Grocery shopping is a weekly task that keeps a home running. Whether the refrigerator has run out of milk and vegetables or the shelves do not have enough lentils, you pick up the grocery bag and head to the nearby stores. Even if you have to load on munchies and other household items, you cannot do without a visit to the market in the vicinity or online platforms catering to all your needs with just a click of a button.
While you might think that you are a pro at this weekly task, most people make a few common mistakes while they are shopping for groceries. Not only are these habits emptying your account and affecting your monthly budget but also make you frequently visit the store. Here are a few mistakes that you must avoid while shopping for essentials for your home.
Buying Non-Seasonal Produce
Seasonal fruits and vegetables are not only tasty but also pulpy, fresh, and packed with nutrition. They are available at a lower rate compared to non-seasonal produce that might seem exotic but not add much nutritional value to your meals. Seasonal produce is more likely to stay in your refrigerator for a longer time than non-seasonal.
Not Planning Meals In Advance
If you have a week's meal plan, you are more likely to shop for everything that you might need, reducing the chances of you visiting the grocery store or farmer’s market again in the next few days. It also makes shopping easier because you will have a definite list of what to shop for, reducing the probability of you missing out on an ingredient.
Ignoring Lower Shelves
One of the marketing gimmicks that many grocery stores play is they keep cheaper products on the lower shelf while filling the middle shelf with expensive options. You might think that you only need what you need, but this strategy often makes you buy expensive products that you might not even use quite often in your cooking. Lower shelves contain cheaper and equally nutritious alternatives.
Buying Frozen Food First
One of the biggest mistakes that you can make while grocery shopping is buying frozen food items first and adding other items to the cart later. By the time you complete your shopping and pay bills, frozen food will defrost and become soggy. Its texture and quality would be ruined by the time you reach home and put them in the freezer. Therefore, you must buy these items in the end, right before you are headed to pay the bill.
Not Purchasing Staples In Bulk
Many stores have amazing discounts when you buy staples in bulk. You have to understand what food items can be purchased in bulk and what needs to be bought in small quantities. For example, poha, lentils, rice, sugar, etc. can be bought in bulk. However, vegetables, fruits, baked goods, etc. should be bought in limited amounts.
Buying Empty Stomach
You would question what an empty or filled stomach has to do with grocery shopping. If you go to the supermarket empty stomach, you are more likely to purchase unhealthy snacks, baked goods, and other such items because they will seem tempting. It is called 'impulse snaccidents' that most people are guilty of.
Buying Perishable Goods In Bulk
Meat, vegetables, and fruit have a definite shelf life. Just because the store is selling these items at discounted prices does not mean you have to splurge money on them because they won’t last in your pantry beyond the expiry date. You should maintain an account of what perishable goods you need for the next week or 10-15 days and come to shop for more after that.