8 Simple Ways to Save Money on Your Groceries

It is very important to save money and avoid impulse buying when you are shopping. There are very Simple Ways to Save Money on Your Groceries that you can follow, including planning your meals ahead of time, bulk buying, checking for coupons or discounts, avoiding pre packaged consumer goods, etc.

Table of Contents

1. Plan Your Meals Ahead of Time
2. Shop Smart with Discounts and Coupons
3. Buy in Bulk
4. Opt for Store Brands
5. Shop Seasonal and Local Produce
6. Avoid Pre-Packaged Convenience Foods
7. Embrace Technology: Use Grocery Apps
8. Grow Your Own Food
Conclusion

Let us understand all these in detail.

1. Plan Your Meals Ahead of Time

Creating a weekly plan can help you save a lot of money while shopping from groceries in local or megastores
Make a list of groceries while you are at home and include only things that are really needed
You buy only the required things as per your list based on the plan
This helps you avoid impulse buying, since the advertisements and marketing in megastores are done in such a way that you are forced to buy things you don’t need, and are not included in your list

2. Shop Smart with Discounts and Coupons

Always check for the discounts or coupons you usually get on megastores
For example, buying a set of bath soap would cost you around Rs. 200 in local store, compared to buying the same set of bath soap in megastore like Dmart, at a price within Rs. 150.
You easily get 10% to 25% discounts on multiple products in megastores
But it is also important to have a list of products to buy in order to avoid impulse buying in megastores
Also, you can check the clearance items or seasonal promotions that help you get more discounts

3. Buy in Bulk

You can buy items in bulk, specially those which can be stored such as rice, pasta, etc.
Buying in bulk provides more discounts compared to buying individual products with less quantity
Usually, you also get “Buy 1 Get 1 Free” offers on items that can be stored at your home for usage. This helps you save more money on these household items
Examples of “Buy 1 get 1 free” include, Muesli for breakfast / snacks, Ghee, floor cleaners, etc.

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4. Opt for Store Brands

Products that have store brands rather than original branded products cost slightly less
The quality seems to be almost same for store brands and original branded product, and store branded product will be easily available
Original brand products are costly, not because they are original, but they need more funds to market their products, thus increasing the cost
So prefer store branded products without having to compromise on quality

5. Shop Seasonal and Local Produce

Seasonal fruits and vegetables are usually cheaper and fresh
For example, you’ get apples cheaper during winter season rather than the summer season. Also, apples seem to be fresh in winter season and will be of good quality
Same rule applies for mangoes which are cheaper and fresh during summer season
Also, buying during the late hours of the day will help you get the products at a cheap rate, since shopkeepers want to finish their inventory at the end of the day. So buying during the late hours can also save you money

6. Avoid Pre-Packaged Convenience Foods

With ease of buying and convenient services like zepto, swiggy, etc. there are lot of development in pre packaged foods
For example, you easily get snacks in megastores that are refrigerated, and you only need to deep fry them to have for breakfast and snacks. This is convenience, of not doing extra work of preparing your food
It is not only costly, but also unhealthy.
Such pre prepared and packed food seem to be more costly compared to home made snacks or breakfast, and also are not healthy for you since they are stored for longer time
So avoid buying such pre-prepared and pre-packaged convenience food to save money and also for good health

7. Embrace Technology: Use Grocery Apps

These days there are apps like zepto and blinkIt that helps you to save extra money on coupons or discounts
It also helps you so save time and effort in order to go out and buy groceries offline
You get fresh fruits, vegetable and other products online
Use these apps when you have less time and need some groceries urgently, while you will be also embracing technology in this case
But if you have time during weekends, opt for buying your groceries offline from megastores in bulk, as these apps also charge you some extra bucks for the convenience you get

8. Grow Your Own Food

If you have some extra space around kitchen or balcony, or outside in garden, you can opt to grow your own food
Get some plants that provides you fresh fruits and vegetables and this can be a cost effective method
You’ll save money on such products and also generate interest in gardening while taking care of these plants

Conclusion

Saving money on groceries doesn’t mean sacrificing quality or enjoyment. By planning ahead, shopping smart, and making small changes to your habits, you can reduce your grocery bills and still put delicious meals on your table. Start incorporating these tips and watch your savings grow with time.

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