For the month of November I did my grocery shopping without my husband, wow I did save money! I did not take into consideration the number of extra items he added to the cart! I am sure it would be helpful to leave home any extra people when grocery shopping, kids, husbands, grandchildren, etc.
Another thing I experimented with was using the smallest cart. At our Tom Thumb store they have several size carts to select from and I went to the smallest cart, which I know helped me to not add extra items that were not on my list. One time, I only used the handled basket as I only went in for a couple items. I know these two tips will save you some money!
I think men are the hardest ones to teach how to shop. It took me over 10 yrs to teach my husband to compare prices. Now he finally has started looking at the generic brands and comparing. He still won't read the labels, but I figure at least he's reading the prices!
One thing that I do every time I go to Wal Mart is this. First of all, as I'm shopping I write down in a note pad everything I put in the cart with its price. I go thru the store and do all my shopping normally. Then I go to the McDonalds or whatever place like that they have and sit down with my cart next to me. I pull out my note pad and my calculator. I sit there and add up everythng I've spent, then I add the tax to it. That way I know BEFORE I get to the register how much I've spent, and if I've gone over my budget I can decide what to put back without being rushed or embarrassed at the register. This method has saved me untold amounts of money, time, and embarrassment over the years!
I tend to save more when my hubby is not with me for shopping. He likes to buy new stuff to just try. If I send him to buy stuff, he comes with additional bags as if we have to feed 8 people.(only 2 to feed)
My boyfriend is new to budgeting. He buys top brands and tends to miss/overlook good deals. I'm the one who does the cooking, so I know what ingredients are missing from the kitchen, however whenever i give him a shopping list, he ends up buying things we already have, not to mention not bringing the things we don't have! I try not to get too angry. Some men just can't do it!
We save money the opposite way. I make a list of what we need, including brands and quantities. My husband goes to the shops and comes back with exactly what is on the list.
I am the one who always gets sidetracked by articles not on the list. I also hate shopping so that is an added bonus. My list is in order up and down the aisles from one end of the shop to the other, so it also saves time. My husband is away for about half the time I always was.
This really works because I've done this!! When my husband comes he sometimes wants brand names or certain items that I did not plan to buy. When I'm on my own i rarely spend more than $50 bi weekly :)
I've always shopped without my husband and children mainly because that was my one chance to be alone (if you can call shopping with 100 other people alone!). since we've moved so far from the nearest large store (30 miles) we consolidate our trips and he usually drops me off at the store while he does his errands. Knowing he's maybe going to be waiting forces me to rush through the store and usually only get the things on my list. I've found myself saving money and not getting home with lots of "why did I get that?" stuff.
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