Save Money at the Supermarket
Are you a frequent shopper in grocery and supermarkets? Do you want to save money while shopping in supermarkets buying the goods that you need from foods to other grocery items?
With the current global financial crisis, we really need to do a lot of saving. We need to save our paychecks. We need to budget our money. And the latest money saving tips I will give is on how to save your money while doing your regular shopping in a supermarket.
These are some of the thrifty tips that could trim your supermarket bills without cutting back on necessary food items in your list. Just follow these tricks of the trade:
Learn prices. Educate yourself when it comes to the prices of goods. Compare prices of grocery items from one supermarket to another. In this way, you know when a good deal comes your way.
Buy items in bags. Buy items in bags rather than boxes if you have a choice. Bagged items generally cost less than boxed items.
Check expiration. Foods are perishable items. Don’t forget to check the expiration dates of food items. You will be losing money if the food you bought expired without consuming it all.
Weigh packaged items. Be sure to double check prepackaged weighed packages like fruits, vegetables, and meat. They sometimes hold less than their label items. You may find a 6-pound pack of vegetable to be actually weighing in at 5 pounds. In this case, you will end up paying more than the actual cost per pound.
Consider generic brands. Generic or store brands are often just as good as branded products. They might even be cheaper. When I go to supermarket like SM Malls, I usually see the generic brands of SM Bonus products to be actually cheaper than its rival branded products.
Shop seasonally. By law of supply and demand, prices of items in supermarket drop when they have an abundance of certain items. Holidays and back-to-school seasons, for instance, have their effect – for better or worse – on store prices.
Skip the junk food. Aside from good health reasons, skipping the junk food can also save you money. Back off on the stuffs that aren’t good for you. An occasional treat is okay but too much can drain your budget and your health too.
Ask the store to break up. If you are buying especially in the meat section of the supermarket, ask the person manning the station to break up bunches of meats so you can buy in smaller amounts. There’s no sense of paying for more than you will eat.
Avoid hoarding. Avoid overbuying and stocking a lot of foods. If possible, shop for food items good for a maximum of 2 weeks. Avoid hoarding. Buy only what you eat and eat what you buy.
Don’t give in to impulse buys while shopping. Don’t go to supermarket while on a hurry. Chances are you’ll end up buying whatever you saw first without taking quality and price consideration. Take your time to shop and look around.
Check prices in cashier counter. When the cashier scans the bar code of each item you bought, double check. Watch the register and check receipts accurately. Sometimes, a checker may scan an item twice, or the sale price may not ring up.
Don’t live with inferior products. If you have purchased a product that has gone bad, or not held up within reason, take it back. Politely return it.
Get to know your grocers. Talk to product managers, stocking clerks, butchers and store managers. Ask questions and you may probably find out about special deals which can save you money.
Bend and squint. I don’t know if this is generally true to all supermarkets but sometimes I find the less expensive products on the lowest shelves. Bend and squint to find the best deals.
Aside from these useful tips, supermarket owners sometimes implement some tactics in order to sell you more food. A lot of these are carrots on a stick. Don’t be a donkey to fall for these tricks.
Giving away a free item with a minimum purchase. A lot of supermarkets have these promos. I can see there are usually counters near cash registers so that after paying the items, you can show them your receipts and you’ll get free items if you met the minimum amount of purchase. It only works in your favor if you had planned to spend that much money.
Grouping items together to encourage more sales. Supermarket owners group certain similar food products to encourage more sales. Don’t be tempted to buy unless it’s really necessary and you really need it.
These are just some of the useful tips I can think of to save money while doing your supermarket shopping. If you can add some, feel free to add them by writing a comment.
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Tagged with: money • savings • shopping
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11 comments
Thanks for the info. The tips are helpful.
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You’ll be pleasantly surprised that SM Bonus Tuna is actually made by Century Tuna. I don’t know if I’m just lucky or what, but the quality in the cans I got has always been as good as Century’s. Word of caution though, it might not be the case all the time. I remember buying a bar of SM Bonus Cheese a few years back. It was manufactured by Magnolia/SMC, but the quality was really bad. It seems that the cheese mixture in the Bonus item was that of the rejects from Magnolia.
Speaking of SM, please also be mindful of the prices printed in the catalogs/handouts/print ads of the SM grocery chain. A discounted item in an SM Hypermarket ad doesn’t necessarily mean that the discount is also applicable in SM Supermarket or Save More.
I felt victimized before when I saw a discounted item priced at P22 in a Hypermarket catalog, but wasn’t able to find it in the Hypermarket North Edsa. Out of stock! I just don’t know if it was intentional or not. But upon proceeding to the SM Supermarket in that same mall, there I found the item but without price tags, as usual. Upon checkout, the price I had to pay was P28.
Well, lesson learned: ask about the price. Don’t assume.
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Thanks for the comments. I never imagined that some SM Bonus products were actually made by some “branded” companies although most probably, the quality of the product was sacrificed. Thus, the reason behind its cheap price.
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Another tip, but only for those who are good in handling credit card accounts:
You might want to get yourself a credit card that is co-branded with the supermarket or store. A Rustans-Citibank Visa gives 2-3% rebates on purchases in Rustans Supermarkets, while the Landmark-Ansons-Bankard Mastercard also gives discounts every Wednesday. Same is true for Mercury Drug Citibank Visa which gives 2% rebates on both drugstore and grocery purchases. These rebates/discounts, though small, are more “tangible” than the rewards or store loyalty point programs which would usually require us to accumulate bigger points before getting rewarded.
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These are helpful sound advices especially in these trying times. I agree with skipping the junk food part. I’m quite surprised that some of the expensive items in my grocery receipt came from the chocolates and chips.
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I save money whenever I stick to my budget. I am not usually ‘blinded’ by the sale. Buying in the supermarket requires careful planning and discipline.
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sticking to one’s budget and keeping in mind always to buy only the things that you need is my guide post. but one good point also you shared is being practical; not being into branded.
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These thrifty tips are really helpful! I am already familiar on some of these though, but I still learned few more ways on how I can save while shopping.
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Hi! Love your blog. I am aiming to be a millionaire soon. Your site is very informative.
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I just want to confirm from SM MANAGEMENT if they really let their promo dicers sell mga items na malapit ng ma expired? Kasi sa neighbor namin namely Malvin delos Reyes, almost once a week siya nagtitinda ng mga SM BONUS FRIES sa ‘min, he says bigay daw yun s kanila ng management ng SM MARIKINA.
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bend and squint nice tips. but you also have to check expiry.
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