Shopping Hacks To Save You Money

‘Money’s too tight to mention’, as the Simply Red song goes, and many of us can identify with that sentiment right now. Don’t stress – help is at hand. We’ve compiled a few nifty shopping hacks that will keep your grocery bill in check.

- Sylvia Walker

PLAN AND SAVE

Saving money at the till starts long before you reach the supermarket. Plan your meals so that you can draw up a proper shopping list – and stick to it. Menu planning may seem like a drag, but it can be fun, with the whole family pitching in. Breakfast and lunch are usually pretty standard, but why not give each family member a turn to pick (and help make!) the evening meal? That way everyone gets to eat their favorites.

Shopping by memory is not a good idea – you can be easily distracted and may buy a bunch of things you don’t need, perhaps even forgetting the essentials that you came to the shops for in the first place. And while shopping lists are important, be a bit flexible – if a cut of meat is on special, substitute a meal on your menu.

Planning can also help prevent food waste. Be honest: how often have you chucked out groceries because the best-by date had come and gone? According to a 2017 report by the WWF-SA, 10 million tons of food goes to waste in SA every year, 70 percent of which are fruit, veg, and cereals. And it’s not just the food that’s wasted – the water that went into growing that wasted produce could fill more than 600000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

It’s also worth rethinking what’s on the menu. Many of us were raised on meat and vegetables for dinner, but meat is one of the most expensive grocery items; you can save a tidy sum by going meat-free two or three times a week.

RETHINK YOUR ROUTINE

Check what you have in your grocery cupboard and fridge before you go shopping to replenish.

Go meat-free a few times a week.

Set a budget for your groceries.

Use a calculator as you shop to keep track of expenses.