Groceries are a necessity of life, but going to the store can leave you stressed out and off-budget. Fear not! As long as you go in with list in hand, you’ll do fine. But what about when you get there? Here are some other things to be aware of on the budget- and eco-friendly fronts as well.
Look at the layout
We’re all aware of how stores get you to spend more money, while you’re walking through the aisles or checking out, with what look like great sales and impulse buys. At my local store, it’s the bakery right up front with seasonal cookies and cupcakes that used to tempt me, but now I just move on. But if you’re aware of where products are put on the shelves, you know where to look for the deals – particularly if you have a free rewards card. All the little savings from just taking a little more time add up.
Generic doesn‘t mean bad
Buying generic store brands of canned goods and other products really makes a difference. Most of the time it’s exactly the same as any name brand product anyway, and can cost pennies (and sometimes dollars) less. After getting into the habit of buying generic goods, you won’t even think twice about buying name brands.
Invest in reusable shopping bags
If you haven’t bought your own shopping bags, I highly recommend it! I keep mine in my car for whenever I head to the store. Not only are they environmentally friendly, they help me from buying too much – I’ll buy enough food to fill my bag and I’m not tempted to buy groceries I don’t really need. I’m able to stick to my shopping list and keep to my budget.
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