Practical Tips To Saving Money On Groceries
The worst thing about a financial downturn is trying to readjust your lifestyle to live within your means. For so many, this becomes a strain and especially if it’s the first financial downturn they have experienced, they are often left worse for wear without a plan in place. I truly believe that some easy principles to abide by will keep you in good stead, whether it be the good financial times or the tougher times. In fact I believe if EVERYONE abided by these principles, then a lot of distress that society as a whole has experienced could have been avoided. The way in which we’re raised will determine our belief system and how we value money and save money. A young child taught the value of money and investing will be much better off than the person who was raised with everything given to them without the underlying principles needed to survive on their own.
I have some easy to follow tips or principles or whatever you want to call it to help lead you to saving money in a complicated financial time.
Drink more water. Not only is this a much healthier option than 99% of the drinking products available, but purchasing pre-made drinks like soft drinks, juice, mochas, lattes can really cut into your grocery budget. Do not be conned into the marketing that companies bring out. Carefully read the labels and you’ll realize the latest “nutritional” drink actually doesn’t contain much nutritional value at all! You must be disciplined otherwise you will spend way more than you ever intended to. I’ve been tempted and failed miserably at work where they have set up a vending machine with soft drinks at a value price point. A dollar a day becomes $365 a year. Slip up a few times and it will suddenly turn into $1000. Calculate that as a percentage of your annual income and you may be stunned at the results. It looks a lot worse if you drink alcohol regularly. So where possible stick to drinking water. It will save you a lot of money. What you do not have, you won’t miss. Guaranteed.
Use freebies where possible. Companies often give away samples of their goods to entice you to become a loyal consumer of their product. This can often save you heaps of money as you are able to trial something for the first time and make a good informed decision on whether the product works for you. Do not go out purchasing the latest product you have seen advertised on TV or heard on the radio. Branded goods are often proven to be no better than savings or no name products. That’s why it’s critical for you to test and trial and products for yourself to determine what is suitable for you. Sites that specialize in free stuff like FreeStuff4Free.com have a wide range of free samples available across a large range of categories. So far in 2010, this site has saved readers over $600 in free samples alone! Obviously you need to be careful when applying for these freebies so as to not end up with unwanted spam mail or telemarketing contact. But this is definitely something worth looking into.
Just be engaging these 2 tips, you will save yourself in excess of $3000 a year. This cannot be scoffed at. If you are not engaging these 2 principles it’s high time you did and saved yourself some serious money.
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