Seven habits of highly effective shoppers

To keep your shopping trips from turning into a spending frenzy, use these habits and think about how you can spend your money more thoughtfully.

1. Make a list

Before you go to the supermarket, prepare a list of everything you need. Organise your list into categories relevant to your household to save time spent scanning the list and aisles.

Sticking to the list allows you to plan your expenditures and eliminate impulse purchases. Don’t be tempted by “taste testers” or by your childrens’ desires for extras. If you see a deal on food you don’t normally eat, keep walking. Avoid aisles that don’t have food items you need. Take a quick peek at the listed categories above each aisle and if nothing there is on your list, move on to the next one.

Another way of keeping a list is to have a grocery list on the fridge for the entire family to add. This will ensure you don’t leave something off the list and need a second trip to the grocery store.

2. Stick to in-season purchases

Fresh produce not only costs less in season, it tastes better too. Buying it out of season means lower quality and higher prices.

Buy next year’s winter coat or swimsuit at the end of the season, when they’re cheap. When you’re shopping for clothes, buy wash-and-wear rather than dry-clean only.

3. Specials and deals

The secret is to be on the look for specials. However, don’t buy them if you don’t need them.

When there’s a sale, stock up. Sale items can be a great deal. If it is an item you normally use, buy plenty. Just make sure you don’t purchase more than you can consume before the “best by” dates. You can even use the sale items to figure out what things you will buy. If chicken is on sale, that’s what needs to be on the menu.

It is important to know that strategic wording by supermarkets may fool shoppers into believing they’ve scored a deal. Signs boasting “Two for R8”, “Limit 8 per customer” or “Special” may imply a sale without offering a cut off the full retail price.

4. Don’t go grocery shopping when you’re hungry

Don’t go shopping when you’re hungry. A curbed appetite will keep you from buying things that sound good to you at the time, but are not really what you had in mind for that week.

Researchers have found that people not only spend more but buy more processed − and, therefore, more expensive − food when they’re hungry.

5. Stick to a budget

Make a calculation of how much you can spend. Then spend only that, and no more. One way is to do a rough running tally. Round up the prices. If something costs R2.80, round it to R3.00.

Another way is to use a calculator. This will help to avoid purchasing items you merely want instead of need and afford.

Impulse buying can occur whenever you browse the grocery aisles, but the pressure really gets tight when you hit the checkout line. Commit to making the checkout line a “no buy zone” – if it’s not in your basket by the time you checkout, it shouldn’t land there as you wait to make your purchases.

6. Plan ahead

Plan a weekly menu. Determine which ingredients you will need for that week and hit the grocery store as early as possible to get the best deals on meat and other specials. If you plan a weekly menu in advance, you’ll know exactly what you’ll need to buy − so no excess groceries.

7. Avoid brand names when a generic equivalent is available

Try the store brands. Often, the generic form is of the same quality and can save you 50% over the leading competitor.

Some interesting facts

• • Shop weekly. If you try to shop once a month or every other week, you will ultimately buy food that spoils.

• • Shop at farmers’ markets. The food quality is as good as your traditional shop, there may be a larger selection and you can save a lot of money.

• • Use cash. Researchers have found that credit users not only buy more junk, they also spent an average of 59 to 78% more on their grocery bills.

• • Shop on Wednesdays. If you’re shopping on a Wednesday, there are usually fewer customers and you’re able to get in and out quickly, which means you’ll spend less time fighting impulse items in both the aisles and at the checkout line.

• • Using a shopping cart instead of carrying a basket. According to some researchers this may help you make smarter supermarket choices. The strain of carrying a basket makes shoppers more likely to reach for quick-grab impulse items − like the crackers and chips concentrated at eye level in the aisle.

 

Sources
www.babble.com
http://www.bonappetit.com