7 smart ways to save when shopping & 7 common mistakes

Before you go out shopping, carefully prepare your shopping list. It should be precise and exhaustive, containing only foods you’re going to eat in the near future and corresponding to your plans for the week or month. By adopting this habit, you’ll limit unnecessary purchases and make real savings.

Many consumers are unaware that the price of the same product can vary enormously from one store to another. These stores are not supplied in the same way and do not operate in the same way, hence the price differences. This is why it’s essential to compare prices between stores before you shop.

As you browse the aisles of your supermarket, you’re likely to come across posters advertising special offers on this or that product. Take advantage of this and buy a double or triple order for later. And don’t hesitate to use the coupons and discount vouchers that stores offer on various occasions.

When it comes to the products you buy on a daily basis, a large part of the price you pay is due to packaging. To save money, you can opt to buy in bulk, which is increasingly available in stores. By taking your own containers with you when you buy your food, you reduce your ecological impact while making substantial savings.

If tomatoes are so expensive in winter, it’s because they’re not in season. In fact, it’s an ecological and economic aberration to eat them at this time of year. So adapt your diet to the seasons, and buy only foods that are in season, and therefore less expensive because they haven’t had to be transported or stored for long.

Shopping when you’re hungry is the best way to blow your budget on compulsive, ill-considered purchases. In fact, hunger plays tricks on your brain, which then decides to buy foods that are too fatty, too sweet or too salty, or even delicacies you don’t really want.

One of the most common mistakes households make is to eat according to their desires, not their financial means. The wisest thing to do is to define a precise budget for each shopping category and stick to it once you’re in the stores. This avoids compulsive shopping and saves you money every month.

Before rushing out to buy the latest promotional item in large quantities, ask yourself whether you really need it, whether you can consume it all before the expiration date and, above all, whether the product is really of high quality. Promotions are, in fact, one of the traps that lead households to over-consumption.

One of the main reasons for waste, and therefore additional expenditure, is the lack of control over family stock. To make sure you don’t end up with too many out-of-date products accumulating in your cupboards, take stock before you go out shopping. That way, you only buy what you really need, and spend less.

Brands use highly effective strategies to get households to buy their products. Households are duped into believing that these brands are the best. However, it has been proven that non-branded and private label products can be just as good, if not better. By choosing the latter, you get the same quality for less.

If you have the bad habit of deciding on your meals at the last minute, you’re sure to spend a lot more on food. By planning every dish you cook in advance, you shop smarter, more efficiently, which inevitably translates into savings on your food budget.

Never be seduced by useless promotions and low-end products you’ll never use. If you see a product offered for every one you buy, don’t rush into it. Ask yourself first if you really need that second product, or if it will end up collecting dust in your closet.

Never compare products by price at the checkout. This variable can be misleading. Instead, compare products by price per kilogram or liter. These values are compulsorily displayed by supermarkets, and give a more objective view of price differences between the same products of different brands.

If you don’t adopt the economical and ecological reflex of taking your own shopping bags when you go to the stores, you’ll have to pay for new ones every time. Even if the price of one bag may seem derisory, by accumulating dozens each month, the cost becomes far less negligible.