MONEY

‘Money’s too tight to mention’, as the Simply Red song goes, and many of us can identify with that sentiment right now. Don’t stress – help is at hand. We’ve compiled a few nifty shopping hacks that will keep your grocery bill in check.

Cut your grocery bill with these shopping hacks

PLAN AND SAVE

Saving money at the till starts long before you reach the supermarket. Plan your meals so that you can draw up a proper shopping list – and stick to it. Menu planning may seem like a drag, but it can be fun, with the whole family pitching in. Breakfast and lunch are usually pretty standard, but why not give each family member a turn to pick (and help make!) the evening meal? That way everyone gets to eat their favourites.

Shopping by memory is not a good idea – you can be easily distracted and may buy a bunch of things you don’t need, perhaps even forgetting the essentials that you came to the shops for in the first place. And while shopping lists are important, be a bit flexible – if a cut of meat is on special, substitute a meal on your menu.

Planning can also help prevent food waste. Be honest: how often have you chucked out groceries because the best-by date had come and gone? According to a 2017 report by the WWF-SA, 10 million tons of food go to waste in SA every year, 70 percent of which are fruit, veg and cereals. And it’s not just the food that’s wasted – the water that went into growing that wasted produce could fill more than 600000 Olympicsized swimming pools.

It’s also worth rethinking what’s on the menu. Many of us were raised on meat and vegetables for dinner, but meat is one of the most expensive grocery items; you can save a tidy sum by going meat-free two or three times a week.

RETHINK YOUR ROUTINE

• Check what you have in your grocery cupboard and fridge before you go shopping to replenish.

• Go meat-free a few times a week.

• Set a budget for your groceries.

• Use a calculator as you shop to keep track of expenses.

• Go shopping once a week and avoid popping into the shops daily for essential items.

MINIMISE PESTER POWER

Taking your kids to the shops with you may not be the best idea. In a 2017 survey called Kid Power, conducted by ViacomCBS Global Insights, about three-quarters of both the parents and children interviewed agreed that kids play a role in buying decisions in the household. From the advertising and media messages that target children to the point of sale displays in the supermarket, retailers figured out long ago that our kids wield immense power in the shopping aisles. Advertisers call it ‘pester power’ – children nagging their parents into purchasing things they wouldn’t have bought otherwise.

It’s difficult to shop with a nagging child, and even if you are on a tight budget, you’re bound to give in at some point, possibly more than once! So simplify your life – leave the kids at home if you can, and reduce your spend.

DON’T SHOP ON THE RUN

After a tough day at work, you pop into your local supermarket to stock up on a few essentials. As you walk in, everything looks and smells delicious and before you know it, you end up with all kinds of goodies in your trolley.

This is an old tip, but the advice is solid, backed up with tons of scientific evidence – never shop when you are hungry or stressed. Have a good meal before you head out, and shop when you are relaxed and can make rational decisions.

Studies have also shown that being tired can have an impact on the way we eat and how we spend money. When you’re tired from a long day, or sleep deprived, you’re drawn to sugary food to boost your flagging energy levels. Your brain’s ability to process information is affected, and the choices you make directly impact your pocket (and your health).

AVOID IMPULSE BUYING

Paco Underhill, consumer expert and author of the book Why We

A staggering two-thirds of what we fork out cash for are items that we had no intention of buying when we walked into the shop. This doesn’t happen by chance - supermarket layouts are deliberately designed to trigger impulse buying.

Buy: The Science of Shopping, says a staggering two-thirds of what we fork out cash for are items we had no intention of buying when we walked into the shop. This doesn’t happen by chance – supermarket layouts are designed to trigger impulse buying.

It all starts as you approach the store: you’re presented with rows of trolleys, with the hand baskets placed deeper inside. That’s intentional – with a trolley you have more space to fill, so you are likely to spend more.

Once inside, the layouts are pretty universal, no matter where you shop. You’re greeted with fresh flowers and produce, giving you the impression that everything is fresh, making you happy to shop. A happy shopper sends more time in store and buys more. The bakery is usually close at hand with comforting smells that may make you feel hungry – and, as we know, a hungry shopper buys more.

Essential items such as milk, eggs and meat will be found at the back of the store. To reach them, you’ll need to walk through the grocery aisles with their colourful displays and tempting products. This is where impulse buying happens.

SHOP ONLINE AND SAVE

Online shopping can be a great money saver. There may be a small delivery fee, but the process of shopping is rather clinical and the tiny product images won’t lead to impulse buying. You can also keep track of how much you’re spending, so there are no surprises at the till. There’s also the bonus of saving on petrol and time. It’s far quicker than driving, parking, wandering around the shop, queuing and schlepping your groceries home.

Though there are some obvious drawbacks. You may like to select your own cut of meat or size of potatoes – of course, you can’t do this with online shopping. It’s also not instant. Some retailers offer same-day delivery in certain areas, but generally you can expect to wait a day or two at least. But if you plan well and shop weekly or monthly, shopping online can help you to stick to your budget.

Life seems to get more expensive every day, and we need to make every rand stretch. Ring in some changes, do some planning and shop smartly – small things can make a big difference at the end of the day.