Always check for weekly specials to save money
BULA vinaka to all our shoppers, I do hope you have all had a productive week and are looking forward to Fiji’s game against Georgia at 3.45am this Sunday.
This week I will talk about smart shopping as we continuously hear the never ending grumbling over the rising costs of groceries and bills that seems to be hitting us every day! Since the VAT increase on August 1, from 9 to 15 per cent every shopper has felt the pinch because wages and salaries of workers have not gone up.
People are hoping that this Coalition Government would bring some relief but since taking over power almost everything has gone up by not a few cents but a couple of dollars in most instances.
The fact is that everyone is asking the Government for an increase in bills, services and goods as a trickle on effect of the rising cost of living, almost everywhere in the world and with our trading partners.
The price of fuel, veges and food crops has all gone up as well as meat, chicken, eggs and bread. Everyone has felt the pinch except the rich.
As we shoppers continue to discuss stingy and thrifty options to stretch the value of every dollar a colleague shared how he was coping.
Instead of buying at one place this workmate checks the two newspapers and the specials advertised on Facebook before he goes out to shop.
He says it does make a difference.
“I used to just shop at NewWorld and Rajendras supermarket before, but now I make an effort to shop at places that sell stuff on special especially these new small supermarkets.
“I can buy gas at Alison’s some affordable meat at Extra Supermarket and then I shop around at NewWorld, Shop N Save and MaxVal-u for items on discount.
“If I go to a supermarket and find that washing powder is around $8 for 3kg I’ll buy three and in the next two shopping trips I will skip that product. “In a month I do a major shopping and every fortnight I simply top up,” he shared.
“Last week I managed to spend $160 out of the usual $250 worth of shopping I do once a month,” he said. So there you go if you have the will to be a smart shopper you will find a way to shop around.
“I’ve noticed that the small supermarkets have great bargains.
“At Alisons in Laucala Beach Estate lamb shanks are sold for $15.99 a kg and lamb neck for $8.99 a kg while the big gas cylinder costs $29.75, so you see there are still some reasonable priced items out there, and it is just a matter of knowing and shopping around.
“I will then check out what’s cheap at Nayan’s Supermarket and Ram Jattan Supermarket in Nadera and sure enough I will find something there that is worth buying,” he said.
So this week the message I would like to impart with our shoppers is that we can still save some money if we shop around. It might take some time to check social media and the newspapers but it is worth the effort.
This weekend before you head out on your shopping adventure check your Facebook and the specials at all supermarkets near you to make the best value of every dollar.
On that note I would like to wish you all a blessed weekend and let’s all make an effort to shop smarter. Happy shopping shoppers!