Anyone pursuing their online cooking school certificate knows how pricey it can get to buy all of the supplies you need to experiment with your meals. You don’t want to cut corners while perfecting your dish, so it’s no surprise when you walk out of the grocery store with a bill much higher than you anticipated. Luckily, there are many ways to go grocery shopping smart and save money on your supplies without having to skimp on quality:
Make a list before you go to the grocery store.
Look for sales
This seems like an obvious point, but you’d be surprised by how many people shop without taking sales into account. If you have a few different grocery stores in your area and have specific items that you need for a recipe, call each store to find out if the most expensive items needed for your dish are on sale. If you still receive sale ads in your Sunday paper, this is a great time to put that to work. Looking into sales will only take a couple of minutes and the savings really add up over time!
“You may find you’re buying to much or only saving pennies.”
Think about bulk
How much of that bulk item do you really need? Many people shop the bulk section of the grocery store because it’s notorious for being cheaper than buying prepackaged products. But do you really need as much as you’re buying? Check out the price of the prepackaged option, and then do the math to see how much money you’re actually saving buy opting for the bulk section. You may find that you’re purchasing way too much, or only saving pennies on the dollar.
Make friends
You’d be surprised by how much you can get out of a relationship with the person working behind the butcher, bakery or deli counters. While this doesn’t mean asking him or her out for drinks at the end of the shift, simply making conversation and being friendly with employees can go a long way. Not only is this common courtesy, but many may offer you free samples of products or even give you a little discount on your meat or cheese order. Something as easy as being friendly can be beneficial!
Bring a list
Some of the most surefire ways to spend extra money at the grocery store is shopping hungry, and without a list. Aimlessly wandering the aisles while your stomach growls leaves you vulnerable to impulse purchases like easy-to-grab snack foods. Shopping with a list, especially when you’re shopping for a specific meal, makes it easier to get in and out of the store without having to linger, wondering what you need. This also makes sure you won’t have to run to the store in a panic because you forgot a crucial ingredient to your recipe. Take those extra five minutes before you leave the house to jot a list down in your phone or on a piece of paper.
