How to cut costs when shopping
Times are tough my friends. The Kenyan economy has hit an all time high and our pockets have been hard hit; they are always running dry. Businesses are yet to pick up from our longest electioneering period. We are all looking for ways to save and make that extra shilling to be able to pull through.
Being a stay at home but working from home mum, I have had to devise ways in my area of jurisdiction, (read home ) to at least save on costs. I realized that it’s easy to control our expenses right from when shopping than it is to control usage in the house. So, fellow mamas how then can we shop wisely?
Let me share a few tips that I’ve learned this couple of months
Shop not at the supermarket
Don’t we all love walking into the supermarket, pushing the biggest trolleys with sachets, boxes, tins and bottles almost falling off from the trolleys. Yes we do. Makes us feel so rich.
What an illusion.
Shop in bulk
Shopping in bulk will save you so much money. Buy items in large quantities, be it foodstuff or toiletries. Take for example buying a 25kg bag of Pishori rice which retails for about 3600 ( kshs 144 for a kg) when a 1kg goes for about 190. The difference is definitely noticeable. Also, buying in bulk gives you the peace of knowing that you are fully stocked. Of course you must be wise in the usage as well
Shop smart
Since I discovered how to shop smartly, I do it religiously. There are items that are cheaper buying in sachets as compared to the tin. A 500gms tin of drinking chocolate is way more expensive as compared to buying sachets of the same quantity. What I do is I buy the tin once then I buy the sachets from then on and just empty them to my tin. Try it and you will be impressed. The same goes for Royco and Spices. I stopped paying for the tin packaging, after all I throw them out once am done.
Another thing, buy things like diapers from a baby shop, beauty products from a cosmetic shop, furniture from a furniture shop or get a fundi to custom make the design you like, do not buy clothes from a supermarket, phones go to a phone shop or service providers like Safaricom and the like.
Buy groceries at the Market
Avoid buying groceries from the estate Mama mboga as much as possible. Go to the market and buy your weekly or biweekly groceries. You will get them very cheap and very fresh.
Shopping pool with friends
I have seen a couple of groups on Facebook where people come together to bulk shop and then split the shopping among themselves. I once did so with 3 of my friends and it does save so much. As I earlier said you can never go wrong with bulk shopping. If you cannot afford to bulk shop alone or you feel 20litres of cooking oil is too much then look for friends whom you cost share in the shopping.
Shop with your loyalty points
Most supermarkets now, even restaurants, have loyalty points which you can redeem and shop with. I have seen people redeem electronics from these points. So whenever you go to the supermarket, carry your loyalty card with you. You just never know when it will come in handy
Look for offers and Discounts
This is what I love most. I am one of those people who peruse the whole supermarket looking for offers and discounts. They never pass me by. Unilever have got the most offers and discounts all year round
Make use of free samples
For freebies, you have got to be careful though, but it’s a sure way of saving up on cost.
With this tight economy, you’ve got to be smart to still maintain your lifestyle. So, go ahead and try my tips and see how much of a difference it will make. I always say no money is little when it comes to saving.
Daisy Chepkoech is a Freelance Blog Writer, Social Media Manager and Trainer. She is also the Marketing Director at Dake Business Solutions. Daisy holds a Bachelors degree in Communication and Media Technology from Maseno University.
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