1. Set a goal in mind when shopping of how much you’d like to spend and do your utmost best to stick to it or under it, especially do this when grocery shopping
If you have a goal in mind before entering the store you are more likely to stick to it as opposed to not having one at all. Personally, I dedicate one specific day a week to do the grocery shopping all in one go, and I try to allocate this time on a day where there won’t be as many people around, so it isn’t as chaotic and won't pressure me to make quick, sometimes unsmart decisions. Of course, this isn’t possible for everyone, especially those who work weekdays and have a lot of commitments throughout the week. However, if you can at least dedicate a certain amount of time once a week around the same time to do the shopping and consciously think about your expenditure and create a goal, it’s definitely a start. Another optional tip is using cash when grocery shopping, it is so easy to overspend when you are using your card, I find that if I physically see how much money I have to spend I will be more conscious with how I use it.
2. Keep track of your expenditure!
Instead of allowing those receipts to pile up in your wallet or handbag, actually take them out and look over them, crazy I know! We can spend so much money in the blink of an eye sometimes, and not even realize where it all went. This nasty habit, can contribute to a very wasteful life and furthermore big 'dint' in your wallet. I personally keep all my receipts for every week after every shop, staple them and keep them in a folder with sections for each month. I run through them all afterwards and highlight the necessities, and note any one-offs or week + items that I purchased, so I know what I really need to buy every week and what can wait until later. I go an even step further and calculate the cost of necessities and one offs/week + items after every shop, so I can track my expenses closely, and know the timeframe in which I need to make purchases for certain things (of course you don’t have to go that far). This doesn’t take as long as it sounds at all, and once you start seeing patterns in your expenditure you’ll be better able to fix them as you can clearly identify them.
3. Research before you shop
Items go on sale every week at a lot of commonplace stores and supermarkets such as Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, Kmart, Big W. However there are those places more frequently cheaper than others, and even though that may be so, you may still need to do research beforehand in order to find the cheapest price on items you want. In other words, plan your shop! Not only will this keep you in check with buying the cheapest items, but it will derail you from going in blindly and getting side-tracked in another store, and buying unnecessary things. Personally, I do most of my grocery shopping at Aldi, the local greengrocer, and the butcher. I love Aldi, and personally think that most of their brands are fantastic and just as good as the name brand stuff you get from Coles/Woolworths, and they even have a few gluten-free options. Some particular favourites of mine include their milk, cheese, pasta, yoghurt, and snack items. Aldi also comes out with fantastic special buy items every week, with a large variety of items from household appliances, electronics, gardening, tools, gym equipment and clothing, for a considerably cheaper price compared to other stores. I get all my fruit and veggies from the local greengrocer, it is a lot cheaper than buying them at a supermarket and a lot tastier as they are fresher, with less likelihood of added chemicals and having been frozen. I also do most if not all my shopping for meat products at the butcher, which is usually cheaper with a better quality and cut of meat. Pro-tip for you, if you are buying chicken, buy a whole chicken and cut it into sections yourself, you’ll get a lot more out of it and it is a whole lot cheaper, sometimes you’ll find a whole chicken as little as $5! That’s often less than half the cost of bulk chicken packets in supermarkets. You can also use the leftover bones to make your own stock!
4. Buy in bulk
I’m sure a few of you have heard this one before, but I cannot stress enough how important this is to do, especially at times when items go on special and are considerably cheaper than their usual shelf price. I usually buy meat and foods which can be frozen in bulk as well as lifelong milk and juice. Doing this will definitely save you money in the long run, even if it may seem like you are spending a bit extra the week of the bulk buy.
5. Plan your meals
I cannot begin to express how much this has actually helped me save money and reduce waste in my household. Before I started to make weekly meal planners, I was very wasteful with how I chose to spend my money. I would buy things without knowing how long they would last for or what I would be using them for the next time around. Items would often go off, without me having finished them and it would be a never-ending cycle. I also would often get take away a lot of the time because I didn’t plan any meals in advance, and this definitely put a big 'dint' in the wallet. I keep a weekly meal planner now, with an alternating week, to keep things varied. I buy my groceries according to my weekly meal plans, and choose things I know I will use again and can be used in different meals throughout the day.
Have you found any of these budgetting tips useful? Do you have any useful tips not listed above that you swear by?? Mention them in the comments below!