I was talking with someone about living with less and they asked me if I’d always been a contrarian. I laughed because I’ve certainly not ever used that word to describe myself (but I would guess that maybe my parents could have used that to describe me during the teen years!).
I looked up the word and dictionary.com defines a contrarian as “a person who takes an opposing view, esp. one who rejects the majority opinion, as in economic matters.”
I think the word describes anyone who is serious about living with less. You have to reject the belief that bigger is better. You need to have a vision for your family even if it’s different than your neighbors. And you have to think smarter than than the marketing experts want you to think.
That’s why an important strategy of living with less is being able to decipher the marketing tricks stores use to get you to buy more than you really need.
Here are a few marketing tricks I’ve learned to watch out for:
- 10 for $10. When a grocery store runs a special where you can buy 10 items for $10 it also means you can buy 1 item for $1. The store just wants you to buy more. Don’t do it unless you really need 10 items and $1 is a really good price for each one of them.
- 2 for $5. When a deal like this happens it usually means that one item is $2.50. Think independently of the advertisement. Do you need one or two?
- Look high and look low. More expensive items usually sit at eye level on store shelves. Look above and below to find the best value.
- Check the price per unit. Sometimes its a better deal to buy two regular size products than one family size. Don’t assume…do your research right there in the aisle!
- Be careful about BOGO–Buy One Get One Free deals. Sometimes they are a good deal, but sometimes they increase the price of the first item and you’re really not getting that great of a deal. Consider keeping a price book of products you commonly buy and the prices you usually pay. This will help you determine if you are really getting a good deal or just being sucked into buying two items at an inflated price.
- At the grocery store, shop the perimeter of the store to get the fresh, less expensive foods. The interior of the store has the boxed, preservative-filled, convenience, more expensive food.
What about you? What marketing tricks have you learned to beware of?
1. Never leave home without a list that was made after planning the menu for at least two weeks and checking in the pantry and toiletries shelf.
2. Make a menu where seasonal fruits & vegetables can be used. It's a healthier choice.
3.You could also work around a couple of dishes that use similar ingredients but different herbs & spices, so that the dishes do not taste the same.
4. It makes economic sense to buy regularly used herbs & spices in larger packs.
5. Using fresh ingredients for example tomatoes instead of canned also works out cheaper.
6. I am commenting from India, so this is for my Indian viewers. I definitely save a lot when I use whole spices instead of the ready made powders or pastes. I prefer to grind grated coconut instead of using ready to use coconut milk – it's not only cheaper but tastier as well and best of all no preservatives, food colour and taste enhancers.
Beware of story loyalty programs!!
We have 2 major grocery store chains in our area that use store loyalty cards. All of their products are marked with 2 prices – 1 with the card, 1 without. Then at the bottom of your receipt they show you what you would have spent without their card and proclaim "you saved $X.XX!" I've tried to explain to people that they really mark up the prices for non-card holders in order to give everyone else a false feeling of savings but few want to believe it.
Great insight, ladies! Thank you!
This is further to my comments above:
1. There is no better way to save money than to use the credit card very sparingly for groceries, toiletries & other sundry expenses. Use cash as far as possible. You'll realise it pinches to pay hard cash and you avoid making credit card loans. You also learn to practise delayed gratification.
2. Divide your purchases in two to three lots and buy in bulk. This way you're distributing the expenses.
Watch out for coupons that you don't need. Only clip the ones that you actually use in your recipes or at least have a plan to use in your meal plan. Also, check which grocery stores will do double coupons. Many grocery stores will double up to $.50.
Thanks for these tips. One of the things that I have learned with these marketing plows (like the 10 for $10 or the 2 for $5) is that you don't always have to buy 10 or even two in order to get the deal. Often at my store (Kroger) you can buy one or two and get them for $1 (or $2.50 if they are a 2/$5) I try to pair these with coupons to get an even better savings. My Kroger doubles all coupons up to $.50 every day so I've often gotten free hand soap or toothpaste or pasta by pairing coupons with these deals!