How To Avoid Going To The Supermarket

Posted on by in Featured, Recipes & Food, Saving Money & Finances

TEST FOREST

Shopping TrolleysThere is a good reason for wanting to avoid going to the Supermarket, and it is because they have a whole army of experts at parting you from your hard earned cash. The isles have been set out to tempt you in the best possible way, the higher priced goods are all at eye level and you have to crouch down on the floor to get the lower priced stuff, the sweets are by the till, the music is designed to make you feel good, …. The list goes on an on!

So the easiest way to save money is to avoid going to the Supermarket, simple.

“HAH!” I hear you shout, or words to that effect.

But it is simple really, as the Supermarkets have put the tools you need in your hands for you, and all you have to do is a little bit of planning.

Yes, I know, that means being organised, and in this day and age, few people feel they have the time to organise their own bed time, let alone a shopping trip. But trust me, with a little fore-thought, you will save yourself so much time, and money, you will wonder why you didn’t do it before, and all it takes is four simple steps.

Step number One.

Write a list of your families favourite meals, and the ingredients that go in to them. Think about how long you want to stay away from the supermarket, is it a week, a month, or longer? Lets, for arguments sake say you’re planning for a week. That means seven days of main meals, lunches and breakfasts. This will give you an idea of what you need in the food department.

Note from Forest: Check out my post on Once A Month Cooking Recipes, this ebook can save you a lot of shopping trips and help your meal planning…

Step number Two.

Go to your fridge, freezer and store cupboard and look at what is there. What needs to be used up? Is there anything that can be crossed off the ingredient list? Or better still, is there anything there that can be used to make a different meal from one of the ones you had planned, so you can cross the planned meals ingredients off? Now carefully think about all the other little things you need to get, detergent, toilet rolls, shampoo, that kind of stuff, all that needs to be added to the list too.

Step number Three.

Go to your computer with your shopping list in hand, and log on to your Supermarkets website and enter your shopping in. If your Supermarket is like mine, it will tell you if there are cheaper options available, and give you the choice of swapping if you so wish. Be tough, the Supermarket will try to tempt you with all sorts of special offers for things that are not on your list, and unless you have genuinely forgotten to add them to your list, don’t put them in your basket!

Step number Four.

This is the last and hardest step of all. You have planned your meals, and it took a lot less time than you thought it would, once you sat down and did it. You have ordered your shopping online, so have avoided all the pitfalls of visiting the shop and slipping the odd extras in to your basket. You deserve a medal for doing all that, BUT, if you visit a single shop before a week is up, it has all been for nothing! All your hard work will have gone to waste! DON’T DO IT! If you discover something has been forgotten, then it wasn’t all that important anyway, put it on the list for the next shop, and go without until then. You might be surprised at how little you miss it.

Note from Forest: Thanks go out to Sue again for another excellent article….. I try and avoid going to the Supermarket for the exact reasons Sue pointed out!!

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10 Responses to “How To Avoid Going To The Supermarket”

  1. Daddy Paul

    05. Feb, 2010

    I would like to add one. If you need one item walk to the corner store and get it. You will feel better and save money even if you pay more for it.
    .-= Daddy Paul´s last blog ..The 2010 IRA portfolio =-.

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  2. dragonsue

    06. Feb, 2010

    Very true Daddy Paul, but be aware that you will pay more for that item than at the supermarket, so make sure that the only things you walk out with are the ones you intended to buy. Small stores may not be as crafty as the supermarkets in getting you to part with your hard earned money, but they have learned a few of the Big Boys tricks!

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  3. Elijah

    18. Feb, 2010

    Veronica and I have been doing this for a while. We go to the market once or twice a month, if that. We were also getting our produce delivered, but it became a little costly – so we cut that out.

    Planning your meals is key – because then you shop only for the ingredients you need. I also think a great way to be smart is to realize that you don’t need to have a MEAL every night. Sometimes cooking up a pot of rice with a little seasoning and an onion can go a long way.

    Learn to stretch meals by combining items – that’s a tip from my grandmother!
    .-= Elijah´s last blog ..PIP Module 1 – Finding The Money Niche =-.

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  4. Taylor

    09. Nov, 2011

    The biggest thing for me when going to the supermarket is going in with a plan of attack, which basically consists of an itemized list of things to get, sticking to the list, and sticking to a budgeted amount of time to avoid distractions and unnecessary purchases.

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    • Forest

      10. Nov, 2011

      Hey Taylor, that’s an excellent plan.

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  5. IanW

    13. Jan, 2012

    You are so right about having a plan of attack and pre-working a list before you enter the place.

    I do not know how many times I have seen my better half walk through the aisles looking for things she believes that she needs – only to get home and find we now have two.

    But another tip you might care to take on board is to only use the perimeter of the supermarket and avoid the aisles. Because most of the really good things are there like meat, dairy, vegetables and fruit especially, and frozen (vegetables too)
    Many of the items around the perimeter are healthier and cheaper than all the processed items along the aisles.

    This tr

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    • Forest

      24. Mar, 2012

      That is a great tip! I have noticed some supermarkets swapping their order around recently. Fresh always used to be first but some have moved the freezer section to the beginning which is really sad!
      Forest recently posted..How Much Should I Be Saving?My Profile

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  6. Jon McComb

    20. Mar, 2012

    That’s a great plan. I find I’m often trying to squeeze in weekly trips to the grocery store. I’ve tried delivery services before, but they weren’t very good (late, missed items, bad produce).

    Another idea I’m surprised hasn’t taken off is the grocery store having shoppers available. You give them a list (or submit it online), you go for coffee and they wheel it out to you in your car.
    Jon McComb recently posted..Head-On Car Accident Collisions and Personal Injury ICBC ClaimsMy Profile

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