Groceries takes up the major part of everyone’s monthly budget. This simply means that you need to spend wisely on it. Most of us must had a time when we used to run to the nearest supermarket in search of the items we want, paid for them and brought them home. We never ever thought about a budget plan or savings until we got the role to manage things.

With inflation graph moving high, people started to learn new tactics to save money on groceries. Some of them have been tried and tested to make sure they help you save good. So here I am with some effective money saving tips that you can apply to your grocery shopping task and save money seamlessly.

Plan ahead: It takes a few minutes, but trust me it saves a lot of money especially if you are a spontaneous shopper.

Plan out the menu for different meals of the day. Make a list of the items you need for the same. A list will make sure that you buy all the necessary ingredients for your meals. This will even ensure that you don’t have to dine out frequently. The best thing about planning your menu is that it saves you from the question - “What to make for the dinner?”

Again, ensure to add the items that you need on the recurring basis to the list. So you are now ready to shop.

Look for sale: Before you step out, make sure you look for sales at the local grocery store. If you are an online shopper, take your time to go through the site and look for deals. You can even plan out your menu based on the deals available.

Go for coupons: Whether you are an extreme couponer or not, just make it a habit to collect a few and use them. The initial savings may be low, but when they add up, you will find a significant difference on the bills. Make it a habit to visit Vouchershops.co.uk to check out the coupons and vouchers for online grocery stores.

Buy seasonal produce: You must add a bunch of fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet. Make sure you go for the seasonal produce. Fresh fruits and vegetables are always cheaper during the in season. This way you can have them just within your budget.

Look for the cheapest deal: Whenever you find a deal on a product just make sure you are getting the cheapest price. Don’t get tricked by the small discounts on the products.

Only shop monthly: Make it a habit to shop only once in a month. This will save you from impulse shopping. Again, it will give you enough time to hunt deals and combine them together for maximum savings. This will even help you know the stores which you must visit.

Leave your kids at home: Taking kids to the stores means you will have additional items in your cart for sure. So it is recommended to leave them home so that you can shop with ease and only pick those things you really need.

Don’t go for pre-cut / ready-to-make items: No doubt they are convenient and saves a lot of time, but they are expensive too. You can easily prepare food with these ready to make items, but you can better invest some time and make things ready for the meal. This will eventually help you save enough money.

Brand Vs Generic: Branded products are costly compared to the generic ones. Many a time, you may even find that the generic items taste as good as their branded counterparts. So try to go for generic products wherever possible. Some of the grocery stores may not store generic ones so better look for the stores where you can find them.

Just buy what you need: This is the foremost and most important lesson you need to learn to have a smart grocery shopping. Studies have shown that people end up buying 20%-30% more due to impulse shopping. So having some self-control is very important. If you are tempted to buy many simply start resisting a product at a time and follow the same on your next shopping. You will slowly get into the flow.

Final Word

If you have still not made it a point to control the grocery bills, it is the time you go through the last month’s bill. You are sure to find a few ones which could have been scrapped and helped you trim the bill.

So next time when you plan to go for grocery shopping, keep these 10 tips in your mind and stay within the budget.