Want to save money on food? Here are some practical tips!

Look around, and you will likely meet many people who complain that while the cost of living in the country has gone up, their salaries have not kept pace. While this may be true to some extent, it does not need to pull you back from saving more.

Once you make some minor tweaks to your current lifestyle, you will be surprised by how much money you can save from your current salary.

While it’s easier to decide to save money and more challenging to follow through with the decision, here are some practical tips from Qatar Living that may help you along the way. Every Riyal saved — be it on food, travel, or accommodation — is an extra Riyal to help you in your time of need.

Cook food at home

With eateries increasing their prices every other day, eating out can be very expensive. Try cooking food at home, and make eating out a rare habit. Planning out your daily meals will help keep you focused and prevent impulsive use of food delivery apps. Keeping a shopping list will also help stop impulsive buys.

Shop more at local markets

You will almost certainly pay different prices for the same thing depending on where you buy it from. A visit to local markets, like the Souq Waqif or other wholesale marts, will help you significantly save money. Creating a list of things to buy at once will help you avoid multiple journeys and hence save on travelling costs too.

Buying things in Bulk

One can purchase non-perishable items — rice, pasta, and canned goods — in bulk to reduce the overall grocery bill. You can also plan with your neighbours to buy perishable food items in bulk. You get it at cheaper rates and also get to share the bill (Eg: Vegetables, fish).

Look out for discounts/promotions

While some are very good at it, others need to sharpen their bargain-hunting skills. One way to reduce shopping costs is to keep a keen eye on supermarket flyers and apps that offer discounts and promotions. Major stores like Carrefour, Al Meera and Lulu Hypermarket often come up with such promotional schemes.

Reducing wastage of food

Some have turned avoiding the wastage of food into a highly-specialized art form. One can plan their meals to buy only what is necessary. Should there be leftover food, it can be saved for later consumption, thereby reducing waste and saving money on future meals.

Become a member of outlets’ loyalty programmes

If you continually shop at the same outlet, you may be eligible for loyalty points or programmes that may give you points to redeem against future purchases. If one is ok with giving out their contact details, this is another way to save some money.

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