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As they wait for better days, consumers are tightening their belts. And check the prices. 58% of French people now fill their cart…within €10 or less, compared to 46% in 2021, according to the latest Ipsos barometer for in-store media.
For food, there is no miraculous solution to escape the rise in prices, but rather some tips to know to lower the bill.
For example, it is possible to go to the “anti-waste” sections of supermarkets, which sometimes offer slightly damaged products or products with a very close expiration date. It can be yoghurts, meats, cheeses, drinks, fruits and vegetables… and discounts from -20% to -50%.
Sites and apps that help save money
In the anti-waste department, several recent applications have emerged. They are free, downloadable to your phone. Too Good To Go, Phenix or Optimiam allow you to collect daily unsold items offered near you by partner merchants (grocery stores, restaurants, caterers, chains). All at a reduced price. Good for the planet and good for the wallet, this solution requires a bit of flexibility and curiosity because the content of the order is not known in advance. These are “surprise baskets”.
Thanks to geolocation, Zéro Gâchis locates nearby participating brands for you. You just have to select the one you prefer (Auchan, Intermarché, Leclerc, Super U, Carrefour, etc.) and you will get the list of products on sale whose consumption date is about to expire. The purchase is not possible through the app. You have to go to the supermarket, towards the Zéro-Gâchis corner where these unsold items are grouped.
Wholesale sales, discounts, short dates… Our tips to save money
To expand the idea of anti food waste, there are apps that help you at home. Save Eat saves ingredients from your cupboards. The free platform offers solutions for cooking without wasting. And also every day, simple and quick recipes, personalized and adapted to the contents of your fridge, of which a hundred are 100% anti-waste. Same principle with the FrigoMagic app.
Compare prices
It is often said that the first thing to do is compare prices. Le Progrès and the “UFC que Choisir” consumer association have created a price comparator that lists the prices of 25 everyday consumer products in the Rhône, Loire and Ain departments. The all about seven signs of the great distribution. Prices are updated monthly. It is already possible to compare prices in May and June.
Please note that there is also a comparator, via an interactive online map on our site, that lists the gas stations that offer the best price near you.
hunt the promotions
Large retailers regularly announce discounts with great publicity. The anti-crise.fr website brings together all the advertising brochures of your favorite stores and the promotional catalogs of the main brands online. Through this site, you can search for advantageous promotions based on brand, department, brand, and even discount type. You can also print coupons offered by brands. The two are cumulative.
If it’s cash on the bill to pay, chasing promotions, tracking coupons is time consuming.
Other sites: mavieencouleurs.fr for a wide selection of discount coupons on everyday products, especially food (cakes, pasta, etc.). Ditto encouponnetwork.fr for food and enviedeplus.com for many coupons on hygiene and maintenance items (detergent, toothpaste, baby diapers, etc.).
Buying food online: a quick solution
If the phenomenon broke out with the Covid-19 pandemic and the successive lockdowns, it has continued ever since. Even for the food that saw the explosion of the “unit”. In the inflationary context, consumers continue to turn to e-commerce sites. Firstly because it makes it easier to control your budget.
This food e-commerce craze mainly benefits the various retail platforms. The leaders of the sector, E.Leclerc, Carrefour and Lidl, rely on attractive prices and fast delivery.
Trial refund, purchase refund
Beyond the system of advantages granted by loyalty cards or the apps of the store where you buy, cashback (cash back) can allow you to earn a few euros.
Shopmium is the most popular cash back app. Its principle is simple: simply send your photo receipt through the app and a portion of the products affected by the offer will be refunded directly to your bank or Paypal account.
The Quoty app works on the same principle as Shopmium when it comes to cashback. You make your purchases in the store and once you have paid, you scan the barcode on the receipt before sending a photo directly to the application. A portion of your shopping list will then be refunded to you within 48 hours. The app also lists printable discount coupons and dealer promotion catalogues.
Same principle in Igraal Market. With this application that reimburses you a few euro cents on certain products, you accumulate 20 euros in your kitty that you can then transfer to your bank account.
Finally, keep in mind that there are applications where you offer to try the products, and in return, they are offered. An example: Carrefour has an application called “My opinion makes it free”. The consumer-tester gets the products for free if he gives his opinion through a questionnaire.
Practical: some tips to better manage your food budget
– Start by preparing your menus and thus write your shopping list before going to the store. Avoid shopping just before lunch or dinner.
– Buy what is strictly necessary without falling into the trap of promotions that are certainly attractive but often out of step with the real dietary needs of children. It is difficult because the latter are often attracted by targeted advertising on screens.
– Always have basic products at home such as milk, butter, eggs, legumes, cans of raw (or frozen) vegetables, tuna, mackerel or sardines.
– Favor local and seasonal products by going as far as possible to the markets, for example, or to the producers’ shops. The products keep longer and are usually of better quality than in some supermarkets and at reasonable prices. Other sources of supply: the Amaps (Associations for the maintenance of peasant agriculture) and all the associations that even offer home deliveries.
– Vegetable proteins are generally cheaper than animal proteins: it is recommended to eat meat twice a week. It’s better for your health, the environment, and your wallet.