5 ways to save money on groceries

Take a different path


Re-route your trolley to stick to the outer aisles in the supermarket. The staple items are generally on the outer walls - bread, fish, meat, fruit and veg. The inner aisles are the higher priced, more luxurious items - biscuits, soft drinks, crisps etc. Allocate your time wisely to avoid spending too long in those tempting middle aisles, your wallet and your waistline will thank you.



Look up! Look down!


Look high and low for own brand and cheaper alternatives. Big brands can pay retailers for premium spaces on the shelves. Items at eye level have been placed there specifically to tempt you. You may well be able to tell the difference between branded and own brand baked beans when they are on toast, but with prices varying from 3.50AED to 7.95AED - can you really tell the difference when they are mixed up in a sausage hot pot?!



Are you ready to take the money saving challenge?


Linked to the above, try the own brand challenge! Get ready to ‘downgrade’ an item or two. For example, if you normally buy two boxes of Kellogg’s cornflakes, buy one packet of Kellogg’s and one cheaper brand. If you can’t tell the difference - stick with the lower priced item! 

Deli delight


Go straight to the Deli counter for your cheese and cold meats. We pretty much guarantee you a saving here! Take for example pre-packaged Cheddar cheese, it will retail approximately 20AED for 250g depending on make and strength. Bought from the deli it will cost around 6aed per 100g (but it can be as low as 4.5aed) plus you can ask for it as a block, sliced, or grated - bonus!



Brrrr!


Frozen generally gets forgotten about! This is rather unjust especially as the process often means vegetables or fruit are frozen when at their very best, which can maximise their vitamin and nutritional content. Frozen veg can be a great staple and is often a more appealing option when there’s nothing fresh in the fridge other than the three week old limp and greying carrots! The freezer aisles are also a great option for meat and fish, often working out much cheaper. A word of warning however, chicken classed as ‘tenderised’ can sometimes be watery and tasteless, so here it is worth trading up a brand or two to be sure on quality.   

Let us know your secrets to save money on groceries in the comments below -  from buying in bulk to bargains, we love to hear a good piece of advice.

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