Remember the last time you went to the supermarket and got everything you needed and nothing else? Not us either.
Try these tips to save more money on your everyday essentials.
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Never walk into the store thinking “Groceries for next week, I’ll just wander around and see what I need.” As far as your brain is concerned, we’re still living in the stone age, and we need everything.
Repress this instinct with a good old shopping list. Go in there and just buy what you need. Make it a point to make every week’s list similar to last week’s. This sets up an internal rhythm, and habit will dissuade us from buying new things. Just tweak one or two items at the most, if you’re sick of Monday night ramen.
Cold Storage has a deli, where you can buy wraps, chicken, corndogs, etc. If you show up late (around 8.30 pm or so), you can buy these at a discount.
Buy certain vegetables, like asparagus, only when they’re in season.
Not sure about seasons? It’s easy to remember after a while. You can also ask the sellers; Bedok market is practically a school of agriculture. In Singapore, out-of-season fruits aren’t usually more expensive; you just won’t be able to find them. So nature’s managed that part of your shopping for you.
A lot of the time, we know that other grocers have a sale going on, or give better deals. We’re just too lazy to travel all the way over there. Well don’t be. It’s not as if shopping for groceries won’t burn a few hours anyway, whether the store is a bit further.
Also, don’t restrict your buying to supermarkets. Local markets have the same suppliers, and they sell at a lower price. If you don’t like the smell of a neighbourhood market, you can always have your manservant hold a perfumed hanky to you nose. M’lord.
Do you care which company packed your fish or your meat? Bet you can’t even name them. Just poke it with your finger and see if it’s good, right?
So why would you care about the brands on packaged food? Trust me, all the canned strew is packed the same way: by a bunch of people who shout a lot in Cantonese, and seal tins in a factory. Save yourself the bucks, and look for house brands like No Frills and First Choice.
Groceries are a major household expense, and usually the first ones to catch new families off-guard. If you’re budgeting for your home, remember your situation: grocery shopping is not fun shopping. It’s a mandatory expense, like a visit to the petrol station.
It may seem ironic to recommend spending money to save money, but if you are doing all of the above to reduce your grocery bill, you can even go one step further by gaining the rewards from using credit cards that give specific benefits for grocery shopping.
Text: Ryan Ong/MoneySmart