Faced with inflation, the French are trying to reduce their food budget.
To save money on daily shopping, there are many tips or programs.
However, care must be taken to ensure that they do not lead to additional or unnecessary expenses.
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Your purchasing power
Inflation has hit French household budgets hard in recent years: 5.9% in 2022, 5.7% in 2023 and around 3% in 2024, according to forecasts from the Banque de France. They reacted in particular by limiting their food spending, by 3.1% on average in 2023. Limiting your spending does not always mean cutting back on quality. There are many methods to lower the price of your shopping cart. However, you must know its limits and understand that you will sometimes have to devote time to it and be wary of offers that encourage overconsumption.
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Reductions, prize pool: beware of impulsive purchases
Faced with inflation, supermarkets have competed with each other with promotional offers. The hunt for discount coupons is therefore on. With the limitation of the use of paper and the development of dedicated applications, it may be easier to compile these vouchers. However, they are only of interest if the buyer intended to purchase the product in question, or a similar item which would have cost more. Otherwise, they can have the effect of simply pushing people to go to a store and buy unnecessary products.
This is a risk that we also find in jackpots. The distributor stamps certain items, often private label. Their purchase allows you to increase a prize pool which will turn into assets. Here again, to save money, this must not push you to buy more. To avoid this trap, making lists before looking at promotions can help.
Applications and programs to save on groceries
Registering on certain applications can also save money on everyday shopping. There are cashback platforms. Each purchase allows the consumer to be reimbursed a fraction of the price. Others offer to pay for reviews left by the customer.
Most brands offer free loyalty programs. In addition to the prize pool, they allow you to benefit from reductions all year round. Now, distributors are going further with a paid subscription system. For a few dozen euros per month, the customer benefits from a systematic discount on their receipt. This commitment must indeed be taken with caution. It is necessary to calculate your average expenses in advance and over several months in the brand in question. You must also check the unsubscription conditions.
Buy cheaper, but not necessarily worse
We can finally simply aim for cheaper products, without necessarily sacrificing quality. Anti-waste baskets, particularly of damaged but perfectly edible fruits and vegetables, have become common. Products whose recommended consumption date has almost reached are also often sold off.
“First price” products can also be interesting. You will need to take the time to check their composition, sometimes similar to that of branded items. Buying in bulk from specialized stores can also be a solution. But here again, you will have to be wary of overly attractive offers and compare prices by weight with traditional brands.
