The day I saved $60 by not grocery shopping hungry

Last Tuesday I almost walked into the store starving after work, which is my usual mistake. Instead I forced myself to eat a granola bar in the parking lot for five minutes. Then I stuck to my list and skipped all the impulse junk like those $8 bags of tortilla chips. Total came to $42 instead of my usual $100+ when I shop hungry. That single trick saved me more than my coffee budget for the whole week. Has anyone else noticed how much their snack cravings add up when they shop on an empty stomach?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor1745d ago

Granola bar trick seems like a lot of work for what, maybe ten bucks in impulse snacks? When I go hungry I just grab a bag of peanuts for a buck and it kills the cravings before I hit the chip aisle. Most people who blow $100 at the store do it because they're buying a bunch of random stuff they don't need, not because they're starving. Seems like you just needed a better list to begin with.

morganj815d ago

Funny you mention that. I had a buddy who swore by that same peanut trick, kept a bag in his car. Walked into Target one afternoon just for paper towels, ate a handful in the parking lot, and still walked out with a new grill cover, three bags of tortilla chips, and a candle that smelled like bourbon. He said the peanuts got him past the hunger but didn't stop the part of his brain that just wanted to buy stuff. Honestly, I think some people are just wired to browse and grab regardless of whether their stomach is growling.