When you go to the grocery store, what do you bring with you? A Lakeland shopping list, of course. But no matter how much you follow this list to a T, you can become disappointed with yourself once you got to the counter because there are too many things you don’t need that somehow find itself in your cart.
Be a lot smarter and wiser about spending your money. Here are five techniques to become a better shopper when you go to the grocery store:
Go when you don’t have much time
Squeeze in your grocery time during the weekdays when you’ve got too many on your plate. Instead of leisurely strolling the aisles on a Saturday or a Sunday, try to do your shopping during the weekdays when you don’t have much time. Grocery stores follow strategies such as playing a calming or upbeat music or making the shop smell like coffee or freshly baked break to seduce you to buying things you don’t need. If you stay longer in the store, you’re bound to buy more.
Compare unit prices and item weight
When buying a bottle of catsup, for example, you may think that Item A is cheaper because it’s just $3.99 and Item B is $5.99. Look at the unit price and the total weight of the item. If Item B has a lower unit price and has more in terms of ounces or liters, then you are saving more by buying Item B, right? Be careful when looking only at the sale price.
Bring only cash with you
The downside when bringing a credit card with you is you are confident you can buy anything you want in the store because you have a high credit limit. Bring cash instead, so that you will think about what you’re putting in the cart before doing so. You will have more control over yourself when you only have a couple of hundreds of dollars to spend.
Check the circulars and the coupons
Every grocery store has a weekly circular. Here, you’ll find items on a bargain. These are products that are being sold at a loss profit for the store because maybe they have a surplus of such items. Take advantage of these offers and deals, but make sure to double check everything because not all are on sale.
Buy store brands
If you want to get more for your money, you may want to purchase store brands or generic brands. These are usually less expensive than the branded items, but they are just as good as the branded ones.