Although we have entered into 2021 many of the financial issues that existed in 2020 have been carried forward into the new year. A lot of this is because of the lingering effects of the Pandemic. In some cases, people have been able to cut down their spending as a result of restricted shopping. In other circumstances, the costs have increased. One that may fall into this category is the cost of groceries.
Limited Shopping
One of the reasons the costs may have gone up is the restrictions on where one can shop. This may be more prominent in rural areas rather than for city shopping. For example, many shoppers will go to their local grocery store for their major shopping where in the past they have gone into the bigger towns where there are more stores to use for bargain shopping. The smaller grocery stores tend to be higher priced because of their locale. It is not that they are increasing prices because they are taking advantage of the circumstances. However, with a little bit of innovation, the costs can be kept down when having to do a full shopping under these circumstances.
An Advantage
If there is anything good that can be said about the pandemic it is that it is giving many families more time for meal preparation. The hectic lifestyles often lead to dining out and ordering of fast foods more frequently. This increases the cost of the food bill over the month.
Just How Much Money Can You Save?
With these few tips, you will be quite surprised and pleased at just home much you can cut off your grocery expenses.
The Sacred Grocery List
Before setting out to shop whether it’s online or in-person don’t attempt either without a grocery list. It will have to include the essentials, but use some resources to help you capitalize on the sales.
Start with the must-haves. Every shopping trip there is always a selection of items that are needed. For example, it may be dish soap, laundry soap or toilet paper, etc. Put these on the list to start with.
Next, check the specials. Every store no matter where you are going to shop will usually have weekly specials. Due to the pandemic, you are probably following safety rules and not running around to several stores. Most stores will list their weekly specials online. Look to see if any of the must-haves are on sale and put a start beside these on your grocery list.
Create a menu for the shopping period.
You will automatically save money if you pre-plan your menu for the shopping period. Instead of impulse cooking. Where you can really step this up a notch is by looking at what the weekly specials are and planning the meals around this.
How much can you save?
At the very least with a well-planned shopping list that you stick to you could save about $880. A year.
The Choice of Foods
Now is a great time to incorporate those thoughts about eating healthier. Which usually includes cutting back on the meats and increasing the fruits and veggies. This can be hard to convince the family to increase their intake for these, but there is a way to get around this.
Look at what fruit and veggies are on sale for the shopping period. Then take the time to do some online research for some delicious recipes that will utilize these on sale items. You will be most pleased with how well your family will adapt to the reduction in meats and the increase in these healthy foods.
How much can you save?
Over the year you could save about $2360.
Cut Back On The Pre-Packaged Foods
We all know it’s easier to prepare pre-packaged foods, but they are also more expensive. Making some changes in this area will soon become a good habit. Here are some examples:
There is a difference in price between a bottle of orange juice and the frozen concentrate
Instead of buying snack paks go for the family paks
Forget the prewashed and precut veggies instead go with the ones in their natural forms
No need to buy grated cheese which is more expensive. A little bit of elbow grease by doing your own grating is going to bring you some good savings.
How much can you save?
It’s possible to save about $1,000. For the year
Stock Pile
Don’t take this the wrong way and start hoarding because of fear of lack of availability due to the pandemic. But there is nothing wrong with buying those extra items on sale that you know you will use. It makes good sense to capitalize on the extra savings. Plus, it can cut down on the number of trips that you need to make to the grocery store. Be mindful of others and adhere to any purchase limits the store may have in place.
How much can you save?
Savings can range between $1,000 to $2,050.
How You Pay
Another area that isn’t given much thought when it comes to savings is the way that people pay. In the current circumstances, stores prefer that shoppers pay by debit or credit card rather than cash. This is to help reduce the possibility of the spread of the virus. The best method for money saving will be paying by debit. It has been shown that those who pay by credit card end up paying substantially more.
How much can you save?
You could possibly save $2,560.
These are all suggestions that will work well while still in the pandemic mode. Under normal circumstances, even more money can be saved by applying some additional savvy shopping techniques.
If you want to save yourself some of the hassles and worries when it comes to your tax filing I would be pleased to help you with this responsibility.
