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Setting boundaries - It's extremely important to limit your grocery shopping to only necessary items. Set a budget and stop buying when you reach that amount.

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Promotions -

The promotion shelf may look appealing but we end up taking home more than we actually need and we spend too much money on unnecessary things.

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Sales - If there is a promotion on a product that you really need, take it, but don't spend too long looking at other things that aren't essential.

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Make a list - It may seem obvious, but besides setting a budget, make a list and follow it. Impulse buying is one of the reasons why we end up spending too much money.

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Organize by section - When you make a list, organize products by section, such as hygiene, kitchen, cleaning, canned food, etc.. This way you know exactly where to go and you don't have to wander around and buy unnecessary things.

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Research prices - Before you leave the house, quickly look up your local stores online to see which ones have the best prices that week.

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Second half of the month - Most people prefer shopping at the beginning of the month, but actually the best time to go grocery shopping is during the second half of the month. The flow of shoppers is lower and stores tend to drop prices in order to attract customers.

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Avoid crowded stores - Seeing big crowds at the supermarket can give you a false sense of urgency and make you believe that you have to buy things before they run out. Pick a time when the store is emptier so you can make pressure-free decisions.

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Don't shop when you're hungry! - An empty stomach can really affect your ability to control yourself! According to specialists, being hungry can lead you to buy more things than you need, specially food.

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Children - Children are like 'magnets' when you're out shopping. They're easy marketing targets and can really be quite persuasive, so if you teach them from the beginning that you can't always buy what they want, your trip to the store will be much easier.

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Efficiency - Going to the grocery store with an empty cart and not knowing what you want to buy is the perfect recipe for disaster. Only go shopping when you actually need to!

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Learn the rules - Everything in a store is made for you to spend more money, from the product displays to the music in the background and the candy that's always placed at a children's height . The essential products are always placed at the back of the store so that you have to walk through all the aisles first.

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Be careful with price drops - It's common for stores to 'lower' the prices in a way that seems like a sale, but what they're doing is advertising a product as being on sale, when it's actually being sold for the original price.

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The '9' trick - Be careful with the prices ending in '.99' or '.90' as it gives you the impression that a product is cheaper than it actually is.

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Learn about the products - The most expensive product isn't always the best, the same way the cheapest product isn't always the worst. Test them or read consumer blogs so you know which have the best price-quality relationship.

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Expiration dates - It's common for stores to cut the prices of everything that's about to hit the expiry date, so be sure to take advantage of this tactic!

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White label products - White label products still have a bad reputation, but some of them offer great value for their money. It's also been proved that some of those items are produced in the same factories as other big brands.

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Price comparison apps -

A quick look through a price comparison app will help you find the cheapest options.

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Shopping cart - Have you noticed that grocery store carts have been getting bigger in the past few years? That's because studies showed that customers tend to fill them to the top. So choose the cart size according to your needs.

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Pay with cash or debit card - Grocery shopping with a credit card is never a good idea, as debts can accumulate pretty quickly.

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Take a good look at the shelves - The most expensive products will always be placed at eye level, so make sure you look at the upper and lower shelves for the cheapest products.

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Online shopping - Online shops don't feature all the distractions of a physical store, allowing you to go straight to what you need. You'll avoid crowds and queues, and some stores even have exclusive online sales.

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Bottled water - If you swap bottled water for tap water you'll save about $100 monthly. If your tap water isn't suitable for consumption, home water treatment equipment will cost you between $10 to $30.

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Buy in bulk - If the product has a long expiration date, then buy it in large quantities when it's on sale so you can save long-term.

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Coupons - This is an obvious one, but take advantage of all the coupons, as can save you a lot of cash!

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Ready-made food - Although they are convenient, ready-made food can work out to be around 40% more expensive than buying all the ingredients and cooking at home.

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Cook with what you have -

If you're thinking of cooking a dish but you're missing some ingredients, be creative and learn how to cook with what you have at home. You never know when you'll come up with a delicious recipe!

See also: This is the way we used to shop in the 20th century

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