Shop Carefully With a Tight Budget

The high cost of many items nowadays necessitates careful budgeting. If you carefully select your purchases and create a shopping list, you'll be able to get what you need without damaging your wallet too much.

Steps

  1. Buy food first. Check your refrigerator for the staples that need to be replaced. Milk, bread, eggs and cheese are all staples that should be available, and should go first on your shopping list. Expensive fresh fruit can be replaced with canned fruit. Macaroni and pasta are cheap, but not very nutritious. Meat is expensive in the short run, but packs a nutritional wallop that gets you a lot of bang for your buck.
  2. Don't shop for food when you are hungry. Everything will look good, and you may end up buying more than you can afford.
  3. Plan ahead and show discipline. Looking at the bins of cheeses can make you want to buy more than you really need, so write down on the list exactly what type of cheese you want, add it to your cart and then walk to another aisle.
  4. Look at the ends of the meat and seafood section. There are often marked-down items there.
  5. Make friends with the butcher. He or she may point out some great deals, or mark meats down especially for you. Same thing works with the produce manager. Being friendly is free, but pays great dividends!
  6. Compare brands and check prices. There is usually a store brand version of most items that is cheaper and of comparable quality to the big name item.
  7. Read circulars before you go into the store to see if what you need is on sale. Comparing circulars from different stores might help you get a better deal.
  8. Clip coupons for items you normally buy and bring them with you.
  9. Buy dry goods and toiletries in larger sizes to save money.
  10. Remember what you went to a store to buy, so you do not have to walk up and down aisles. Zero in on the aisle or store you need to buy the item, enter, buy the item, and then leave. Impulse buying will ruin any budget, and when yours is tight, it will just be worse.
  11. As you buy, write the prices on a pad that you keep with you. It might even be best to use a small adding machine, pocket size, and as you put the products in your shopping cart, calculate what you have spent, remember how much you have set aside to spend, and when you get close, stop shopping.
  12. Always bring a sensible shopping list, and STICK TO IT! This way, you will only buy the things you need without being tempted by other offers.
  13. Put all the costs into the little adding machine. If you note that you have gone over the amount you can spend, then return an item that you really do not need at the moment, and put it on another list of 'to buy next time'.



Tips

  • If you are going to pay with cash, then make sure you only spend the amount you have with you. Anything over, return, and again, put it on your 'next time shopping list'
  • Don't assume it's cheaper just because it's in a larger size. Look at the shelf labels and compare unit prices. One large store that has 'always low prices' very often has larger sizes marked UP slightly.
  • Buy private labels or store brands. Research indicates that buying in-house labels of a particular store is cost effective and in most instances the quality of the product is similar to national brands.
  • If you are going to use a charge card, only spend the amount of money you can afford to pay when the bill comes in at the end of the month.. Set aside this money, and use it to pay the bill. Do not purchase anything more than you have budgeted.
  • Keep a list on your phone and stick to it. You can use special applications on your phone for list creations.

Warnings

  • Spending more than you have budgeted for, will cause you not to have money left to pay utility bills, or medical bills. So be careful what you buy. Buy only what you need and only what is on your shopping list.
  • Make sure you pay attention at the check-out counter. If you have picked up an item on sale or offer then ensure that the billing is done accordingly. Else, get rid of items that are marked as sale, but billing does not indicate the same.
  • Shopping with friends may be more fun, but don't let them talk you into buying something you don't really like or need.
  • Don't just buy things because they are on sale, unless you truly need them.

Things You'll Need

  • A pad to jot down prices
  • A pocket size adding machine to calculate what you spend.
  • A shopping list

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