Everyone can do with monthly budgeting tips? Am I right? Please tell me I’m not the only one who feels like the lyrics to Robert Palmer’s Simply Irresistible; “There’s no telling where the money went” 

You know how everyone has that friend who can stretch a buck? like how did you get two shopping bags for the money I used to get half a bag? That friend?… Well mine is Venean of In The Meantime blog.  Yes I have friends despite being a sucky friend. 

TodayVenean shares some money saving tips with us… and she really has some good ones

• Shop weekly. Now I have been back and forth with this quite a lot and then I did some research and I have decided to stick to weekly shopping. 1) you stay ahead of specials every week and 2) you only get to buying what you need for this week.
• You know what is cheaper than getting something on the best sale in the world? Yes! Getting it for free. But as you know there is very little in life that’s free. So the next best thing is. Don’t buy things you don’t need. Its a tough one. But more on this later.
• Join loyalty programmes – Clicks, Dischem, Pick n Pay, Spar, obviously the ones that are close to you make more sense.
• Sign up with Unilever deals – this is basically a website that you chose a retail store and click on deals you want, ask them to send a code and then after you have paid at that store – hand in your code (smsd to you) and it gets deducted off your total. Easy peasy!
• Sign up with Snap n Save – every week, they send out an email and you get to book deals. Once you have bought the products you scan your till slip and you get the money into your wallet. The deals vary in what you get off. from 5% all the way up to 50%. If you upload your snaps via WeChat you get double the discount (except on products already marked less 50%).
• No name perishables usually taste the same. Sometimes it works out cheaper to buy a brand of cleaning agent – but that’s why Unilever is so great.
• Have leftovers at least one night every week, and have a no meat day.
• Take notes of dates – cash is king. When there is a special and it only expires in two weeks, you don’t have to go buy it right away.
• Have a weekly budget – that you know your groceries should be at or below.
  What I do is I draw up a list of what we need, then when the community papers come out on a Wednesday full of catalogues and specials, I scout for the cheapest prices on items I need as well as items I could use. Like mince, or chicken that’s on special. Once that is done, I will write them down in the specials block below – with the shop and the price (also the brand). From there I will plan my meals for the week, based on what I have and will have in my cupboard that is on special. After that whatever is left – I put in the second block – still need to buy. I choose one shop for this (usually the last shop I go to and the one that is closest to home for me that is Pick n Pay), then I list everything else I need that I couldn’t find on special. Now your blocks should be quite full. Then I check Unilever deals and Snap n Save, for any goods that I need that there are coupons for. Snap n Save have staple coupons every week and new specials every Friday. Armed with those I do my grocery shopping on a Saturday morning I leave my home at 9, am usually done by 11.

I keep a list of groceries we buy – with their cheapest prices on it, a date and the shop where I bought it. Usually items go on their lowest price special every 6-8 weeks. Once you are into the above and you know what you average spend per week is, try to have 1/3 money to spend on “specials” you know you will use – to create a stock for yourself. This works with meat – fillet chicken when it comes down to R49 per kg… I buy 3-5 kgs. It also works with pasta and tin foods.

I know that this takes time. But it saves money and time during the week (meals are planned and no going to the shop for anything).

—- A giant thanks to Venean for all the tips, do check out her blog and follow her on FACEBOOK

*disclaimer, if you click through to Snap and Save, that’s my promo code (Eleanord769) You can actually earn extra cash by inviting others to use SnapnSave by sharing your unique promo code with them. Find your unique promo code on the “Free Cash” page and hit the invite button. You’ll get R10 into your wallet every time some who joins using your promo code snaps their first legitimate till slip.