It seems like the hardest place to try and save money is the supermarket. Prices keep going up and as your family grows up, they tend to eat more.

If you find yourself at a loss of what to do, Here are 6 ways to save money at the supermarket that don’t require too much effort on your part.

1)  Buy less

You may have heard that buying in bulk saves you money, but that is only if you are buying non-perishable items that you use often.  Purchasing too much of one food usually guarantees that most of it will go into the dustbin.  Only buy in bulk if you know you will use that ingredient before it spoils or if you have room to freeze it all.

2)  Make a budget book

Keep track of the groceries you buy often.  Make a list of things like bread, butter, milk and all the other usual products, and write the prices down for each after your shopping trips.  By doing this, you can see how the prices fluctuate from week to week, and you can also compare between supermarkets.  Keeping a budget book is also a good way to match savings with promotions, using the average cost of these items, to see if you are really getting a deal.

3)  Buy meat wisely

Buying meat is where a lot of your money goes.  Try making a few meals without meat to save money. E.g. Yam and eggs, beans and plantain etc. If your family isn’t going to go for that idea, then buy meat in bulk, make lots of stews and store it in your freezer. You should keep in mind that because of the erratic power supply in the country, you should not stock too much food, to prevent wastage.

4)  Do your own processing

Nowadays, there a lot of companies that package frozen foods in small quantities e.g. packed snails, fish, shrimps etc. While these products save you time, you should note that it costs more money to buy them. In order to save, you may have to do the processing yourself. Buy your produce intact and cut it up when you get home. E.g. buy your shrimps or fish from the market directly, pack them into nylon bags and freeze them.

5)  Buy store brands

Some big supermarket chains, have their own products. These are referred to as store brands. The truth is store brands actually save you money. Even if there is an offer for a name brand product, the store brand will more than likely be cheaper. When you compare the ingredients, you will see that there really isn’t that much of a difference between name brand and store brand.  On the other hand, if your family only likes certain brands, then you aren’t saving money if you have to throw the food away.

6)  Always shop with a list

This is one advice my husband always gives me, to make sure I don’t buy any unnecessary items.Walking into the market or supermarket unprepared is a good way to end up with lots of food you have no use for, and not enough of anything to make a complete meal. Don’t go food shopping without a list.

While there are numerous ways to save money at the supermarket, these six ways outlined above are very easy to implement and should result in immediate savings.

How do you save money when shopping at the supermarket?