The Corona pandemic posed a financial challenge for everyone, ranging from adapting to working from home to facing tough future budget challenges, planning for funds for emergencies, and living in turbulent economic conditions. The last thing we would like to spend our money on is grocery.
In her report, published by Real Simple, author Petty Gold said that preparing food at home can save you a lot of money. And in case you really want to save money when shopping for food, you can follow these genius tips and tricks provided by saving expert Lorne Grootman.
Prepare a meal plan weekly
You should devise a strategy before shopping. Determine the meals that you will prepare during the week, then write what you need on your phone's grocery list. As such, you will avoid unnecessary purchases, reduce food waste and spend less time shopping.
You can also prepare enough food for another meal. And if you plan right, you can save your food and savings for several days.
Check the pantry before shopping
It is easy to forget about food products that may have been stored in the refrigerator or pantry and where you can prepare a meal.
Plan your meals according to the discount offers
"The big mistake people make is shopping automatically," said Grootman. Not many people browse sales flyers to plan their meals based on the products covered in the discounts. Grotmann confirmed that she loves to plan her meals according to the food offered for the cuts that week, such as choosing salmon for food if it includes a cut.
Get grocery delivery
Grocery delivery services give you the opportunity to shop while you are at work, and within two hours, you will have everything you need to prepare week meals to your home.
Don't ignore filter cuts
The writer mentioned that stores are always working to liquidate inventory in order to provide space for new products, where the reduction rate can reach 50% or more. Just check expiration dates.
Use essential ingredients
Remember that you can be creative in using essential ingredients rather than focusing on special ingredients. Instead of buying a component that you can use for just one meal, purchase a set of essential ingredients at reasonable prices and think about the recipes you can use them.
Buy in bulk and only what you can use
Grotmann stresses that buying bulk foods such as rice, cereals and dried fruit can save you at least 30% of the money.