Have you been to the grocery store as of late? If you have been there purchasing bread, milk and eggs, you will have notice one thing: prices have soared. As governments and markets around the world watch the price of grain and soy skyrocket by a significant percentage, the wallet of the consumer is hurting.
Although statistics agencies like to say that inflation is under control and is quite dormant, consumers can see otherwise. It’s akin to the old Chico Marx joke from the 1933 motion picture, “Duck Soup,” who says, “Who are you going to believe? Me or your own eyes?”
What can shoppers do? Surprisingly, there’s a lot that one can do to fight food price inflation. Here are some tips to make sure more of your money in your wallet stays there.
Cheapest Stores
If the free market can teach us anything it’s that there’s a lot of competition out there for pretty much anything. In Canada and the United States, there are numerous grocery store options, such as No Frills (Canada), Metro (Canada), Food Basics (Canada), Safeway Inc. (U.S.), Kroger (U.S.) and SuperValu Inc. (U.S.). At least one of the national or regional chains in your area will be the cheapest one.
Coupons
What’s wrong with extreme couponing? If you think cutting coupons is a task only your grandparents undertook then you have to ask yourself: so what? Even if it only saves a total of 50 cents in one shopping trip, it’s better than nothing. Also, there are a lot of coupon websites out there that just send you a coupon without you having to cut anything (and even free stuff).
Travel
Similar to first the suggestion, a great option to save money on your grocery bill is to research and shop around. Go online, look at each store’s flyer and look at what store has the best price for the item you purchase regularly. If you must travel around the city, it’s better than wasting your hard earned money.
Efficiencies
Do you really need that giant bag of potato chips? Are three two-litre bottles of soda even good for you? Why are you buying all those brand name products when the generic brand is cheaper? Finding efficiencies isn’t all that difficult that some may think, but one must prioritize in order to save money.
Follow these simple tasks:
– Keep your grocery bill
– Check off each item that is essential to your fridge
– Plan the next week’s meals ahead of time
– Make a grocery list
– Forget chips, buy carrots
– Don’t eat meat for one or two days
Basket vs. Cart
Although it is quite heavy to carry around a basket with full of groceries, you will notice at the end of your shopping trip that you have spent much less. By utilizing a grocery cart, you will lean towards filling it up, while a basket will be full and give the illusion that you have too many items.