Take The Supermarket Downshift Challenge
If every time you take a trip to the supermarket you find that the bill at the till is rising, it’s time to take the supermarket downshift challenge.
What’s the supermarket downshift challenge?
It’s a fun way to save money and give you new ideas about the products you use and the brands you choose. It’s a painless way to put money back in your pocket each month and keep the family happy with the meals which are cooked.
Downshifting basically means moving down a brand level for every product you buy and then repeating this until you are at the cheapest brand you enjoy eating at home or in packed lunches at school or work.
Where do I start?
The place to start is in the food cupboards, the fridge and the freezer. Have a look at the brands you currently buy for each item. They will fall into one of four categories:
- Premium
- Branded
- Own brand
- Value
When you write your next shopping list, think about which of the four levels you usually buy at for each item and at the supermarket, look for the next level down. For example, if you buy branded baked beans, buy the supermarket own brand version and if you buy own brand washing powder, switch to value.
If you are keen to start making these changes and at the same time get your budgets back on track, you can also try payday loans online for a small amount of finance to balance the books until the end of the month when you can then repay the loan in full – quite possibly with the supermarket savings already made.
My family don’t like change
You may have another challenge in that some members of your family may offer resistance to change but remember it’s about tasting with the mouth and not the eyes. If they aren’t convinced they will like a product after you’ve downshifted based on the design of the packaging, blind taste test without the packaging to see which they prefer.
After you’ve downshifted once, drop another brand the next time you’re at the supermarket. You’ll really start to notice the savings and for many products there will be very little difference in quality and taste – and many in the household may say they prefer the less expensive choices!
Once you and your family have reached the brand level you are happiest with then don’t feel you have to force yourself to buy products which are going to waste because they aren’t being enjoyed.
Surely more expensive products are better?
Often not, no. For example, supermarket own brands and their value brand products have been shown to be very similar – but their own brands are in packaging with more colors which costs more to print and produce the labels and in turn this is where your extra money is going.
The phrasing and the terminology used in supermarkets is very clever and is designed to lure shoppers into buying products which they believe are much better quality when in reality there is little or no difference.
The Downshift Challenge has saved shoppers thousands over the last few years and the average annual saving is 30%, so why don’t you look to keep your money in the bank rather than give it away purely because of having more luxurious packaging in the kitchen rather than equally tasty meals which cost much less.
I'm always shopping at stores like Aldis. The prices are ridiculously cheaper and although most of it is off brand, it's still the same kind of food that I need just at a cheaper price.