Thursday, March 24, 2011

Grocery Shopping

Dear Diary,

How often do you do grocery shopping? Is it daily, weekly, fortnightly or monthly? Mine is monthly. Once every month, all of us would go to a hypermarket and buy ration. Basically, it translates into a LOT of supplies that can last us for a month. Two overload trolleys are the norm!!

The trick to prevent from buying unnecessarily is never do grocery shopping with an empty stomach. Believe me, you’ll tend to buy everything that entices you. So, it is wise to eat before you shop.

Another tip that I follow diligently is making a list of things that I need. So, each time I run out of something or something is nearly finish, I’d include it into my list. Before going for grocery shopping, I’ll recheck the list against what’s in stock. Also, if we have plans (e.g. picnic, vacation) or if anybody wants to have something out of the ordinary (e.g. requested desserts, nasi tomato), I’ll write down all the things needed in the list too. Hubby even calls me Miss List. Hey, if you stick closely to the list, you can avoid impulse buying and you can save a lot in the long run.

Even though our grocery shopping is once a month, we also do occasional stops at grocery shops. This happens when we need some things urgently. More often than not, Zarra’s formula milk that we need to replenish. Believe it or not, we always buy FIVE refill packs of the milk and yet she manages to drink it all before our next grocery shopping.

Years ago, I signed up for frequent shopper / loyalty card program at a hypermarket. Since then we’ve been enjoying cash vouchers and coupons. I also receive notices about promotions or money saving info in advance, that way I can check whether we can take advantage of the notices. One thing about coupons though is that you tend to be influenced to buy things you don’t really need. Rule of the thumb is only use them if you’re planning to buy the items or you’re going to get the items eventually.

Along the same line, I also bring my own bags whenever going for grocery shopping. Not only I’m lending a hand towards better environment by using less plastic bags, I’m also collecting points that can be converted into cash vouchers. Two-in-one benefits ; )

Additionally, when I’m confused as to which brand to get of lets say facial tissue, I’ll roughly calculate the unit price in order to get the best bargain. Similarly, we do buy store brand. For some items, it doesn’t matter what brand you buy because more or less they are of the same standard (e.g. sugar). Furthermore, we always, always, always check expiry date and packaging condition.

One last thing, I always keep an eye on things that are on sale. Woman and sales cannot be separated right. If there are things that I normally use and can last long are on sale, I’ll buy them even though they’re not on my list.

These are some of the tips that I apply whenever grocery shopping. If any of you have more tested and proven tips, feel free to add. Till then, happy grocery shopping peeps!

Ps: All pictures are taken in August 2010...old ones hihi

5 notes of inspiration:

ICA said...

Unai, we're pretty much the same when it comes to grocery shopping. Making list, bringing own bags, checking on sale item & expiry dates...all must do when it comes to buying groceries. But we tend to go every 2wks instead and lately, we tend to go solo coz bringing the girls mmg meletihkan lagi ada laa... :)) have a good wkend ya..

Ermayum said...

dulu eda sellau shop once a month ka tesco cam tu but since 99 bukak beli twice a month ja sebab harga dia i found cheaper thanhyper marker :)
and memang betuk\l tgk macam2 kat hyper marker semua pun nak
some things memang tak ikut brand sebab rasa sama ja - gula tepung but certain thing memang kena beli gak walau mahal sebab yang lain tak kena ngan anak tekak

Unaizah said...

Ica - Memang extra penat if angkut budak-budak. Tambah dgn permintaan nak itu nak ini, jadi lagi penat. Lucky you can drive...mcm unai ni nak tak nak angkut semua la sebab tak reti drive.

Ermayum - Ada benda yg unai tak kisah about brand but ada benda gak yg unai brand loyalty betul-betul. 99 memang murah tp tak semua brg ada. Tesco lak brg basah murah. Win some, lose some.

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