SHOPPING TIPS
It’s hardly a secret that raising children is an expensive endeavour – and the costs are rising every year. But with some clever strategies in the aisles, you can shave money off your monthly budget and top up that education fund.
PLAN AHEAD
One of the most wasteful habits many of us have is impulse buying – whether it’s that extra bag of apples in the fresh produce section or tossing in a packet of lettuce because it’s on special. After all, if you buy food items without knowing how or when you are going to use them, chances are that they’ll be that grey, sludgy ooze you’re rinsing out of your vegetable drawer next weekend.
Planning ahead is one of the simplest and easiest ways to avoid buying items that are likely to rot before getting used. By planning a weekly menu, and then shopping with a list in hand, you’re far more likely to stick to only what you need. Retailers like Typo and online stationer Macaroon (www.macaroon.co.za) have fantastic weekly planners that make it all much easier to map out a shopping list you can stick to. Even if you switch your meals around during the week (for example, macaroni cheese on Thursday instead of Tuesday), you’ll still come out ahead because you’re more likely to use everything you bought without having to fit in a midweek shop.
SCOUR THE SPECIALS
One of the biggest expenses for parents is disposable nappies. Even purchased in bulk, they’re a significant monthly cost. Get into the habit of reading the newspaper inserts that show the big retailers’ers weekly specials – you’ll ’ll be surprised by howw much of a saving you u can make.
BUT BE ALERT
Retailers love to offer Buy One, Get One Free offers, or discounts when you buy more than one item. They may seem tempting, but first consider whether you’ll use it all in time to reap the rewards. If it’s a special offer on non-perishables like toothpaste, boxed milk or soap powder, it’s definitely worth it, but if you’re buying two pockets of potatoes when your family only eats potatoes twice a week, it’s unlikely that this is a good buy so don’t do it.
BUY IN BULK
The thought of facing mass stores like Makro may leave you cold but buying some items in bulk is a great way to save, provided you have some storage space available. Bulk non-perishables such as cleaning products, toilet paper, pet food, nappies and tinned goods can provide decent savings on your monthly shop and saves you those annoying (and ex expensive) midweek dashes to the shops for basics – because we all know that those little excursionsexc invariably lead to unnecessaryunn purchases.
NO NAME? NO PROBLEM
Do you automatically assume that no name or house brands just aren’t as good as branded products? You might just be
A bit of clever shopping is all you need to bring down the monthly costs of raising a family
wrong. Try employing this clever shopping trick suggested by
www.moneysavingexpert.com – the next time you shop, trade one of your usual branded products for the no name or house brand item instead. If you can’t tell the difference in taste between the branded product you usually use and the house brand product, then why spend money on a name? Another hot tip is to buy the house brand cleaning products – the potential saving on items like household cleaners and washing powder adds up if you’re maintaining a household.
NO, REALLY – DON’T GO SHOPPING WHEN YOU’RE HUNGRY
Yes, this does seem like an absolutely common sense piece of advice, but it’s also true. A research study recently confirmed that people who shop while they’re hungry are far more likely to buy high calorie foods. You’re also far more likely to buy items that are not on your list and stock up on unnecessary snack food when you’re hungry – all of which can make a dent in your wallet.
HIT THE SALES
When your children are small, you have a window of opportunity where they’re less likely to dictate what they want to wear. Use it wisely because it won’t last! Often, children’s clothing sales offer fantastic discounts. For example, Naartjie’s end of season sales offer discounts of up to 50 percent off. Other retailers have equally awesome seasonal specials. The trick here is to buy for the next season, in the next size up for your child – if they’re currently in a 2 to 3 size, get the 3 to 4 size. When next summer rolls around and they’ve suddenly outgrown all of last season’s clothes, you’ll have a handy stash in the cupboard and no reason to hit the shops at full price.
Shopping mall sales are also a great way to stock up on low cost toys, games and accessories for birthday parties. Places like Typo, Woolworths, Cotton On and CNA also offer toys, clothes and accessories at great discounts during their annual sales. Having a bag full of presents at the ready (hidden away carefully, of course!) will save you again and again when birthday parties crop up during the year.
GET COMPARATIVE
If you’re planning a big-ticket purchase, use a price comparison website www.pricecheck.co.za,(try or www.uprice.co.za www.shopmania.co.za) to see whether your chosen item is cheapest at the retailer you’d normally go to, or whether it’s on special or simply available at a lower price somewhere else. A bit of online research can make a big difference to your outlay. Another good idea is to sign up for the weekly newsletters from big retailers so that you’ll see their specials first and be able to react fast.
Some retailers, like Dionwired, offer online only discounts on a specific day, which is another great way to make significant savings on big ticket items.
SHOP ALONE!
Of course, it’s not always possible or practical to shop without your children, but if you can arrange to shop while they’re at playschool or leave them with granny or a nanny, shopping on your own is not only a quieter, faster and altogether more enjoyable experience, it’s also going to make it so much easier to stick to your list and avoid purchases of all the unnecessary sweetie items that line the “till queue of temptation”.