Pssst, hey kid, yeah, you. You wanna save money? Of course you do. We all do. Life is hard man, I’m talking expensive hard. We’re the only living creature that pays to live on this planet, how wild is that??
Cheetahs hunt, monkeys gather, and we go to the supermarket — but it’s all survival of the fittest, follow these hot money saving tips and soon you’ll be the hottest hippo at the watering hole (sorry, I’ve been watching a lot of Attenborough recently). Point is, buying groceries is literally unavoidable if you wanna keep breathing, so you may as well do it smart.
Go on a full stomach
Never shop hungry. This is perhaps the most golden of rules when it comes to avoiding impulse buying. Even the healthiest of eaters among us can be swayed by Tim Tams and chips when our stomachs are doing the rumblies. So it’s best to just avoid the temptation by having a bite before doing your shop.
Forget about brand loyalty, kid
Your only loyalties should lie with what’s on special. More often than not, you’ll be able to snag yourself a hot bargain by making your grocery selection based on what has a pretty little sales sticker rather than which brand you prefer. Of course, there are exceptions — there’s only one Nutella. Trust me, I’ve tried all the Nutella knockoffs under the sun — none even come close to the real thing. But for basically everything else, shop with your brain, not your heart.
Shop the perimeter
All the good, healthy stuff is usually found on the outside perimeter of the store. Think fresh produce, fruits, veggies, milk, meat — everything whole and everything wholesome. The store innards are home to the processed tempting snacks that are full of sugar, salt, and empty calories. But health aside, this stuff is usually heaps more expensive — you get a whole lot less bang for your buck when you spend on processed snacks.
Shop at night
The later you get there, the more specials you’ll be likely to find. Right before closing is when you can nab yourself some pretty sweet markdowns on meat, dairy, and bakery items. This is dangerous territory though, hoo boy, the amount of dirt-cheap cookies I’ve eaten over the years. Honestly, you may be tempted to never leave.
Make the most of rewards cards
One guy who takes this ethos to the extreme is Sydney man Scott — AKA ‘The Collector’, who’s part of the Flybuys 50 (think Fortune 500, but for Flybuys members). He made the list thanks to his wild dedication to getting the most points possible.
“I’ll do anything for points,” he says. “The craziest thing I’ve ever done was purchase six months’ worth of instant noodles in one week. I went to five different Coles — I thought I’d be nice and not clear out the shelves at one supermarket.”
Scott has been a Flybuys member for over ten years, so there’s some method to this madness. “Purchasing all those noodles actually helped me fly to Singapore. Business class,” he says. Of course, Scott is an extreme example, but if you’re going to be spending money anyway, may as well scan your rewards card while you’re at it.
If you’re keen to learn some more everyday spending hacks, then head on over to the Flybuys website and see who else made the Flybuys 50. Go on, you know you want to.
