If you’re hungry, best eat before shopping
If you haven’t eaten recently, don’t go food shopping until you’ve had a bite to eat.
If you do, your hungry little mind will have you buying every sort of thing that appeals to it, with no care for cost. Even if you’re quite strong willed, and we’ve no doubt that you are, modern marketing is going to be working against you every step of the way.
Because you’re hungry, you aren’t going to be thinking clearly. The mind is going to be focused on food, and since sterling’s not edible, your finances are going to be completely off the radar.
You’ll find that small purchases you’d normally pass on are going to be filling your basket, such as 5-minute rice instead of the usual 45-minute sort. By the time you get out of the store, you’re quite likely to have a stone or more worth of junk you’d normally not have purchased.
To avoid this, and to save your money, make sure you have a good meal before you go shopping. Also, make a list. Think about what you’re going to cook, and take care of the necessary bits and bobs in advance. If you put it off, you’ll end up in the store, hungry, and picking up a bunch of things you really don’t need.
How about you? Does planning your meals and shopping on a full stomach help, or do you take a different approach? Let us know.
