SHOP LIKE AN ACCOUNTANT!

Your list, a calculator, and a penchant for methodically stacking a shopping trolley will help you fight back against rising prices

- STEVEN JONES

THE AFTERMATH of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have combined to create one of the worst cost-of-living crises of the 21st century, with inflation rearing its ugly head in a number of countries, including the UK and US, that have enjoyed relatively lower rates of inflation over the past decade.

Meanwhile, Eskom has not yet managed to turn off the sun in Sunny SA, but relentless above-inflation hikes in the cost of electricity over the past few years haven’t exactly brightened the average South African’s day.

Add to this the massive increase in the cost of fuel, coupled with the rise in food prices, and even the relatively well-off are starting to look for ways in which each rand can be stretched as far as possible. One of the ways in which consumers can save a significant amount in their monthly shop is to think like an accountant!

Accountants are generally quite easy to spot. They’re the ones who are hunched over their shopping lists, meticulously ticking off each item as it is carefully placed in a strategic area of the trolley— perishables in one corner, frozen foods in another, and cleaning stuff towards the front of the trolley.

Tenderly cradling their best (only?) friend in their hand, they gently caress the keys as they tally up their items. The more diligent ones add things up to the last cent, while those who have accepted their shopping trip as a rare day off from the office round it up to the next rand, thereby guaranteeing that they’ll come in under budget. Spot the silent fist pump when they get to the tills!

Okay, this sounds a bit extreme, and no normal person would ever behave like this. However, for the rest of you who have lives, you can nonetheless save quite a bit by taking a leaf out of the bean-counter’s book.