Have you ever noticed that the things you buy on a regular basis at the grocery and hardware stores go up by a few cents every so often? Not by much… just by a little each time but they continue to creep up and up.  All it takes for the price to jump up by a lot is a little hiccup in the world wide market, for instance, the price of petrol and its effect on the prices of other products.

The simplest way to ensure that these price increases don’t impact our personal finances too significantly (aside from earn more money) is to buy in quantity and find the best possible prices for the things we use on a daily basis, especially the things that will keep just as well on the shelves in our homes as it does on the shelves at the grocery store or hardware store.  For instance, dog food and cat food costs about 10% less when bought by the case than it does when bought at the single can price and if you wait for a sale, you save a lot more than that.

Set aside some space in your home and make a list of things that you use regularly which will not spoil. Certain products will need to be stored properly to make sure they last, so bear that in mind when storing your excess purchases, such as grain or grain products.

Next, shop around for the best prices you can get on quantity purchases of all the products you use that have a long shelf-life, such toiletries, dry and canned food, tissues, washing detergent, etc.  You will be surprised at how much you can save by buying a twenty pound bag of rice as opposed to a one pound bag but don’t forget that it must be stored properly.

You can also stock up on some clothing items such as men’s socks and underwear because those styles don’t change, but it’s best to avoid buying children’s and women’s clothing, who styles and sizes change too drastically. 

Don’t underestimate the value of these practices.  By acquiring and keeping a supply of these items, you can save hundreds of dollars.