, some parents find themselves in denial when faced with financial strains. Spending wisely does not mean that you will deprive yourself of the things you enjoy–it simply means that you know not to throw your budget out the window and watch your hard-earned money fly towards someone else’s pocket.

 

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