Next time when you go shopping

In times of escalating prices of things due to the global hike in fuel prices, it is very important that we are very careful with how we spend our money especially on shopping excursions. Spending over our limits is really not very advisable especially when many people are relying on credit cards to sign for stuffs.

So, I decided to include here a list of ways to cut down on your spending especially when you go shopping. Hopefully, it helps!

1. Check the house before going shopping – as in check all your consumables, toiletries and groceries and take note of what you already have. No point buying more stuffs that you have plenty of stock of.

2. Prepare a detailed shopping list – this is a must so that you will know beforehand what you plan to purchase instead of going to the shopping complex / hypermarket / grocery store and blindly selecting things that you may or may not need.

3. Practice some will-power – yes, you must stick to your shopping list at all cost. Avoid grabbing a pack of junk food on a whim or other equally unimportant things that you do not need. It may only cost $2 per packet but if each time you go grocery shopping, you take a packet or two, it could amount to $20 to $30! And you can use that money for other essentials.

4. Leave your credit card at home – it is really best to pay by cash and to ensure you have a 'strong willpower' just bring enough to pay for the groceries you intend to buy, perhaps with about $10 or $20 extra for emergencies.

5. Practice comparison shopping – yes, do you homework before you blindly head to a grocery store to buy a whole load of stuff which could have been 20% cheaper at another store.

6. Go shopping only once a week – it is best to keep a list of what you need and go buy it all at once at the end of the week so that you don't have to make numerous trips to the supermarket. This way, you save time, petrol and definitely save yourself from any temptations to splurge!

Since we have to be really careful with our spending, we have been practising this way of shopping for awhile and it really do help. It has saved me hundreds on credit card bills and definitely saved me a lot from spending money on things I don't need.

Try it and enjoy the savings. I will include tips on how to reduce your credit card debts (or to avoid it) soon.