Buy Wise, Cook Efficient, Store Smart: Learn the tricks.

Welcome to a 10-week program to master the art of buying food wisely, cooking efficiently and storing smartly. This program will help you unfold witty ideas for better meal planning and budget allocation.

We are all aware of the idea of healthy eating and many of us  inculcate that in our lives. But few times we fall victim of food companies’ marketing strategies, retail store product arrangement tricks, couponing, supermarket strategies and more.

Let's start from the very beginning of the grocery buying cycle and see how can we make improvements as we go:

1.    Start out with sticking notes in the kitchen for the items which need to be purchased. Peel off the note every time you go to the grocery store and carry it with you. In an early research, it was found that the human mind can only retain three to four items at a time.1 This is why phone numbers are arranged this way.1 Ultimately, the best way to ensure everything you need is purchased is by making notes.

2.    Grocery store trips should be limited to once a week unless there is a severe need for something. Shopping is not advisable on a hungry stomach because everything may seem delicious and you may end up buying items that are not required or not healthy.

3.    Couponing may not always be a great option. Many processed and expensive foods have coupon deals. Beware of expensive and less nutritious foods. You could buy a cost effective yet healthy food item instead of the other options. Start noticing that the fresh food items seldom have coupon deals. These foods would be on sale because of their perishability.  Also, give some thought about switching brands especially if you are present in a large family type since not everyone may like the new brand.

4.   Do not take children grocery shopping. Supermarkets employ the strategy of arranging sweets and candies at the kid’s eye level. Thousands of people work on how to arrange supermarket aisles for better sale. Supermarket product arrangement is a growing industry. Do not get caught up in it. Also, be vigilant of the children toys and candies placed right next to items that are regularly purchased. This is done to attract children even if the parent do not walk to the kids department.

5.    Often milk and meat are arranged at the rear of the store because of these items being a regular purchase and hence making you walk among the attractive products and deals on your way. If you need to shop for only one item, take it and make your way to the checkout counter. The more you hang around in the store, the more money you will be spending.

6.   Items on the checkout counter like candies, magazines, personal care items are arranged to engage buyer in an impulse purchasing. Do you really need that candy or the lip balm when you have hundreds lying all over the house?

We will cover lots of interesting ideas about preparing meals and cooking efficiently next week. Stay tuned!

1 Moskowitz.Clara (2008). Mind’s limit found: 4 things at once. Livescience. Retrieved from

http://www.livescience.com/2493-mind-limit-4.html

2“Household Hints and Handy Tips”. (1988). Reader's digest: 351-352.Print