Save Money on Everyday Items

Let’s admit it. Times are tough and the economy is even tougher right now. There have been many increases in the prices of food, essential services like electricity, water and gas.

Even the folk with their 5-figure incomes and large SUV’s seem to be feeling the pinch. I mean, when last have you driven past used car lots and seen smaller vehicles for sale? Yup, 99% of what is for sale these days consists of gas-guzzling SUV’s and trucks. It’s the same with homes. While there seems to be no end to the amount of large, luxury homes for sale, finding a modest dwelling in an average neighbourhood is becoming more and more difficult each day. Almost everybody is trying to find ways to save money.

Grocery shopping also seems to cost more and more each week. Sure, economists try to tell us that inflation is ‘only around 3%.’ That’s absolute bollocks! The last fuel price increase here in South Africa was around the 5 to 6% mark. Once the fuel price rises, of course the retailers hop on the gravy train and up their prices as well, often by up to 50% on an item. Where in hell’s name do economists get their information from? The stone age? As the saying goes, “You can fool some people some of the time, but not all people all the time.” Sometimes I wonder when it comes to so-called ‘economists’…obviously they are far too well-paid to think about having to save money, unlike us mere minions who actually work for every cent we have…

The Not-So-Obvious Ways to Save Money

Spend less than you earn:

Before heading to the store, ensure that you know exactly how much you have to spend. Make sure you don’t spend more than you have.

Avoid the processed food aisles:

Sure, those cookies and chips look tempting. In the long run, you know that they will damage your budget just as much as they will damage your waistline.

Fresh foods are actually affordable:

You can save quite a bit of cash by purchasing fresh fruit and vegetables instead of the frozen and ready-prepared varieties.

Buy ingredients which enable you to prepare meals from scratch:

Those ready-made and microwave meals look tempting after a hard day’s work. But, not only are they expensive, they are also extremely unhealthy for you, as they contain harmful ingredients like canola as well as artificial sweeteners and MSG.

Compare prices of different package sizes:

Sometimes, it doesn’t pay to buy in bulk, because the unit prices can be higher than if you buy individual items. Carry a calculator when shopping. Hint: to get the unit/individual price, divide the total cost of the bulk package by the amount of items in it. If there are 6 items in the bulk package, divide the total cost by 6. if products are sold by weight instead, and one package is 200 grams vs the 1000 grams/1kg package, divide the 200 gram package by 2 to get the price/100 grams, and then divide the 1000 gram/1kg package by 10 to get the price/100 grams. That will determine which item is cheaper per 100 grams.

Only buy in bulk if you know your family will use the item by its expiry date:

It’s pointless to buy 5 gallons of milk because it’s a few cents cheaper that way if your family only uses 2 gallons a week, because the rest will go sour before it can be used.

Compare prices of different brands:

Many people argue that store brands are cheaper, but this is not always true. Check the prices of all of the available brands of a particular product before tossing them into the trolley. If you think that your usual brand is a little too expensive, consider switching to a cheaper brand. Here though, a little caution must be exercised, as certain store brands as well as some of the very cheap items often don’t taste the same as the branded items. Also check the ingredients of the cheaper items, to ensure that they do not contain harmful ingredients or cheap filler ingredients such as soya, canola or artificial sweeteners.

Use coupons if they are available in your country:

In the US, there are many coupons available that allow you to get purchases for a fraction of their original cost, and sometimes even free. Learn to make use of these.

Don’t shop when hungry or tired:

Studies have proved that those who shop when they are hungry or tired often end up purchasing much more than they originally intended, because we all know how tempting that bakery aisle is when your stomach is howling, don’t we?

Make use of a shopping list:

Before leaving home on your shopping trip, take a walk through your home and check your supply cupboards to make sure that what you need to purchase is on your list, along with the quantities needed. This also prevents you from buying stuff that you already have on hand.

Try to buy a little extra of an item when it is marked down:

If products that you use regularly are marked down at the store, try to buy a little extra if possible. This will ensure that you are saving as much as possible. Should you not be able to stock up, it’s also ok. At least you know that you will have saved a little on the original purchase price.

Check expiry and use by dates on cleaning and personal care products before buying in bulk:

Believe it or not, cleaning products and personal care products also have a recommended shelf life. Before buying that gallon-size shampoo, make sure your family will be able to use it before it reaches the use by date. The same goes for items such as toothpaste, lotions, bleach and other cleaning products.

Divide bulk items into equal portions before using:

When purchasing items like cheese or other food products, it often helps to divide the block (or grated product) into equal portions, so that the bulk of it can be frozen, to preserve it for a bit longer. Only keep out the amount that you use for a meal, otherwise the rest may either spoil or be wasted – its normal human nature to use more of a product when we see that we have a lot of it.

Plan your shopping trip, especially when there is more than one stop to make:

Before leaving the house, plan your trip to ensure that you make as few stops as possible. Plan so that you are able to take the shortest, but most viable route along the way.

Try to avoid malls or centres that charge a parking fee:

Let’s face it, paying for gas to go shopping can be classed as a minor annoyance. But when you still have to pay to leave your vehicle in a parking spot at a mall where you are already on the verge of parting with a substantial part of your weekly grocery budget, that’s when the annoyance factor creeps up a few notches (not to mention the blood pressure as well).

Many malls offer a stipulated time for free parking, which can range from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Make use of this and try to leave the mall before the free time is up. Certain stores in the malls offer a parking fee rebate. Make use of this wherever possible.

Many malls however, do not offer free parking. Should this be the case, see if there are alternative places with free parking to shop at that aren’t too far to drive. You also don’t want to drive 10 miles to save a dollar in parking fees.

Try to avoid shopping with children in tow:

Young children often do not enjoy shopping much, and can become tired and cranky when going from shop to shop. Many parents will often resort to allowing them to snack on junk food simply to keep them quiet in the shopping cart. Not only is this habit detrimental to your childs health, but it also puts a dent in your shopping list and budget. If possible, try to leave children with a spouse or trusted sitter when shopping needs to be done.

Try to drive a little slower between trips:

This will save a little gas, as well as unnecessary wear and tear on your vehicle from sudden ‘stop go’ driving.

Invest in a quality water purifier:

Save and purchase a water purifier, rather than pay good money for bottled water. You will pay pennies for a bottle of water which you have packed yourself instead of around a dollar or two for 1 bottle of water. Research has shown that many brands of bottled water are nothing but tap water, and we all know what is in tap water these days…

Make your own salads:

The salad bar at the store or take-out place always looks tempting during lunch time. You will save yourself a lot of money if you purchase your own salad ingredients and prepare them yourself.

Water is expensive:

So-called ‘grey water’ (that which we use to bath, shower or wash dishes) can actually be reused to water lawns and some plants. Wash dishes in a container of water instead of directly in the sink, so the water can then be placed out on the lawn or in the garden afterwards. This will reap substantial savings on your water bill.

Unplug unused appliances:

Yes, you heard right. The dvd player, that electric can opener, the coffee maker, the cellphone charger plug…all use electricity when plugged in. When you are done with using an appliance, turn the outlet switch off and unplug it completely. Cellphone chargers can actually use around 20% of the energy they would normally use when charging a phone just by being plugged in when they are not being used!

Yes, we know it’s extra effort to unplug appliances and chargers, but seriously, most of our waistlines could do with the extra workout…

Want to share tips on how our readers can save money?

Do you have any tips that will help our readers to save money on items like gas, electricity or food?