The lion’s share of our earning is spent on housing expenses. Those, who live in their own house, set aside a goodly sum from their monthly earning for yearly maintenance and tax. The next big expense is made on grocery bills. There are many people who make an extensive use of coupons to save on their grocery expenses. However, collecting coupons could be annoying as you need to check papers and cut from them. And then chance is there that you forget expiry date of many and these cuttings are reduced to useless stuffs. All your work goes into vain.
However, there are ways to save on grocery shopping without using coupons.
Here are five couple-free ways to save money on grocery item purchase.
Buy from shops offering cheapest deals
There are several grocery stores in your locality. And the most interesting point is such market is not regulated by uniform product. Price varies by a slight margin even within a short distance. In the last two months, I bought the same shop from two stores and saved Rs 2 on the latest purchase. We buy 35-40 grocery items every month and even a little saving could amount to saving a fortune for us.
And remember that there are some items like Rice, cooking oil etc that we buy in a larger quantity. If we can make a saving of Rs 2 or 3 per kg, then we could ensure a great deal of saving on our purchase. Shop around and buy at the stores that offer the cheapest deal. However, don’t poach quality to save your pocket; it will not be a wise act.
Check Unit Price
You may feel surprised at the mention of this point. But believe me, only a few people check the price/unit. They are so hoodwinked by the free gifts and other tempting offers that they never remember to calculate what the price per unit will be. If you calculate the figure, you will automatically understand which shop is offering the lowest deal. And if you buy more, you will get to save more by grabbing the cheapest offer.
Buying in Bulk Not Good/Bad Always
That sounds like a riddle, isn’t it? There are both pros and cons of buying in bulk. The biggest advantage is the sellers usually cut on price/unit if you buy a lot. However, on the downside, you have to spend excessively at a time and extra items are often wasted. Many stores dangle lucrative deals to attract customers and it is up to you to decide whether more buy will benefit you or not.
Make Most of Holiday Deals
There are certain occasions when things are made available at their lowest prices. You can use those deals to buy more of the storable items. Stock up those products to use round the year. However, don’t purchase a larger quantity of perishable items.
Wag Your Glance Up & Down
The stores stock the items in such a way that expensive and branded items are always at buyers’ eye level. As brand value matters a lot for the buyers, so they don’t mind spending extra without looking up or down to see the cheaper alternatives. Some non-brand items make a far better choice but are often overlooked. And what is more, they come cheaper on pocket.