Share
The start of a new month means buckling down and making a list of groceries to fill-up your pantry and keep it well-stocked for the coming weeks. While this task is usually taken up by mothers and grandmothers, in the urban scape, where nuclear families abound, this essential monthly job falls on individuals across age groups. In big families, the habit of sending a list to the local grocer who then delivers sacks of pantry staples is a common sight. However, many enjoy the comforting joy of stocking up on ingredients by going to the shop and picking out every item on their list themselves. This however runs the risk of shopping for indulgent foods and going over budget!
Following some handy steps like sticking to your grocery list and moving away from aisles packed with packaged and junk food is one way of coming under budget on your grocery shopping. Here are some handy tips which involve navigating your kitchen to find out what is available in the pantry and can last for another month, before you set off on a shopping trip:
Make A 'Master' List
Create a list of all the essential grocery items required in the household every month including supplies of dals, legumes, pulses, flours, spices and condiments. While going grocery shopping, make a list by cross referencing with the master list and only add those items that are required regularly and that are running out. A master list works as a blueprint for ensuring that all the essential items make it into the grocery shopping list every month.
Reduce Overbuying
Making a master list is sometimes insufficient to stick to your monthly grocery budget. There can be a tendency to just buy everything on that list which will not only lead to overbuying but also crowd the kitchen with extra foods. Instead, first take stock of everything that is available and that can last the entire month. If a dal or legume is sufficient for a couple of weeks in the month, you can perhaps remove it from the shopping list and add it to next month's essentials. Double stocking will only take-up storage space.
Map Your Way In The Store
It is easier to give a shopping list to your grocer to stay away from the temptation of buying different tasty and attractive foods in the store. However, if you do your own shopping, then map out the store in your head to move from essential dals, to flours to masalas to frozen foods like butter and cheeses and head directly to the billing queues. Make sure your trip to the store is quick and organised to avoid bulk purchases.
Shop Online
Now, shopping online is a viable alternative across many small households making grocery shopping a smart process. Go through the previous order history and check out all the items you require every month. Keep to the process of avoiding bulk purchases and buying the basic, most essential foods without browsing for much else. This will have a tremendous impact on reducing impulse buys and you will magically come under budget each month.
Shop According To Season
Some groceries like rice, wheat and millets can be bought in bulk once or twice a year and will last for months together if stored well. This is a handy trick to get produce at wholesale or sale prices and save on petty cash. If you are so inclined, buy wheat and whole millets and get them ground into flour from the local flour mill. Seasonal shopping also involves eating clean because you end up purchasing certain foods in small quantities that are in tune with the nature's clock.
