Young people are more and more likely to want to save on their grocery basket, testify to Quebec content creators whose tips for saving are becoming increasingly popular on social networks.
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“I feel that right now there is interest in this trend [de la quête d’économies]. With staple food prices soaring so much, people are looking to save,” observes Mila Taillefer, a 25-year-old content creator whose Instagram account reaches more than 56,000 followers.
She gives financial advice, but also tips for finding food at low prices. In a video viewed more than 38,000 times, she explains how to make a complete grocery store including meat, dairy products as well as fruits and vegetables for only $68.
The new wave of popularity for this famous bargain hunt is increasingly affecting young people.
“People in their twenties are curious and I notice that they want to save more and more soon,” adds the influencer, whose 80% of the audience is made up of people aged 18 to 34.
find the bargain
Marilyne Gagné, alias “Miss Thrifty” on Instagram and TikTok, also notices a strong enthusiasm for the search for bargains in groceries, even among young people.
“Since January, I have received a lot of messages from people who have taken the step [vers la quête d’économies]“, relates the one who has been practicing couponing and discount purchases for 8 years.
The one whose Instagram account reaches almost 21,000 subscribers, notices that people are less and less embarrassed to ask their cashier to match the prices of certain items or to share their experience with those around them.
“Before, I didn’t have so many people tagging their friends in comments,” she says of the openness on the subject.
On her social networks, she suggests different ways to save on the grocery bill (see tips for saving).
Prejudices
A well-marked trend can also be observed on Facebook groups dedicated to saving money at the grocery store. Some of them reach nearly 50,000 members.
Although everyone wants to save money at the grocery store, people who compare prices and have them equalized at the checkout can be disturbing.
On her TikTok account, Lauriane Charles, another thrifty mom reports several negative comments surrounding this practice.
“We see that there are sometimes negative comments […] people often say it’s a lot of time to save a few dollars,” she adds.
However, thanks to the thousands of dollars she saves annually, Ms. Charles has been able to reduce her workload by 10 hours a week.
She also looks forward to inspiring other Quebec families to find new ways to save every day.
6 easy ways to save
1. Compare
Using an app like “Reebee” or “Flipp” lets you search for a specific product and see what price it’s selling for in your neighborhood grocery stores. This way you can see at a glance which grocery store you’re going to.
2. The Unbeatables
If an item of the same brand and quantity is cheaper from a competitor, Maxi will match the price when you present proof at checkout. Thus, you can limit yourself to visiting a single grocery store to do all your shopping.
3. House brands
Often supermarket house brands offer basic products like flour and eggs at very competitive prices. Unlike branded products which are usually more expensive when purchased at full price.
4. Last Chance Foods
Consuming foods that are regarding to expire is a very popular and environmentally friendly way to save. Several grocers allow their customers to get their hands on foods regarding to expire at a discount through applications such as “Food Hero”, “Flashfood” or even “A good chance”. By downloading one of these applications, you will have access to several food categories.
5. Coupons
The famous coupons are always very useful to save on the grocery bill. Companies usually make available many discounts on their products. It is important to check whether the desired coupon must be printed or not in order to be used.
6. Buy in bulk
Buying more food can save you money on your grocery bill. However, beware of false discounts, even if it is often more ecological and economical to buy in bulk, there are exceptions. We must also keep in mind food waste, in the case of perishable foods, it is better to buy in smaller quantities than to throw away.
