Grocery cost seems to be a hot topic these days. Items have skyrocketed in price leaving buyers to choose between needs vs wants. I never used to know the cost of items as readily as I do now. I bought what I needed and items cost what they cost. Recently my grocery store placed a screen at the checkout line making it easier to see the cost of everything. It has been a game changer and prompted me to start shopping smarter. I thought I would share my ideas with you in hopes that it will help you spend less and save more.
Growing up I was always a coupon clipper. Grocery store, home store, restaurants, there were so many I had an organizer to keep track of them. Nowadays there are digital ways to save that also cut the time of clipping, sorting and storing. Grocery and other stores have apps that allow you to clip and store digital coupons right there.
Another idea I recently implemented is a “Buy on Sale” section on my lists (this idea can be applied to any category, I started with groceries). These are items I buy more than one of or not that often and that I do not need immediately but would like to have on hand if I can get it at a discount. I suggest you start small, take a month and make an effort every time you go to buy something, stop and think “will I use this item in the next week?” If you answer no, you may want to consider buying it at another time. I did this last November, I called it “No-Spend-November”, and I was amazed at how much wasteful spending I was able to cut.
*JAJ TIP* A few years back I started this process with clothing. Any time I was in a store about to buy something I would rethink the purchase and say to myself, “learn to shop in your closet”. I started pairing things differently giving me new outfits at no cost. I am impressed with how little I buy these days and how happy I am.
*PLANNING TIP* I suggest before going shopping, you review which stores/venues you will be visiting and see if you have an app with coupons and promotions to see what savings you can benefit from.
*TECH TIP* When buying on-line, google coupon codes for the site you are purchasing from. There you will find sites with codes you can try. I do this with pretty much all of my on-line shopping. I cannot even tell you how much I have saved for myself and my clients over the years.
I highly recommend starting with these simple steps to start saving money and time in turn giving you more money and time to use doing things you love.