This is a real flaw of mine and something that I have been putting a lot more thought into. So here is just some cool stuff and advice I found and at the end a couple of sweet tips for those in the Hutt Valley.

A trip to the grocery store can set us back hundreds of dollars that we didn’t really need to spend. Tantalizing sales are skillfully stationed store-wide to taunt you into thinking you’re saving money, when you’re usually spending it unnecessarily.

For example: those Tim Tams weren’t on the original shopping list, but you ended up buying ten packets anyways because they were down to a dollar!

It’s things like this that end up draining dollars and leaving us with so much less at the end of the week, month, and year. So how do we resolve this problem?

You guessed it: planning.

Be it breakfast, lunch or dinner, planning your meals in advance can save you so much in the long run (this doubles as a great healthy diet tip). You can even plan to have a restaurant or takeaway night if you like; as long as you’re sticking to your plan, there’s no room for unnecessary spending and more likelihood of saving. All the fun, just a little more structure.

*OK so probably I only increased this by about 70%… still can’t plan everything and that’s part of being human*

Plan the meals you’d like to eat through the week, then go buy the specific ingredients in accordance with your meal-plan quantities. This way, you’ll be saving by purchasing exactly as much as you’ll be eating – saving waste as well as the money you’d spend on bulk amounts of any particular item.

Does this mean I have to buy everything full price?

Maybe during your early planning days, just while you get used to things. After a while you’ll see recurring patterns in your typical shopping lists that might mean certain items could be bought in bulk. For example, you might make yourself a lot of rice meals in a week, so instead of buying a week’s worth of rice whenever you go shopping, you could grab a huge sack of rice the next time you see one on sale. You’ll get used to the concept faster than you think, and when you do you’ll be amazed at how savvy your shopping becomes!

What about my daily dose of coffee?

This is hella controversial and I hope all my Wellington readers don’t black list me here, but… While a good cuppa can be the best way to start a day, it’s an amount of money that stacks up after a while to an amount of money that – we’re sure anyone would agree – should be spent or saved elsewhere.

Did you know that most Life Insurance policies won’t cost you more than a cup of coffee a day? That’s a small price to pay for the incredible cover you’ll be securing for your loved ones. We can work with you to produce a customised policy tailored to suit your weekly budget beautifully. Simply get in touch today to start planning your policy! (and again as we are Wellingtonians lets just buy 1 cup a day rather than 3).

Personal Tips!
I have started planning my weekly expense around a fairly well planned Saturday late morning (so those who have kids maybe after their early morning sports).

A trip to the fruit and vege market by the Hutt River has been my biggest saver when it comes to my weekly shop. Outstanding produce and outstanding prices, and a really great atmosphere. Anything we couldn’t get here gets added to the supermarket list which is well planned (and sometimes not easy to stick to after a couple of wines on Friday).

Last trip is to Bin Inn… that store you forgot existed, but bring your own containers in to reduce waste and expense for a wide range of house hold items. Look out for the big maroon shop front on Jackson Street. Extremely friendly service who are more than happy to explain how it all works to new customers.