Does your food bill seem to grow without fail each week? Then follow these eight simple BPTenerife shopping tips to help bring it back down to earth! I'm not even going to tell you how much my wife and I spend on food each week because it's an utterly ridiculous amount of money for 5 people to spend! Maybe I am just a greedy pig and enjoy my food too much. But what I can tell you is that if I didn't have to eat, I'd be a lot richer! According to Mercadonna the average cost of a basket of 24 staple grocery items has increased by 18%* over the last year. And at a time when we all need to cut back on spending, that's not what we want to hear. So that's why I have come up with eight top tips to help you bring your food bill down to a more digestible size.
1) Plan ahead Think about what meals you're going to have in advance and plan your shopping list around that. When you're at the supermarket, stick to what's on the list. That way you'll avoid impulse buying and you'll only purchase what you need.
2) Look out for special offers Keep an eye out for any special offers at your local supermarket. Most supermarkets' web sites will advertise special offers so you can find out what's available before stepping into the supermarket itself. Make the most of these offers when you can and freeze whatever you don't need immediately (providing it's freezable of course). If you shop towards the end of the day, you're also more likely to be able to take advantage of the 'reduced to clear' shelf. Be wary of 'buy one get one free' deals, however, as they don't always offer good value for money -- particularly if they're on perishable items. You could end up buying more than you need and then throwing some out. To combat this, you could go shopping with a friend (providing you can agree on the BOGOF offers!).
3) Bin the big brands! We seem to be automatically programmed to associate the big brand names with better quality (or perhaps it's all just down to advertising). But supermarket's own label products like Hacienda can taste just as good and cost a lot less! 'Value' items can also be great for basics such as flour, sugar and rice -- you probably won't notice any difference in the taste. But for other items you might be better off paying a little more for a standard brand. Washing up liquid, for example, can be so low quality that you end up using more than you would do with a standard brand.
4) Avoid pre-packaged food If it's possible, try to buy food that isn't wrapped up in loads of packaging as it'll be cheaper. Buy your fruit and veg loose, and also purchase more from the deli counter -- cheeses and meats are likely to be cheaper here than those wrapped up in plastic on the shelves. It will also taste fresher.
5) Shop online Shopping online is also likely to make you more disciplined at only buying what you need. Rather than being tempted to buy items you see on the supermarket shelf, you're more likely to stick to your shopping list!
6) Don´t go Hungry! Shopping on an empty stomach, can be expensive. Seeing all the things you could eat right now, can lead o a basket full of junk. Take my advice and shop AFTER your meal.
7) Cheaper fruit and veg If you want to eat healthily for less, farmers' markets can be a great place to buy fruit and veg. They offer good quality food at supermarket-beating prices. There is a farmer market every Friday Saturday and Sunday, next to the fire station in Las Chafiras, Tenerife Alternatively, you could try to grow your own.
8) Watch out for supermarket scams! Supermarkets will do anything to try to get you to buy more than you really need. So keep your eyes peeled for these cunning tricks: • Store additions -- many of the larger supermarkets now have a café or a Tapas bar attached to them. These encourage you to spend far more time at the supermarket as well as far more money. • Store layout -- ever gone into your local supermarket to find that all the aisles have switched round and you can't find anything? I suspect this is a sneaky trick to confuse you so that you spend more time wandering around passing items that might tempt you. • Delicious smells -- the smell of freshly baked bread wafting down the aisle gets me every time. It's a great way to tempt you into buying some. • Product placement -- cheaper items will often be at the very bottom or top of the shelf, while the more profitable items are placed at eye level so it's those you see first -- so you'll need to hunt around for the bargains. Similarly, more expensive items, such as electricals, are likely to be nearer the entrance so that you have to pass them to get to what you really want. So there you have it -- eight top tips which will hopefully help to reduce your food bill! Happy eating!
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