Every household takes a lot of effort to run. There are many chores that one has to do to keep their home happy, clean and prosperous. Grocery shopping is one of the crucial tasks every household must do, regardless of size. Whether it’s a big joint family or someone living alone, people need groceries to cook food and feed themselves. Though grocery shopping may sound like a simple task, it takes a lot of time, energy and money if you don’t plan it correctly.
Grocery shopping has always been an essential part of running a household. You need groceries to cook meals for yourself and your loved ones at home. But many people haven’t got a grip on their grocery shopping game. They end up spending a lot of their time grocery shopping when they shouldn’t. It’s time to upgrade your grocery shopping game, especially when technology and the internet have made it simpler to buy groceries. With the advent of online grocery shopping brands like Swiggy Instamart store, grocery shopping has never been so easy and cost-effective. So if you want to save money, time and energy, here are five secret tips that will change how you buy your groceries.
- Plan your meals
Planning your meals is one of the most underrated tricks to save on groceries and make the best of your supplies. When you plan your meal, you substantially reduce food wastage and prong the use of your groceries. If you have leftovers from previous nights, you can pack them for your office lunch or the next meal. Planning your meals also helps you determine what you will eat for the next few days. That way, you can effectively arrange and manage the groceries required for those meals. You are also less likely to face the dilemma that most people face, which is “What to cook for dinner today?”. When you have your meal plans, you know exactly what you will eat for dinner.
Meal planning also helps to plan your grocery shopping. When you know what you are going to eat for the next few days, you can buy your groceries online according to the meal plan. You can buy your groceries based on your daily, weekly and monthly needs. For example, everyday essentials like milk, bread and eggs must be ordered every other day. Cereals, oats and other similar breakfast items can be ordered every week, but whole grains, legumes, and spices can last for months. So you can buy them on a monthly basis.
- Buy frozen food
Nothing wastes more money than vegetables, fruits and foods that get spoiled and stale when you don’t use them. Therefore it makes more sense to buy frozen food so that you can store them for a longer time. Frozen food like vegetables, fruits, meat and seafood can last weeks and months if you store them carefully in the freezer. If you plan to stock up on frozen food for several weeks, make sure you check the expiry date and organise the storage accordingly. Try to use the food before it reaches the expiry date.
If you plan to buy bigger packages of frozen food like meat, you can pre-cook it, marinate it and then store it in a deep freezer. That would significantly reduce the meal preparation time. Partially-prepared frozen food can also help you save money. When you know you have marinated frozen food in your freezer, which you quickly toss in the pan and cook, you are less likely to spend heftily on going out to eat in a restaurant. So when buying your groceries, make sure you also buy frozen food.
- Use your past order history to buy repeated items.
When you buy groceries from your local store, you must commute to the supermarket and look for all the groceries for hours. You might have to walk across several aisles to find what you need. It can be very frustrating, especially when you buy the same repetitive items that you often use. But that isn’t the case with online grocery shopping. When you buy groceries online from an online grocery store, your previous order gets saved in your order history. That means you don’t have to start from scratch to build your grocery shopping list. You can open your past hoarder history and add the items you want to buy to the cart. That way, you don’t have to manually look for all the items again and save a lot of time. It also helps to remind you of your frequently bought items, so you remember to buy them.
- Buy in bulk when necessary.
You use plenty of items in your household more regularly than others. These items are used more and often run out faster. That means you have to buy them repeatedly after a short period. To avoid that hassle, you buy those frequently used items in bulk if they are not perishable. Food items like grains and legumes are often used daily. Hence it makes sense to buy them in bulk. Buying bulk can help you save money, as retail prices are higher than wholesale prices. When you buy in bulk, ensure you don’t buy items that get spoiled or stale within a few days, such as fruits, milk or vegetables. Plus, remember to carefully store the bulk items in a way that they won’t get spoiled. It’s best to store them in big airtight containers so they don’t get spoiled.
- Make the best use of online grocery store features.
Technology has undoubtedly simplified our lives. There was a time when people had to wait in checkout lines at the supermarket. Today, you can order groceries online from an online grocery store, which gets delivered to your home within a few minutes. These online grocery stores have various features that can simplify your grocery buying experience and make it more pleasant and hassle-free. You can also use these features to expedite your grocery shopping and save money. You can use the search filters to find exactly what you need in the brand and quantity you need. You can also use various deals and discounts the store offers to save money on your order. So if you plan to make the best of your online grocery shopping, check all the features of online grocery shopping stores.
Buying groceries is not rocket science, but the lack of planning can be heavy on your wallet and clock. So it’s best to plan your grocery shopping in a way that you can save money and a lot of your time. Instead of breaking your back while carrying your groceries back home, it’s best to order them online and get them delivered to your doorstep. Happy shopping!
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