You are not the only one to get hit with rising inflation. The global economy is on the brink of suffocation, making it hard for everyone to work a little harder to pay a little more to buy commodities.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans, on average, spend around $5,703 a year on groceries. While it is true that the amount you spend on shopping depends on where you shop and what you buy, we know that inflation has strained your budget, destabilizing your financial life.
But guess what? We have got you the solution. You are not in charge of inflation, but you are in charge of your money. So, controlling how and where you spend your money is in your hands.
In this article, we will provide you with a sneak peek into the pro tips that you can use for frugal shopping and saving your money like ever before.
- Online Grocery
We all are somehow found guilty of adding nonessential things to our carts in the supermarkets. This, in the end, adds up the expenses that you do unnecessarily. Therefore, you can opt for online shopping, which helps you save time as well as money. You can remove the items through online grocery when you feel like they are being added unnecessarily. Even if you forget to add one, you can go back and update your shopping cart.
Plus, there is much ease in doing online shopping as it saves you from running a tab on your calculator when shopping and putting things back at the checkout when it exceeds your budget. This is draining, and many tend to pay for the unnecessary items out of embracement. But when you shop online, you can see how much adds up as you add each item to your shopping cart.
FYI, to have a seamless experience shopping online, you need to have internet. So, when you are doing online grocery, make sure your device is connected to a super-fast internet connection like Optimum. It lets you browse through online stores and enhance your overall shopping experience. The cherry on the cake is if you are a Spanish speaker, you may check out Optimum Internet español to learn more about exclusive deals.
- Sign Up to Loyalty Programs and Clip Coupons
Many grocery stores provide loyalty programs that you join to benefit from member-only discounts that automatically deduct at checkout.
Once you sign up for a store’s loyalty program, you can clip coupons to get additional discounts.
Make sure you pay close attention to sales and discounts; check your email and sift through the pages for discounts. Clip coupons and use them in your next grocery run.
Moreover, there are also discounts specially available for mobile application users. So, you can download the store’s mobile app find discounts, and add coupons to your digital loyalty card. Moreover, you can win points every time you shop from a store, which can turn into a discount on orders you place.
- Bulk-Buying can Help
When shopping, you should not blatantly add items to your cart. Make sure you check the prices of the things you are buying. You may choose alternative things that cost less than the others. To save on items, you should look for items that come in packs. Many brands offer packs of two to three same items, which, if you buy separately, can cost you more.
- Buy Generic Brands
At supermarkets, you get a wide selection of choices in terms of products and brands. Of course, they put name-brand items at eye level, tempting you to add them to your cart. But somewhere above or below the line, you will see other brands that make the same products and are as effective (or less) than them. Well, if you seek to save money, you should compromise on quality, shouldn’t you?
Anyway, the idea is to buy generic brands that are cheaper and would make much difference if you drop the fancy brands.
- Compare Between Brands
This might sound redundant to what we have already said above, but it is important to know that many stores display products made in different factories under different labels. Now, it is your job to spend money on the one that comes under your financial spectrum.
So, how do you find cheap items?
By doing research!
You may have lots of grocery stores around you. Make sure you visit each one of them and just browse through their sites or applications to compare prices. This comparison will help you know which store has cheap items and look for the sales they run.
- Don’t Buy Impulsively
When shopping, always prepare in advance. Create a list of things you need and avoid adding an unnecessary item to prevent stretching your budget. When walking randomly through a store, you will be lured into adding as many items as you want. But when your objective is clear, you will only add the required item you need to your cart.
As a result, avoiding impulsive shopping saves you from spending more and getting satisfied with your financial gains in the long term.
Bottom Line
Saving money has become extremely difficult recently when inflation has hit an all-time high. But there are ways you can still keep the pace up towards achieving your financial stability and saving money on each grocery run. Try out the tips above, and happy saving!
Harsh Srivastava is a recent graduate from the field of Computer Science & Technology. He takes a keen interest in exploring technology to its very depth and also likes to write about it. Harsh currently works as a freelancer and also has his own YouTube Channel.
