Most of us have to go through the task of doing a big grocery shop at least once or twice a week, but what is the trick to spend less while shopping? There are a variety of things that you can do to prevent yourself from spending more money than you necessarily need to. If you don’t have time to find multiple coupons, here are some tips on how to save some money on your next big shop.

The first tip is to make a list, however, instead of just quickly making a list before you go shopping, hang a list with a magnet on the fridge and every time you run out of something during the week, write it on there! Another option is instead of making a list of items, make a list of meals. A great way to waste your money is buying more food than you actually need and end up throwing it away.

Another tip is if you actually want to start finding good coupons but feel like it’s too much effort, take some time to sort through your emails. You can create a folder that will only receive emails from certain brands or grocery stores. If you haven’t already, sit down and check out some of the websites of grocery stores, brands, and products that you find yourself continually purchasing and subscribe for coupons! That way you have one place to easily print off all the coupons that interest you.

Some other tips if you are not in a rush while you shop includes spending a little more time with the items that you are going to buy. This includes looking at the expiration dates on certain items. If you are planning to cook something specific for dinner that night, ask the butcher or baker if they have any specials on items that are going to expire. This way you don’t waste money on something that you are cooking right away anyway. Another tip is bringing out your mobile phone and making some calculations. Quite often, the way that items are packaged is to give the illusion that there is more than there actually is. Take the time to ensure you’re receiving the best deal.

The final tip is to use a smaller basket or buggy, this will limit the amount of items that you can purchase at one time, thus causing you to think more about your purchases than just constantly grabbing everything off the shelves. Grocery shopping is something that we constantly have to spend money on but that doesn’t mean that you can’t save money while doing so.