The “Big Four” – fuel and transport; electricity; food; and interest rates – have continued to have an impact on the pockets of consumers.
In South Africans households food falls in fourth place on the priority list of expenses after transport, electricity and debt servicing, according to Mervyn Abrahams, the programme coordinator for the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group (PMBEJD).
After paying for transport, electricity and debt, consumers may not have enough money in their pockets to take care of their food expenses.
Here are three tips to help you cut the cost of your grocery bill:
1. Bulk buying
South African retailer Makro suggests bulk-buying non-perishable items as an easy way to save money and stock up your household pantry with groceries.
Buying in bulk is often the cheaper option because you save on the extra packaging, which is also an added benefit for the environment.
Monitor the amount of items you consume in a month, including toilet paper, breakfast cereal and toothpaste. The process of bulk-buying will be made easier if you know exactly how much you and your family consume in a month, so you only buy what you need. This will also mean less trips to the grocery stores, so you save on petrol and time.
2. Online shopping
After Covid-19, the use of delivery services and online shopping became a popular way of shopping for consumers.
Here are the top reasons why online shopping may be the better option for your pocket:
One of the benefits of online shopping is that instead of using petrol to get to the store, you can save money on fuel and do your online shopping from the comfort of your home.
Online shopping can also help people stick to their budgets by purchasing the grocery items that are on your shopping list, instead of being tempted by impulse buys that can be found at the checkout queue.
3. Research, research, research
Many stores have specials. However, if you don’t know what the cost of things are at other stores you could be hoodwinked into believing that the special is indeed a special.
So do your research before you go to the grocery store and don’t be fooled by ‘sale’ or ‘special’ signs. Added to that, by doing the research, you will know where to get the best discounts so you can save as much money as possible.
You will also have a very good idea how much the items generally cost. If you have regular items you buy, you could also start your own ledger and see how the costs go up per month and then in your research you can find the shops that provide the best overall costs.
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