Recession 101: Shop with Savvy
As an adult, wife or mother, you’ve probably heard it all before. But do you actually apply these tips when you go shopping? With women it’s often about the mood they’re in, not so? If I’m in a responsible-wife-and-good-mother-mood I will compare prices and tick off all the products on my very proper shopping list. But beware when I’m in a I-am-woman-hear-me-roar-mood, then I’ll do as I please… and explain myself later *small voice*
- First things first: If you are trying to cut down and save up, Woolies is definitely not the place for you.
- Seasonal fruit and veggies are cheaper than imported fresh produce.
- Buy your fruit and veggies from a farmer’s market or a Everfresh / Fruit and Veg Store as their products are cheaper. Don’t fall for convenience – the beautifully packaged, diced vegetables are usually way more expensive than buying them loose.
- Always compare prices when buying fruit and veggies. A packet of potatoes or tomatoes might be cheaper than buying them loose or visa versa.
- Compile a proper shopping list and stick to it. By buying everything you need at once you cut out double trips to the shop. By making repeat visits to the shop you will most probably end up buying products that didn’t feature on your shopping list in the first place.
- Make sure you’ve eaten before you go shopping. It works!
- Always compare no-name brands to brand products. Sometimes the brand products are actually cheaper.
- Buy bulk wherever possible (cleaning products, tinned foods, toiletries etc.)
- Make use of Dischem to buy all your cosmetics and baby products. Their card system guarantees some money back and their prices are usually good.
- If you are a Discovery Vitality member, apply for your HealthyFood card – you can actually get money back when shopping at Pick ‘n Pay.
- Look out for specials and make use of coupons.
For some reason most men find it super hot when women save money (it makes us look clever , I guess) while women prefer being super hot with whatever it was that they’ve just spent his money on (lingerie or a new outfit, perfume, a new hairdo)! Use this tip wisely, you can thank me later.
*wink*
Haha, good article, I just cringe at the thought of not shopping at Woolies anymore! Pick ‘n Pay, Spar and the other options are horrible – When it comes down to cost vs experience, I would much rather pay a more than experience the other places. Now, I understand that this is about saving, but at the end of the day, I find that certain retail stores are somewhat “dirty” and the people who frequent them are, well, not the people I want touching various products – This could easily result in stress or medical issues, which would incur costs later down the line.
I guess this does make me sound very stuck up and pretentious, but that’s not what I’m trying to put across at all. I just find Woolies the cleanest and easiest chain to use
I think it just depends where you go, I find our local Spar and Pick ‘n Pay very clean but they are small shops so this may contribute. Germs and stuff – they are everywhere but I’ll agree that Woolies is great for fruit and anything convenience-related and it will always have a place in my heart. I just save it now for special occasions!
Ye, definitely agree with you on location. The ones I was referring to are Cape Town CBD ones and they’re incredibly large.
If you can afford buying from Woolies, that is great but a lot of people actually have to cut down seriously (like to the bone) and have to get along with less, which means being very creative when it comes to cooking. When you gotta do what you gotta do, Woolies unfortunately have to take a backseat for a while.