Inflation: how to avoid it when shopping

If you are an adult and need to do your grocery shopping, you have probably noticed that even the most basic products are expensive, well above average. And that is inflation's fault! 

The price of everything has gone up: supermarket products, gasoline, and many other things we need every day to survive. 

At this point, you may feel desperate, after all, money is worth less and you need to think about things to give up and avoid major losses. 

But what is inflation? How does it directly impact our lives? Isn't it a tax that only harms the rich?

Unfortunately, because we do not have quality financial education since childhood, we do not understand how some very important points work to have a quality financial life. 

But, in this text, we will clarify this! 

• What is inflation?
• How does inflation impact everyday life?
• 5 tips to beat inflation when shopping for groceries

What is inflation?

So, what is the meaning of this name? According to Central Bank of Brazil, inflation is the generalized increase in the price of goods or services, which directly impacts the purchasing power of the currency. 

CONTINUE

Perhaps, for the average citizen, this may seem very difficult to understand, but clearly, inflation is one of the factors responsible for increasing the price of meat and rice, harming economic growth and also generating uncertainty about the future, after all, everything depends on money. 

How does inflation impact everyday life?

So, this is how inflation affects everyone: rich, poor, middle class, and the impact on the price variation of the basket of basic products and services that we need every day. 

When inflation is high, low-income people need to eliminate even more items from their shopping list, leaving them to practically just survive. 

Do you feel it on your skin? 

Probably yes, we all feel it. 

And that is why we need to find ways to avoid this inflation as much as possible and try to live at least a little well in this situation, which may or may not be temporary. 

5 tips to beat inflation when shopping for groceries 

Anyway, let's get down to practical business: I need to go to the supermarket, there's no other way, what can I do to deal with this exaggerated increase in prices and not end up with so much loss?

Pay close attention to these five tips that we will talk about below, and don't think they are silly, because as simple as they may be, they help a lot in the final result. 

Don't go hungry

You've probably heard this tip at some point in your life: never go to the supermarket to shop when you're hungry! And this is probably the most important piece of advice you'll read in this text. 

The ideal is to go rested, with comfortable clothes, fed and focused. If it is difficult to resist so many options in the market, focusing on your goal of spending less will help you overcome this situation. 

Make a list

This is an old tip that is passed down from parents to children and we, once we become adults, end up forgetting it. However, right from the first few times we go shopping, when we are responsible for our own grocery shopping, we realize how useful the list would have been. 

There are a lot of distractions, a lot of information in your head, and if you're shopping for a lot of items, it's very easy to take home things you don't need and forget the main thing.

Has this ever happened to you?

That's when inflation will make you cry. 

You realize that you ended up spending more and having less, on less important things.

Look at shelves above and below your field of vision

Have you ever noticed that, unconsciously, we end up buying more products from the shelves that are in our field of vision? 

This is so common that supermarkets place the products with the highest added value exactly in this area, as they know they will be the first to be chosen. 

Without realizing it, you may end up opting for the most expensive one, while there was another one right there below your eyes with a better price and that met your needs, but you didn't even notice. 

Please note products that can be substituted

Have you ever noticed that we often use products just because they are fashionable, or for pure luxury, and if you think about it, it doesn't really make that much difference?

Yes, these can be easily replaced by others that meet your demand, or they can even be excluded from the list without being missed. 

Not that you don't deserve to use the products you like, the way you like, but in times of high inflation, everything needs to be analyzed so that we don't fall into debt. 

Avoid waste

Unintentionally, in our daily lives, we end up wasting a lot of things. In our rush, we end up not even realizing how much money that cost us and, consequently, how much of a loss it caused. 

Taking a calm look at your pantry before going to the supermarket and then making a list helps you better understand the situation and make more strategic and efficient choices. 

Conclusion

The secret is prevention. Things will continue to be expensive and you can never avoid 100%. But it is worth thinking about small habits that can make all the difference and help you save money. 

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Nathalia Silva October 1, 2021