There’s nothing worse than going to the grocery store, filling your cart up with all the items you want and then heading to the checkout. Once you’re there, you hopelessly watch as the numbers increase drastically while you’re being rung up for everything. You never thought you were going to spend this much on groceries and it has put a serious dent in your budget. Chances are you’re not even sure what happened, you’re just stunned as the receipt is handed to you after forking out so much cash on groceries.
Has this happened in the past and you have yet to figure out how you’re spending so much money? Well, I’m going to go over a list of reasons why you’re probably overspending at the grocery store.
#1. You’re Not Setting a Budget
One of the most important things is that you set up a grocery budget for yourself. I always suggest having a budget and being firm with it. When you go grocery shopping and you don’t have a set budget, you just buy everything you want. I would suggest setting a budget for practically everything in life.
#2. You Don’t Have a Menu
I always plan out my menu before I even go out to the grocery store. This is something you absolutely need to do if you want to save money on groceries. If you create a menu every week, you’ll be able to save money, you’ll know exactly what you need to get from the grocery store and you’ll never have to wonder what you’re going to make for dinner that day. Instead, you already have everything planned out.
If I’m feeling a bit wild, I’ll set one day of the week as a mystery day on my menu and I’ll make whatever I’m in the mood for that particular day. Only do this once per week or you could throw your budget and whole menu out of whack. Keep in mind that you don’t have to plan meals for certain days. Instead, you could just list out 6-7 dinner ideas and make whatever you’re feeling like on any particular day from your menu.
#3. You’re an Impulse Shopper
There’s absolutely nothing that can blow through your budget faster than being an impulse shopper. Have you ever decided to head out to the grocery store and do some shopping simply because you were bored and have nothing better to do, but you don’t really need anything? Ever went shopping for groceries at the last second and didn’t have a list or menu prepared in advance?
It’s never a good idea to go grocery shopping no an impulse. It’s always best to plan out your trip ahead of time. You should have everything planned out from where you’re going shopping, what you need and how much money you plan to spend at the grocery store. If you don’t have these things planned out, you should stay at home until you do. Never just “wing it” if you want to keep your budget in check.
