The supermarket is always the place that you end up over spending. No matter how hard you try, you may find yourself buying little extras that you don’t really need. The problem is that the food often goes to waste too, so you’ve wasted that over expenditure! Here are some tips to help you stick to your food budget.
Do Your Shop Online!
The main issue that you end up tempted by the offers and the treats when you walk up and down the aisle. Avoid this completely by doing your food shop online.
You will be able to type in the terms of the foods you want so there’s no risk of coming across special offers.
You won’t be tempted by the things in the aisle and could find yourself saving money on your budget!
Make a List Before You Go
Make a list of all the food and items that you need before you go to the supermarket. This means you are less likely to give into the extras and the items on sale.
This involves making a plan of food to help you avoid wasting anything. You will also help yourself lose weight by making this list since you can plan your meals ahead.
Shop Around for the Best Deal
Some food will be cheaper in some supermarkets than others. The best thing to do is shop around so you can get the cheapest product.
Doing it online is usually the easiest way to do this but there are also apps on your phone that can help you with this way of keeping the costs down.
Cut Your Shopping List Down
Plan your meals so that the budget stays low.
This involves finding convenient and cost effective foods; those that use ingredients that aren’t from the specialist aisles and are more likely to be on sale to help lower the costs.
However, they still need to be healthy, tasty and easy to make!
Buy the Dry Ingredients
You want ingredients that are going to last to minimise the waste. The best way of doing this is opting for dry ingredients.
Thinks like pasta, rice, couscous and herbs are perfect for this. They are also relatively cheap and make different dishes taste great.
Try Freezing Your Meals
Another trick is to keep your budget down with meals that you can freeze.
This will limit the amount that you waste too since the meals won’t go off. You can also buy meats and some fruits and vegetables in bulk since they are perfect for freezing.
However, keep an eye on how long they have been in the freezer because they can still go off! They just give the food a few months longer.
Do You Really Need that Deal?
Sometimes the two for one or price deals are perfect for your needs. If you’re going to buy the items anyway and they’re not going to go off they are perfect.
However, if the food will go off by the time you use it or it’s just not something on your list, you really don’t need the items and it leads to your shopping budget increasing!