Tips and Tricks To Save on Your Grocery Bills

Doing the grocery for me is like taking a short vacation. It’s my favorite thing to do because it lets me in on the latest products and I get a chance to see foreign exotic ingredients I don’t normally see at the wet market. However, there are times that we get carried away on grocery shopping, we tend to buy things we don’t need and that poses a problem because there’s a budget we have to stick to.

I’m sure all of us go to the grocery. Let me pass along some of my favorite tips and tricks that let me save a few peso when shopping for food. These are not my original tips, mind you. Over the years, I’ve picked up a lot from magazines, books and websites which I found useful and really helped me slash the cost of my food bill. We all know the usual rules of making a list of items we need and sticking to it, allotting a budget, and not going to the grocery hungry as all these factors tend to affect our decision-making skills. Aside from those things here are a few more:

1. Buy In Bulk

Whether it’s perishable or non-perishable, items in bulk tend to be a lot cheaper. A good example is four dozen sachet of detergent and a big bag that weighs the same. The bigger bag would cost ₱75 less than the ones in sachets. That money you save can be used to buy another thing from your list.

2. Use Grocery Reward Cards, Coupons and Voucher Codes

I have three  grocery rewards cards that lets me save a peso for every ₱200 peso spent. This savings pile up and could be used to buy groceries in the long run. Using coupons or voucher codes such as tesco voucher codes, on the other hand, gives you discounts on family staples such as nappies, pet food, and meat products also saving you a lot of money.  Some of these coupons or vouchers are usually handed out by a staff at the entrance or you can get them online.

3. Looks for Specials or Items on Sale

Many groceries, like Tesco for example, keep many items on sale or specials during the weekends because this is the time when many people do their groceries. Take advantage of those items that the store is trying to clear-up. Most of the time these are the things that are near their expiration date so don’t buy them unless they’re things you always use or else you’re not really saving.

4. Always Buy Generic

Most store brand groceries are just as good as their name brand counterparts, and they are typically cheaper. Sometimes, the only difference that they would have is the price. Things I buy generic are usually toilet papers and other toiletries.

5. Buy Produce Which are in Season

This applies to fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables in season are cheaper because there’s an abundance of it. Plan your weekly menu items around these produce and you’ll be able to stretch your budget.

6. Cut Back on Meat

Meat is more expensive than vegetables. Prepare vegetarian dishes two to three times a week. Use meat as a kind of seasoning (pansahog) instead of serving  it as the main dish.

I hope you find these tips helpful.