Grocery shopping. Well, some of us love it and some of us hate it. No matter what, you still have to do it, right? I load groceries about 3 times a week and I kind of like it, except for when the supermarket is really packed. I hate it then. In this article I will show you some tips for a smarter and more pleasant experience, since you'll have to do it soon anyway.
First of all, there's the old rule: don't go to the supermarket when you're hungry. This is a good one, because your stomach will do the thinking for you and you will buy every single thing that you'd like to eat at that time, even unnecessary stuff. I will number these tips for you to remember more easily.
1) Think about how name-brand, private-label (store brand) and generic products compare in price and volume/weight and quality.
2) Don't be deceived by eye-catching packaging, which is usually from more expensive brands with less quantity and higher prices.
3) Compare price per ounce/gram in comparable products. If you have a product that costs $3.99 for a 10-ounce unit and another at $2.99 for a 5-ounce unit, the latter is much more expensive, although it seems not to. In the first one you'll have a 40 cents-per-ounce price, while in the other you'll have an almost 60 cents-per-ounce price. Even if it's priced at $2.99, you are giving away almost 20 cents-per-ounce, just for not looking closely.
4) Always check the expiration date. I always pick the farthest expiration date possible. If not, you'll have to purchase it again very soon, probably before you finish it. This is especially true on milk. Again, wasted money.
5) Companies usually launch new exciting products with "new great and powerful features" in order to sell them higher. This is because, although they might keep the same price, they are giving you less ounces/grams of product. In the case of bar soap, they might add "special cleaning, powerful beads", making you think it's better than the former soap, which, by the way, it's sitting next to it. Well, truth is, the "older" soap does exactly the same(which is for taking a bath, not rocket science!) and it costs about the same, but for 4.5 ounces, not 4.0. With the new and exciting product they are selling you a 4.0-ounce bar soap at the price of a 4.5-ounce. See where the money goes?
6) Avoid discount-priced meat. They want to get rid of soon-to-be-spoiled meat. Not good. I usually see a discount of 20% or 30% on meat that the expiration date is like...tomorrow!
7) Avoid the temptation. Did you know that meat and other basic products are usually placed in the back of the supermarket? You know why? This is a well-thought technique in order for you to pass by everything that's not essential or you really don't need, but you'll buy! Everything is placed in that place for a reason.
I hope you've had a good time reading this useful article. You might need it for next time you'll do grocery shopping. Have a great day at the grocery store!
2 comments:
good post came from 1/2 hr meals
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