Saving money at the grocery store is much easier if you have a plan. Here are some ideas to help you make the most of your money on your next shopping trip:
• Plan the weekly menu before you shop and from this write a shopping list and keep to it – that way you will only buy what you need and there is less chance of wastage at the end of the week. Impulse buying can blow the budget.
• Check to see what is in your pantry and what is left over in the fridge – use these items in the early part of the weekly menu to avoid waste.
• Check the newspaper for weekly specials and try to use these in your menu. You need to be flexible here, for example when a recipe calls for beef, but lamb is on special then modify the recipe to use lamb instead.
• Look around for the cheapest supermarket.
• Do not buy something you don’t really need just because it is on special – it will probably be wasted money, unless you can put it to good use.
• Do not shop on an empty stomach – it can make you buy more.
