Grocery shopping hacks to help you save money amid inflation and rising GST

I remember when I was young, and my parents took me out grocery shopping at a nearby FairPrice.

Back in those days, I needed help to lift a 10kg bag of rice. Nowadays, my parents are the ones who need help with lifting the 10kg bag of rice.

Although the bag of rice hasn’t changed in weight, something definitely felt heavier.

The 10kg bag of rice, which used to cost slightly over $10, now costs around $25!

That’s just what inflation is like. Over the years, prices of simple items such as the rice and oil we use for our daily meals increased bit by bit. Before you know it, you’re paying a bomb for stuff you use daily.

Besides inflation, another cost we need to worry about is the upcoming GST increase.

The cost of everything is just going higher and higher! Sadly, I can’t say the same about my salary. (Maybe I’ll get a raise when they see this article?)

In the face of such rising costs, we need to save as much as possible. So here are some tips to help you save at the supermarket!

TL;DR: Grocery shopping hacks to help you save money

How will inflation and rising costs affect us?

Earlier, we mentioned an example of inflation using the price of rice from the grocery store.

Unless our income grows at the same rate as the prices of goods and services we consume, we will be able to buy lesser and lesser things with what we are earning.

For all we know, maybe that bag of rice you see at the supermarket might cost $50 to $60 in 10 years!

Knowing that prices will be increasing in the future, we will be tempted to spend more now than in the future after the prices have risen. (Typical kiasu Singaporeans, I’m guilty of it myself)

With the sudden spike in spending, we might raise the inflation rate even higher, as the prices of goods will end up increasing as the number of goods cannot keep up with the demand.

For all you know, we might even be the ones causing the prices of goods to rise up faster, and it will come to bite us back in return.

Grocery shopping hacks to help you save money

Forget about things like gorging on free samples or panic-buying discounted products. (We’re not so cheapskate, okay?)

The tips we are giving you are guaranteed to help you save money, but they might require a bit more effort on your part.

Sometimes you need to be a bit diligent if you wanna save more!

1. Make a list and plan ahead

Often, when people overspend in the supermarket, it’s because they don’t know what they want to buy, which results in impulse purchases.

So when you have planned what you want to buy at the supermarket, you can just skip ahead to the required sections and leave as soon as possible.

The longer you wander around in a supermarket, the higher the chances of you succumbing to temptations will occur since you will be exposing yourself more to the snacks or junk food aisles.

A few ways to be prepared is to go into the supermarket with a list ready, scribble a note, or even use a note-taking app and stick to only the items in the list.

Another good way to help plan your purchases at the supermarket is to meal-prep in advance, so you will know exactly what you need at the supermarket!

2. Frozen doesn’t mean low quality

Is fresh food really worth all the extra money?

Especially when it comes to meat or seafood items, which tend to already be on the pricier side, getting them fresh might not be as worth it as it seems.

Chances are, to keep the meat or seafood items fresh, they have already been frozen during transportation.

Plus, no sense in giving up your favourite meaty dishes just because they tend to be pricier. After all, freezing them doesn’t make them taste like a different kind of meat.

No need to be fussy if you want to have extra savings!

3. Less preparation means less savings

For those of you who are working adults, I’m sure you will be tempted by all the easy-to-prepare food like boxed meals, pre-cut fruits, and parts of meat like chicken breast.

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Sure, it saves a lot of trouble, but did you know you might actually be spending a lot for the ease of preparation?

Boxed meals can have a lot of additives and tend to be more unhealthy on top of costing relatively high per box for each of your daily meals.

Getting pre-cut fruits just means you’re getting less just for the supermarket to help you cut the fruits.

For example, you can just get the whole fruit like a watermelon, and you can even make it last over a few days!

For meat items, a whole chicken can take longer to prepare, but the different parts can be used in different ways, giving your menu some variety!

As an added bonus, you don’t have to pay two to three times the difference for the same amount of meat when you just buy the chicken breast!

4. Don’t be lazy, grab a basket

Why go to the gym when a trip to the grocery store can also be a workout? Of course, don’t cancel your gym membership just yet.

The issue with getting a trolley at a supermarket is that you might get tempted to fill the big trolley up, resulting in you buying more stuff at the supermarket.

Hence, carrying a basket might result in you buying fewer items!

Furthermore, carrying a heavy basket is tiring. You will want to quickly check out all your items as soon as possible when you are lugging a heavy basket, so you spend less time being exposed to all the temptations!

5. Keep an eye out for more savings

Don’t grab the first item you see when you pick items from a specific category!

A trick that supermarkets like to do is to put all the expensive items in easy to reach places or at eye level, so you are more likely to pick them first.

Be sure to look at the top and bottom of the shelves, maybe even the hard-to-reach corners as well. You might end up finding your new favourite budget-friendly brand!

Take note to look out for offers on items you need at the supermarket. Sometimes, it might not be obvious as it can be hidden in the price tags.

So look carefully if you want to avoid passing up any offers or promotions at the supermarket!

Closing thoughts

Building up new habits to help you save more money can be quite hard, but it will definitely be worth it in the long run.

READ ALSO: Singapore inflation rate 2022: What is it and why does it matter?

This article was first published in Seedly.