‘BUMPER’ PERSONAL FINANCE EDITION
RESEARCH: LOOK FOR DEALS THEN STRETCH SUPPLIES
When products you use most are on sale, buy enough to last until the next sale.
Plan meals by the adverts Most people know it’s important to go grocery shopping with a list. They usually make a meal plan for the week/month, then shop for the needed ingredients. But you can save more if you first find the best grocery deals and go for those. Then plan your meals based on the ingredients you have.
Do your research Determine whether the store you’re shopping at has the lowest prices for your needs by researching. List 10 items you buy most often (such as milk, bread, chicken), then visit all the stores in your area to compare prices and find the one that’ll help you save the most on all 10. Be loyal Don’t switch between grocery stores every time you shop: you’ll be unable to correctly estimate amounts and will waste money. Pick n Pay has a Smart Shopper rewards programme, Spar offers its own loyalty programme and Checkers has Eezi Coupons online. Initiatives like these help you save.
Look at weight Items are charged per gram/ kilogram and this price (not the cash price on the sticker) gives a better idea of the cost of the product. Find this on the label on the shelf or, for meat products, in small print on the label itself.
Buy several weeks worth of on-sale items
Sales and promotions at grocery stores usually run in cycles, rotating every eight or 12 weeks. When you see your most commonly used products on sale, buy enough to last you until the next sale (freeze perishables).
Be strategic If the items you buy are not used and eventually thrown out, you’re wasting your money. Prevent this by sorting through your fridge and kitchen cupboards weekly and put all the perishables that need to be used soon in one area. Give them priority when planning your next meal or freeze them for later.
Plan ahead You can also strategically plan ahead by investing in a food coupon from Shoprite or Checkers every month. Take about R100 or R200 from your food budget to buy a coupon, then save them for later – just remember to check the expiry date. This way you’re saving for Christmas expenses throughout the year.
Dilute dishwashing liquid Dishwashing liquid is so highly concentrated it’ll work as well if it’s diluted slightly. When it reaches the halfway mark, add water to fill the bottle up and mix it. Even better, save old dishwasher bottles and split each new bottle between two, diluting both bottles straight away. Never buy bags Either buy bags once and reuse them or buy material bags and keep using them for all shopping.