Grocery Shopping: Online vs The Real Thing

Most supermarkets now have an online version of their own shop available, enabling customers to do their weekly shopping from the comfort of their own home. Sites such as www.tesco.com and www.asda.co.uk show that the stores are keeping up with technology and the changing retail habits of consumers. But which is best: online or the real thing?

Shopping Online

One major benefit of doing your shopping online is having the ability to shop around. This could be a major cost-saver. Price comparison sites such as My Supermarket allow you to do your shopping through them, and show you the cost through each major grocery retailer. The results can be surprising, and may encourage you to switch. 

This site also encourages you to swap for similar items which are cheaper - for example, from Heinz beans to Tesco's own. I would suggest that it's at least worth trying supermarket own brands. My husband was adamant he was "brand only"... but for a few months I slipped in "own brand" beans and he couldn't spot the difference! I eventually revealed what I'd done, and he was totally 'for' supermarket own brands in everything! Try it. You might just like it. 

Do be careful though: I've found supermarket own brands aren't always the cheapest. This is where online shopping is great. Even if you go straight to the supermarket's site, you can search "baked beans" and it will show all of the results. Even if you search by aisle (which is the way I usually shop), the same products are likely to be next to each other, making it easy to find the cheapest brand. I have often found deals cheaper than supermarket own brands, or branded items the same price - so I've bought the brand. 

Another thing you have to watch out for is the weight. In my early days of internet grocery shopping I bought a teeny weeny tube of toothpaste, thinking it was an ordinary sized one! After a while, you get used to the sizes. There are usually only one or two teeny weeny ones: the most common ones are the larger sizes. Looking at a product's weight also helps to determine if it's better buying a heavier item or two smaller items; for example, a 1kg tub of butter or 2 x 500g tubs. Again, sometimes the results may surprise you - especially when offers are on.

There are often vouchers available for shopping online. These may be for certain items (eg baby/toddler items at Asda) or for free delivery. I look online for them every time! A search in Google is all it takes. AND you can earn yourself cashback (if you haven't registered at Top Cashback or Quidco do so now!). It's money back on your shopping!

And all from the comfort of your sofa...

In store shopping

So, why bother even going in store?

Well, there are a couple of reasons... Some coupons can only be collected/redeemed in store. When there's a good offer on, or you have vouchers to redeem, it's worth the effort - even if it's just for a pint of milk.

You also don't have to pay for delivery charges. This may sound obvious but the supermarkets charge over the odds for delivery. If you do it yourself, you're making a saving there.

But the best reason? To follow the person round who is reducing all the items at the end of the day! Shops cannot sell food past their "sell by" date. This is different to the "use by" date, so you may get a couple of extra days. However, if you're willing to keep the items a few days past this date, you could grab yourself a bargain. The retailers are desperate to get rid of them - if they don't sell them, they'll have to chuck them - and so will reduce them to ridiculously low prices. You'll need to go to your local store about half an hour before closing (though the time does differ), find the person reducing them, and follow them to get the best deals. After a while you'll get used to the pattern (time, best day etc, usual person) and grab a basket full of bargains. Before you know it, you'll be showing off just what you got to all your friends!

So, my advice? Mix it up. Mostly online - in advance, to get a cheap delivery time. Then go grab the bargains in store!

Five Top Tips: How to Make Easy Money Online

Money. If we've got it, we love it. If we don't, we hate it. It can't win. In the current economic climate, we should all be making the most of what we've got, whether it's millions in the black or millions in the red (ouch).


Lately, I've been trying to make my money go a bit further. Yes, I've got a full-time job, but there's lots of other ways to make that money go further... and these are my top ten of how you can make easy money. They are all genuine, and, if you ask me, all a MUST.


1) Use cashback websites (eg Quidco and Top Cashback)


I never shop without first searching these now. Most retailers now offer cashback via the above retailers, so it's definitely worth checking them first! So, how does cashback work? Well, you sign up to one of the cashback websites, buy an item from a retailer using their link, (for example, you'd click through to the Debenhams website using Top Cashback), which enables them to track the purchase, and you will be credited with a certain percentage of money back in your account. This can then be transferred directly to your bank account, or exchanged for vouchers.


So, what's the catch?


There is none. I have been using these sites for years and have found them very useful - but a little tip: only use them for items you'd genuinely buy. If you're going to switch insurance company, then do it through Top Cashback or Quidco (I've found insurance companies pay out especially well!). You can even get paid for not purchasing items, such as clicking, searching and taking surveys. The terms and conditions are clearly laid out and if you do one click per day, you soon get used to the rules. 


2) Sign up to survey sites


This might not be for everyone - but survey sites can reap good rewards if you have the patience and time to do them. There are a plethora of sites out there, including:

• Valued Opinions
• Global Test Market
• YouGov (probably the best!)
• And many, MANY more...

I would advise NEVER pay to join a survey site. Some ask for this, but there are plenty of genuine sites out there offering free membership. Surveys range in length from the short and snappy ones on YouGov to much longer ones on sites such as MySurvey.com. You might not be accepted for all of them - some sites give you a token gesture payment for not fitting the demographic, others don't. Other differences include payment: some pay in vouchers, others pay in cash. You can register for one, or all of the above.


3) Sign up to mystery shopping sites


Yes, you can genuinely get paid to shop. Sites such as GFK and Grass Roots pay well (usually around £10 for a visit) and offer mystery shops regularly. However, make sure you keep your eyes open for the e-mail to say the visits are available: once the slots are taken, that's it, they're gone! Some visits can pay much more than £10 too.


So what does mystery shopping actually involve? You do have to pay careful attention to details such as the exterior and interior of the building, the customer service, what the person serving you looks like etc. I would strongly advise that you read the questionnaire prior to visiting so that you know what to look out for before visiting, and that you ask the right sort of questions. You might not get paid if you ask the wrong things! Don't worry too much though - follow the rules, and you'll be fine - £10 for 15 minutes of your time.


4) Sell, sell, sell...


You know you'll never wear it again, so why keep it? And that teddy your ex bought you... Why do you still have it? Somebody out there might be looking for those things - willing to pay over the odds for them - yet you're keeping them for no apparent reason. Don't hoard, be harsh to yourself, and get rid. You won't miss them... but you will be loving the money they bring in when you sell them!


5) Paid to click/paid to read emails/paid to review websites


There are millions out there - you could spend all day earning just a few pence. Sooo, I'd advise stick to a few. My personal favourite is Donkey Mails, where you get paid to click and paid to read e-mails. It's not a lot, but it all adds up - and it does genuinely pay out. The layout isn't amazing, but it does the job.


You can get paid more if you write a review. You can review pretty much anything and get paid. My personal favourites at the moment are reviewing songs at Slice The Pie and reviewing anything at Ciao.co.uk (see below link) - who pay very well indeed! I regularly receive cheques from them.


So, with all these wonders out there (and a few genuine work at home jobs that are genuine thrown in) - you can make yourself a bit of money and get back in the black! Don't forget to use any vouchers you have too... Don't let them go to waste!