Grocery shopping is a chore that everyone needs to master if you want to save money and time. I, myself, am guilty of always, always overspending at the grocery store. Thanks, to unnecessary purchases that aren’t even on my grocery list! I’m sure that most of you can relate to that. The results at the checkout counter always surprise me (not the good kind of surprise), which got me thinking that it’s probably time for me to re-evaluate my grocery shopping habits. With a little help from the experts in the internet world, I am now aware of the different shopping mistakes that most people do and how to avoid them.
Not having a list and a meal plan.
Shopping without a “goal” is a disaster. You’ll end up noticing and buying all sorts of items that you think you need, but really don’t. So before you leave your house, plan for your meals and make a list of all the ingredients that you need in right quantities. This way, you will avoid throwing out ingredients that you will not be able to cook and of course, avoid unnecessary purchases. Plus, if you want to eat healthy, this will also help you reach your diet and fitness goals.
Shopping on an empty stomach.
You’ve heard this advice a bunch of times, but I am saying it again. Satisfy your hunger before stepping inside the grocery store. Otherwise, you’ll be tempted to grab food items that aren’t just unhealthy but will cost you more as well. Don’t let hunger tempt you to buy food that you don’t really need!
Falling for store marketing gimmicks.
“Buy 10 for $10” doesn’t mean that you really need to buy 10 to get the sale price. You can buy 1 or 2 or 3 – they’re just a dollar each anyway. Don’t get blindsided by these marketing tactics. Not unless you really need 10 of each, then go and buy 10.
Forgetting to check your receipt.
Statistics show that the error rate in the accuracy of scanned prices is more than 4%. So make it a habit to check your receipt to make sure that there are no errors or discrepancies on your purchases.
