普通美國人是怎樣買食雜品的？通常來說，就是你打開冰箱，發現里面空了，然后你就去買所有你需要的東西，哪怕一件也不打折。是的，這種購物方法太對不起你可憐的存款余額了。

久戰大型商超者，必然見過很多“優惠券狂魔”。然而你不必花那么多心力積攢優惠券，一樣也可以在超市省下不少錢。

以下都是我們在買食雜品時常犯的錯誤，此外還有一些如何避免它們的建議：

進超市不列單子

關鍵是要給自己下一周定個食譜。這樣你走進超市時，心里已經有了計劃，也就不會一時興起買一些昂貴的零食，或是隨便拿些買回家根本不會做的食材。

餓著肚子逛超市

這個道理是顯然而見的——逛超市前一定要吃飯。如果你餓著肚子逛超市，你的消費肯定是不理性的。Lifehacker網站建議，你在超市購物時可以嚼一塊薄荷口香糖，這樣你就不會掉進商家“氣味戰術”的陷阱里。（他們真的有這一招哦！）

懶得用優惠券

我們不是建議你像那些走極端的“優惠券狂魔”一樣，把大把的時間用來剪優惠券，但這東西上面的確是有竅門的。“瘋狂優惠券大媽”（The Krazy Coupon Lady）網站建議道，你可以多去幾家商超，看哪家折扣力度最大，而且你要記住，有些超市還接受競爭對手的優惠券。該網站還建議，你可以下載Ibotta和Checkout51之類的省錢APP。

周末或早晨去超市

你相信嗎，購物能不能省錢，也是分時段的。多數人都是周末買食雜品的，然而周內才是像肉類和乳類這種上架周期較短的商品打折的時候。另外，一般來說，越接近晚上，越是超市需要處理掉易變質食品的時候。所以Lifehacker網站指出，去超市采購最省錢的時間是周三的晚上。

不了解銷售周期

超市并不是心血來潮了才打折，而是有周期的，這個周期一般是12個星期。如果你窺得銷售周期之道，趁打折季進店大采購，肉價會便宜得嚇你一跳。你在Krazy Coupon Lady網站就能看到一個“銷售周期日歷”的例子。另一個小竅門是盡量買應季食品，因為它不僅更便宜，也更新鮮。

買得太零碎

好市多能火起來是有原因的。因為你只要買得多，價格（一般）就能便宜些。據Spoon University網站稱，適合普通家庭大量囤貨的一般是不容易變質的商品，比如紙類商品（廁紙、紙幣、紙碟等等），另外就是純凈水了。

什么都買很多

很多東西能一次性囤很多，并不代表你非要這么做。畢竟你可能有很多食品會白白浪費掉，你家里看起來也會像個囤積癖患者的房子。另外Quick and Dirty Tips網站建議道，如果你經常查看商品價格的話，你會發現有些食品的價格（比如麥片和冷凍食品）反而是量小時比量多時更便宜。

什么都買品牌貨

有些品牌的食品用作坊貨是替代不了的，比如奧利奧、可口可樂或者品牌冰淇淋等等。但如果你買的是衛生紙，誰在乎你買的是可麗舒還是普通牌子？特別是家庭清潔用品，用雜牌的也完全不打緊。

快看，那邊的牛奶賣得好便宜呀！當然，如果你不知道羊毛出在羊身上的道理，你還真以為你占了大便宜。Lifehacker網站建議道，你最好身邊常備一份物價表，這樣你才不會被“虛假促銷”的把戲給哄了——也就是商家先將價格標得虛高，然后再打折，你以為占了便宜，其實只不過是按正常價格買的。

只看眼前或上邊的貨架

最后還有個小竅門：便宜商品一般都堆在最下面那層貨架上，而比較貴的商品才擺在與你的視線等高的貨架上。為啥呢？因為大多數消費者會不自覺地把注意力放在視線輕易可及的范圍里，這樣商家就可以多賺些錢了。（財富中文網）

本文原載于ThisIsInsider.com。

譯者：賈政景

If you’re anything like the average American, your grocery shopping strategy probably consists of opening the fridge, noticing it’s empty, and then stocking up with whatever you need, even if none of the items on your list are on sale. As you probably guessed, this shopping method will not be kind to your bank account.

While you may have heard of extreme couponing, there are less exhausting ways to save money at the supermarket.

Here are the mistakes you’re making when you shop for groceries, and how to fix them:

Coming in without a list

Meal prep is key here. If you plan your meals for the week ahead of time, you’ll walk in with a plan and be less likely to stray from your list by compulsively grabbing pricey snacks or random ingredients that will sit in the back of your pantry unused.

Going to the store hungry

This is probably a no-brainer, but always eat a meal before going to the supermarket. Nothing good comes out of a shopping trip when you’re starving. Lifehacker suggests chewing mint gum while you shop so you’re less likely to fall victim to the store’s scent marketing tactics (yes, that actually exists).

Being too lazy to use coupons

We’re not suggesting you make coupon-clipping a competitive sport like those extreme couponers, but there are several insider tips you can learn from them. The Krazy Coupon Lady advises buying your groceries at multiple stores to find the best discount, and to remember that certain chains take competitor coupons. She also suggests downloading money-saving apps like Ibotta and Checkout51.

Shopping on the weekend or in the morning

Believe it or not, there are better days and times to shop. Most people do their grocery shopping on a weekend so they can prep ahead of time, but mid-week is when products with short shelf lives like meat and dairy go on sale. Plus, there are more discounts as the day wears on and stores need to get rid of perishables. Your best bet is to shop on a Wednesday night, says Lifehacker.

Ignoring sale cycles

ales at supermarkets aren’t random; they run in 12-week cycles. Stop being shocked at the price of meat when you walk in the door by learning the ebb and flow of sale cycles. You can see an example of a month-to-month sale calendar from Krazy Coupon Lady here. Another tip is always buy produce that’s in season: it’s cheaper and usually fresher.

Not buying in bulk

There’s a reason why Costco is so popular. Buying in bulk is (generally) cheaper. The best items to buy in bulk are non-perishables like paper goods (toilet paper, napkins, paper plates, etc.), and cases of water, according to Spoon University.

Buying everything in bulk

But just because you can buy almost anything in bulk, doesn’t mean you should. After all, you’ll probably waste a lot of food and your house will start to look like an episode of “Hoarders.” If you always check unit prices, you’ll find that certain foods like cereal or frozen foods are cheaper in smaller rather than larger quantities, Quick and Dirty Tips advises.

Buying all brand names

Certain products can’t be replaced by generic store brand like Oreos, Coca-Cola and name brand ice cream. But who cares if you’re buying Kleenex or “Generic Tissue?” Household cleaning products are perfectly fine to buy off-brand as well.

Not knowing how much your food should be worth off-hand

Quick! What’s a fair price for a gallon of milk in your neck of the woods? If you don’t know off the top of your head, you may be paying more than you should. Lifehacker suggests keeping a price book so you don’t fall for fake sales where overpriced products are going for what looks like a great deal, when they’re actually discounted to a normal price.

Looking at shelves that are eye-level or above

Here’s a little-known tip: cheaper items are usually stocked on the bottom shelves, whereas your expensive items will be stocked at eye-level. Why? Unless you’re in the know, the average consumer will unknowingly spend more just by shopping by line-of-sight.

This article originally appeared on ThisIsInsider.com