Most common questions used to investigate
Do you make a list of the things you want?
Do you have a monthly budget for groceries?
Do you have a cooking routine?
Do you ever look for coupons?
Do you look around the grocery store?
Do you pay with cash?
Common conclusions
Before heading to the grocery store, make a list of all the things you want to buy. Take a few minutes to run through your pantry to see what's available and what needs to be refilled and make your choice accordingly. Take this list with you to the supermarket and make sure you buy only what's on your list and the exact quantity you've written down on it.
Having a budget for groceries will give you a better hang of what you're buying. Many times, we tend to buy things that we won't use and they will lie unused in your kitchen for many months before you eventually throw it away. The chances for this wastefulness will go down when you have a budget as you'd want to buy only within it and you may even end up prioritizing one item over the other.
Consider having a cooking routine, preferably for the entire month. This not only helps you to better plan your monthly groceries but will also save the trouble of thinking and deciding what to make. With such a list, all that you have to do is look at the list and whip up that dish. Double advantage!
Coupons are a great way to save money on groceries. You can typically find them in newspapers or online discount coupon sites and you can use them to save money on your purchases. This is a neat way to stay within your budget without compromising on the things you want to buy.
When you head to the grocery store, go to the aisles that you have to, pick the items you want, and leave. When you start going around the grocery time, the chances for you to pick new or fancy items are high and before you know, all this would've burned a big hole in your pocket. The same applies to the items that are displayed near the billing section. Don't let those items tempt you.
When you make it a point to pay for grocery with cash, you'll spend a lot less. Typically, take the budgeted cash in your hands and leave back your wallet and all the credit/debit cards in it. This way you will be forced to buy only within the cash you have on hand and this will forcefully make you save on groceries.
Some people argue that they get cash back and other benefits when they pay with their credit cards. While this is true, the chances to overspend are quite high. So, use your credit card only after you get to the discipline of shopping for just what you want. Until then, forego the benefits of credit cards and use just cash.
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