Food is one of our most basic needs. For this reason, it is one of the most challenging items for families in terms of budget. In parallel with food prices, there is an increase in kitchen expenses. Even standard products consumed on a daily basis are quite effective in pushing the budget. However, it is possible to save money with a few techniques in grocery shopping. The question of how to  save money in grocery shopping is a matter of curiosity for everyone.

SHOPPING SAVINGS IDEAS

• Prepare a Weekly Meal Plan: One of the most common mistakes when shopping at the market is the logic of “let me get this too”. With this logic, many things can be bought out of necessity. Before you go to the market for shopping, you need to develop a strategy. Especially preparing a list will be very effective in terms of saving. Of course, let’s add the condition of sticking to your list.
• Check Your Home Before Shopping: You have prepared your list and are ready to shop. There is one more thing you need to do at this stage. It will be very useful to check the food in your home. Maybe a product you have added to the list is in your closet when needed?
• Prepare Snacks Yourself: Small weight products can be seen as more affordable than large weights. However, when the unit price is calculated, you can see that it is much more affordable to buy the same product with a large weight. For example, instead of buying the X product you consume every day in small packages, it is more reasonable to take the large weight and divide it into days. You can do the same with not only food products, but also non-food products such as detergents. This is how you can save your money. Also cookies, biscuits, etc. Do not buy ready-made snacks. Instead, take the necessary materials and produce these products yourself. This way you will be able to save money.
• Create a Weekly Meal Plan Based on Discounts: Nowadays, supermarket chains are quite a lot. In all of them, discounts and campaigns are created according to various criteria for certain periods. To save money on grocery shopping , you can prepare the weekly meal program according to the products on sale. For example, let’s say that the chicken has decreased to very affordable prices during the discount and campaign period. Cooking chicken-based meals that week will help a lot in terms of savings.
• Browse Empty Shelves in Groceries: Grocery stores may clean up shelves to make room for some items. This is usually done when a product line goes on sale. If you encounter such a situation while visiting the supermarket, be sure to check it out. However, be sure to pay attention to the expiration date on such products. In addition, it is possible to save money by turning to market products instead of brand products.
• Take advantage of the Home Delivery Services of the Markets: Let’s say you don’t have the opportunity to shop because you’ve had a very busy week. Cooking can be difficult because you’ll be tired when you get home from work. In this case, you can choose to eat outside. However, instead of doing this, you can take advantage of the supermarket’s home delivery service. By creating an order at the time you will arrive home, you can ensure that the relevant products are ready. Even if you cannot cook because you are tired, you can prepare a practical snack. In this way, you do not have to pay for the food you will order from outside and you will save money.
• Use Basic Foods While Cooking: You may like different flavors. However, it is possible to make creative meals with basic foods instead of special products, and it will be much more affordable. Sticking to your budget will be much easier this way. For example, instead of buying a ready-made sauce, buy the ingredients that you can make this sauce and make the sauce yourself. You can meet your current sauce needs, and you will have extra sauce that you can use in the next meals. In this way, instead of spending money on a single product, you can save money and make the same product yourself and use it in the next meals.
• Buy Some Products in Bulk: It is possible to save more on kitchen shopping when you buy products such as grains, legumes, dried fruits or nuts in bulk. It would be wiser to buy such products from wholesale markets instead of supermarkets.
• Get Market Card: Market cards are generally used for special discounts and campaigns to be defined to the customers of that store. In order to benefit from these campaigns, you need to obtain a market card. Especially if there is a market that you go to frequently, obtaining the shopping card of that market can make your shopping more convenient. Special discounts and campaigns can be organized for market cards in almost every period of the year.

HOW TO SAVE?

The phenomenon called saving is actually realized depending on a resource. For example, every individual needs to save energy so that the energy resources in the world are not depleted. However, there is a way of saving that is closely related to our daily life. It is the savings we will make from the source we call money. We all make an effort from time to time to save money. But for many reasons, this marathon does not last long and ends. It is possible to save not only money, but all the resources we have, if we can instill the awareness of savings in ourselves and reflect this in all our behaviors.

There are some methods to save money. It is possible to create a great savings at the end of the year with simple and small precautions you will take. First, you need to control your spending. Write down your expenses one by one. Focus on the highest spending item here. You probably use a large part of your budget for food expenses. It is possible to save some money in this item by consuming seasonal vegetables and fruits for food expenditures. Abandon this behavior as it will be expensive to buy out-of-season fruits or vegetables. Doing your shopping collectively weekly or monthly instead of daily also saves you money. At the same time, take only the amount of food you can consume. Food that you cannot consume due to excess will spoil and go to waste. It also means throwing your money away. You can also save money by following discounts and campaigns in your shopping. Whatever product or service you are going to buy, be sure to think before you buy. You can tell if you really need that product or service just by thinking about it.  

WHAT ARE THE SAVING METHODS?

Saving methods may vary from person to person. Every family’s budget is different. Saving items must be arranged according to your budget. Therefore, only you can know how much you can save on which expenses. There are many ways to save your money. However, you can instill the awareness of saving yourself with the following suggestions;

• Do not make the decision to buy quickly. Paying attention to your needs during the purchasing phase will save a lot of money. Likewise, you need to be frugal with the things you own. In this way, you can increase your savings even more.
• Avoid buying items that are not essential. Instead, add money to that item to your savings to save.
• Get yourself a savings account. You don’t need a bank account for this. Even a simple piggy bank will do. Seeing your money save as you save will motivate you.
• If you are going to shop with a card, do it with a debit card, not a credit card. Credit cards are your savings’ worst enemy.
• Organize your spending items. If there are unnecessary expenses here, it is possible to stop them immediately and start your savings. You can see how well this works in the future.