Saturday, March 17, 2007

shopping more with your money


Studies show that there is a great change in the shopping habits of people during the past several years. Earlier generations went to a supermarket at least once a week while the present generation shops on average twice a week and visit at least 7 food distributors in a month. Today, with the economic crunch affecting the daily food budget, it is wise that shoppers use utmost discretion when it comes to buying groceries. According to Gary Foreman, publisher of "The Dollar Stretch" it is important that people are careful about where they buy and the size they buy. One of the tips he gave in order for shoppers to get more for what the shoppers pay is on buying the correct size of products to avoid wasting or throwing away food. Foreman further stated that 20% to 25% of food bought aren't used and are thrown away. "Bigger isn't necessarily better," Foreman said. It is better to buy 100-calorie pack than larger sizes. Another way of shopping wisely is to change brands based on price. In the past, most shoppers stick only to one brand and thus spent more money than necessary. Today, shoppers have more options as newer brands that are cheaper have hit supermarkets making possible the changing of brands in favor of products of lesser cost. Another advise is to visit or shop in as many food distributors over the week and visit those that sell at lower prices. Supermarkets vary greatly in their prices, some sell certain goods quite higher than the others so shoppers are advised to choose where they buy their food products in order to get the most out of their money. Lastly, invest time to plan your menu. Surveys show that a lot of women don't know at 4 0'clock p.m. what they are making for dinner. When you plan your menu, say, for a week before you shop, you will most likely buy only what you will need and thus make big savings for you. If you have more tips on the subject, feel free to leave them under comment.

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