Have you ever just about died of a heart attack at the
checkstand of your local grocery store? It seems like the price of
food and beverages keeps escalating, with no end in sight.
Higher transportation costs (especially fuel) are only one of the
many factors have significantly impacted the price of goods at
your local store. This article will discuss some of the ways you
can cut back your expenses on purchased food and water.
Food Purchased at Markets
You can save hundreds of dollars a year by shopping at the
lower-priced food stores. Higher-end grocery stores may have a
nicer, brighter, more spacious shopping area, but you are
paying for that in the form of higher prices. Some grocery chains
offer a "preferred" customer card, supposedly to give you the
best price over the "non-preferred, non-cardholding" customers.
You would probably be unwise to shop at these stores without
such a card (although it may be necessary when traveling, etc.),
but you would be even more wise to look elsewhere. Sometimes
that "preferred" customer price is higher than the regular price
at the store just down the street. Resist that urge to shop at
the convenience store on your way home; you pay for that
convenience in the form of often significantly higher prices.
Shop with a list! This little bit of planning can also save you
hundreds of dollars annually. How many times have you gone to
the store just for milk (that you forgot to buy earlier in the week
when you were there) and come home with $30 or more worth
of groceries? Grocery stores are purposely designed to keep
you in the store as long as possible; for example, on your way
to the back of the store to get milk (even this is on purpose),
you pass by hundreds of products and colorful displays, not to
mention delicious smells enticing you in their direction. And, oh
what luck! There is a cookie display right next to the milk. Even
the music over the loudspeaker has been specifically chosen
based on market analysis of what age brackets of shoppers
shop at what times of the day (and thus what kind of music they
like). Make out a list and stick to it!
As with all other things, comparison shop. You can save
hundreds of dollars a year by comparing price-per-ounce or
other unit prices on shelf labels. Stock up on those items with
low per-unit costs. Store brands are often just as good or better
than national brands, at sometimes almost half the cost! Try
some; you probably will be pleasantly surprised.
Water
When you go out to eat, don't buy a drink. Ask for water
instead. You probably won't notice the difference (if the food is
good enough) and you will be drinking a healthy alternative to
soda or alcohol.
Keep a water bottle near you at all times. When you start
feeling hungry or thirsty drink some water instead of heading for
the vending machine or that stash of candy bars in your desk.
Many times we feel hungry when we are instead thirsty. Satisfy
the thirst first! You will save money and improve your health.
If you prefer drinking bottled water, look into purchasing a
water purifier or purification system. Over the long run it may be
much cheaper than purchasing bottled water. In addition, a
good filtration system could improve your health, considering all
the microbes and chemicals found in the water coming out of the
tap!
Saving money on food and water doesn't require that you go on
a starvation diet. It just requires a little up-front planning. You
know the saying: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Make
planning a habit and watch the savings rack up.
Chemain Evans is a quality control expert for Simple Joe, makers of the popular
Income & Expenses PC software which provides a quick and simple way to keep track of your expenses and stay within your budget. Learn more at http://www.simplejoe.com.
