Supermarket Hacks That Add up to Huge Savings
If you’re worried about restricting yourself to a diet of canned beans and noodles due to rising food costs, you’re not alone.
A recent study conducted by found that nearly a quarter of Canadians are reporting eating less than they should because they don’t have enough money for food. And in the U.S., reported that 53% of American survey respondents have changed their food and beverage intake as a result of inflation.
Costs are rising, but you still need to eat and feed your family. So here are some clever and resourceful ways to reduce your bills at the grocery store right now.
Shop For No-Name Items
Steer clear of brand names when it comes to food and you’ll save big. Things like canned items, cereal, flour, sugar and spices can cost up to 30% more if you buy the popular brands. Look for the in-house brand and rack up the savings.
Get this from: “Generic foods are about 30 percent cheaper than name brands.” If your cart is full of name-brand items, you might be able to save a lot of cash if you select a different product.
Get Familiar With Your Supermarket Sales Cycle
This requires a little tracking on your part, but it will be worth it. Create a list or spreadsheet with items you purchase often and note the costs on each trip to the store. After a little tracking, you’ll be able to spot trends in no time, which will allow you to make adjustments to your monthly and weekly meal plans.
For example, Morrisons off discount on items usually around 4pm each day and Aldi have specials on Thursdays and also a Super 6 on fruit and veg.
If you know that beef prices are way up but there’s a sale on pork, you can tweak the menu to accommodate a different source of protein. Or maybe chicken will be on sale next week.
You can also checkout apps and websites for notifications about coupons and price drops on groceries. That will help you with weekly needs, but if you have the cash flow and storage space, these notifications will allow you to stock up on nonperishable items that are priced to clear.
A word of caution: Make sure you only buy things you need. If sales cause you to buy things you don’t need—or if you let items go bad—you aren’t saving any money at all.
Do Some Math
“Shrinkflation” is when companies reduce the size of something but keep the price the same—or raise it. Watch your labels to spot shrinkflation: Did a brand cut package size by 100 g? Did that 12-pack become 10? Has a product size been altered to obscure a price increase? If some producers are playing games, try to find other brands that aren’t.
Further, it’s often worth looking at or figuring out the price per 100 g or per unit. If you do, you’ll often find out that some “deals” won’t save you any money.
For example, “Two for £8!” is worthless if the regular price is £3.99 each.
Or how about long-grain white rice priced at £2.59 for 907g? Is that a better deal than medium-grain rice priced at £6.39 for 1.81kg? Answer: yes! The smaller bag is actually 29p per 100g, and the larger bag is 35p per 100 g.
Some shops will do math like this for you, but others won’t. Be prepared to whip out a phone and run the numbers to see what’s actually cheapest. A giant sign alerting you to a small price reduction might actually be a trick designed to get higher priced stock out the door, when cheaper fare is just one row down.
Shop With Coupons and Join Loyalty Programs
Your grandparents probably shopped with wads of newspaper coupons in wallets and purses. But there are a lot of different ways to use coupons now.
Avoid Tricks and Temptation
Stores are set up to make you buy stuff. That’s why the milk is never right at the front. You’ve got to walk past 10 flashy displays to get to it.
Some pricey items are placed right at eye level, and others are loaded onto aisle ends, where loud signs help them stand out from the crowd further. And we all know the checkout area is packed with stuff meant to trigger impulse buys. Common grabs: overpriced batteries, gum and snacks, magazines, toys, and assorted cheap but high-margin knick-knacks you definitely don’t need.
In many cases, prominent items appear to be on sale but really aren’t. They’re just prominent. And some pricey impulse items are displayed right beside things that are in high demand just so you see them when you’re picking up toilet paper, hand sanitizer and other hot items.
And how about samples, spotlights and “constructed urgency”? They’re all part of the game, and people get tricked into making purchases all the time.
The best approach: Go in with a precise list and avoid grabbing other “gotta have it” items you see.
Stick to the Plan!
Costs are rising, but you can take many steps to avoid overspending at the store. Plan ahead, be thrifty and you’ll be on the right track with your budget.
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The Gusto FitHub Team
