Like most families, you throw out a good amount of food. Food waste is unfortunate and can lead to excessive spending.
It happens to most people because they do not understand their eating habits. Shoppers believe that you must plan every meal and become ambitious with online recipes. However, this leads to overspending. Instead of planning every meal, you should remain realistic.
Most people spend hundreds of dollars at the grocery store. But in this article, you will learn seven habits that can help you save hundreds instead. Plus, you may even find ways to earn cashback on large transactions.
You are not using coupons
If you don’t take the time to clip coupons, you could be missing out on huge savings. Coupons can save you upwards of 50% and even get you free items!
Many people believe coupons require time and effort, so they do not bother using them. That is entirely false.
The innovative future of couponing has proved that you do not need to pick up a single pair of scissors to become a master couponer and save hundreds. Savings apps, browser extensions, and electronic coupons are several ways to solve the lack of coupons.
Use Online Coupons
According to Parent Co, most stores offer electronic coupons that provide significant savings.
These online coupons make savings much easier since you do not need to pick up a pair of scissors to save money. In addition, online coupons are easy-to-scan at checkout. Before even getting to the store, you could get free food samples sent to your home to see if you even enjoy the product in the first place (and saves a little money!)
Use Savings Apps
Savings apps are a great way to save money for online shoppers. For example, many grocery stores have online applications that provide built-in rewards and coupons that are automatically applied at checkout. There are also separate applications to upload copies of your receipt for cashback and much more. In any case, using a savings app, like Ibotta, can lower the cost of your groceries.
Use Browser Extensions
Install one of the many browser extensions offering savings to download coupon codes at checkout directly. Browser extensions like Honey are great for scouting discount codes guaranteed to work. These extensions require no input from you, aside from an initial download.
You are not shopping with a grocery list
Many people forget to create a grocery list before going to the supermarket because they think this habit is outdated or time-consuming. However, creating a grocery list is not outdated; grocery lists are one of the most critical parts of eliminating food waste.
Shopping without a list can lead to impulse buying, which creates a feeling that you “have nothing to eat.”
Make a List Before Going To The Store
Bringing a shopping list to the grocery store helps avoid impulse buying. Try your best to stick to the list or give yourself a select number of impulse treats.
When making your list, refer to your pantry, fridge, and freezer to avoid buying extras. Check the expiration dates on all food and clean out your fridge before going to the supermarket.
Your shopping list revolves around meal-planning
You should never base your shopping list around meal planning because this causes you to forget about your eating habits and dietary needs. However, preparing a general idea of what meals you will eat in the upcoming week is good because it sets a clear expectation of what you should buy.
Plan Around Your Habits
Instead of planning your weekly meals, try planning around your eating habits. According to Mashed, you must be realistic about your eating habits. Instead of listing the ingredients of upcoming meals one by one, you should focus on satisfying your basic needs and wants. Do not be overly ambitious with your menu. So, buy the food you will eat not to waste food.
Everyone gets inspired by online treats and recipes. However, remember what food you usually expect in your fridge. Keep quick meals available and provide food for the whole family.
You only buy organic food
Strictly purchasing organic foods can become expensive. These foods are priced higher than others, without much benefit. Plus, organic food barely ever goes on sale. Even if it does, the deals are only half as good as what you find with regular products. Furthermore, non-organic food is just as delicious as organic food.
Solution: Buy Non-Organic Food
Buying non-organic food can save you hundreds at the grocery store. According to Mashed, little research proves organic food has high nutritional value. Therefore, there is no real benefit to buying organic foods aside from claiming that you are an organic shopper. Organic shopping means your grocery bill will be twice as high.
Buying non-organic foods can lower the cost of this expense, so you are not overspending at the store. In addition, since there are no negative effects to eating non-organic foods, you are not sacrificing the quality of your food, either.
You eat out Of season food
Your fruity cravings might be responsible for your hefty grocery bill. Eating out-of-season fruits and vegetables will drive your grocery bill up. As fruits or vegetables go out of season, their prices are increased. If you are an organic-only shopper, out-of-season vegetable and fruit prices will nearly double.
Solution: Learn Your Seasonal Food
Learning about your seasonal foods is one of the best ways to prevent overspending on out-of-season fruits and vegetables. Seasonal foods are more affordable, and they taste better because they are naturally grown. Plus, there are fewer growth hormones in most seasonal foods.
You are shopping while hungry
If you are shopping hungry, this is a common way to spend too much on groceries. Even if you have a list going in, you are likely to impulse buy when hungry.
Things you do not normally eat look tantalizing, especially unhealthy junk food. You may suddenly get inspired to cook a large meal because it sounds good, forgetting to be realistic as you shop.
Eat Before You Shop
It would be best if you shopped on a full stomach to avoid overspending on unnecessary indulgences. For example, eating before coming to the grocery store helps you stick to your grocery list and avoid impulse buys.
If you are stepping into the store for “one thing” and happen to walk out with a grocery bill over budget, you might be doing some unnecessary, frivolous spending.
Avoid Free Samples
Free samples increase your chances of overspending. After all, they’re the ones who hook you up with the taste! The best thing you can do is avoid tasting free samples, so you are not tempted to buy the products.
You let food spoil
Letting food spoil is one of the most common reasons people spend too much money at the grocery store. Spoiled food means that you must revisit the store before it’s necessary.
Using different storage methods, freezing food, and buying by habit are the best ways to keep food from going bad.
Only Buy Food You Will Eat
To avoid letting food spoil, you should only purchase food you will eat. If there is a pattern in your household of food continuing to go bad, remove that food from your grocery list. You can also find alternative storage methods or another way to quickly incorporate the food into your meals.
Freeze Your Food
Freezing food before its “best by” date is a fantastic way to prevent food from spoiling. You can freeze almost any fruit, vegetable, or meat. If you choose to freeze your food, you must seal it in an appropriate freezer-safe bag and thaw it appropriately before use.
The takeaway
Many people do not know they are spending too much money at the grocery store because they are careless or uninformed about the many money-saving opportunities.
Fortunately, this article identifies the many problems that cause you to overspend on your grocery bill. Using the solutions provided, you can save money each month on food.
