Important tips when shopping on a market

   Not all the people are expert on shopping, especially when it comes on buying goods. I found that forgotten simple dos and don'ts are very destructive. I have been in a group work on my culinary class last semester and they are (I don't really want to say it but...) the worst group I've ever seen. Most of them don't know how to buy GOOD ingredients and always goes to the market, but don't have any idea what they are going to buy. So I came up with the idea of making "to do" list for shopping.

   Here are some of the thing that you should remember before and during the shopping that are commonly forgotten by some:

Before leaving: 

• Before going on a market (Super markets or public markets), make a list of the goods you NEED to buy. 

•  If you are always assigned to do the shopping, take note of the prices of the goods you already bought and is always needed (Previous receipts will help).

• If you are aware of the prices, make a computation of all the goods you supposed to buy in advance. This will help you to adjust with the budget (If ever you're in a tight budget). 

• Bring pen and paper so you can do a manual computation. Or enlist the things you are planning to buy in future just in case you found interesting things along the way. 

• Bring Calculator with you.

• Bring an extra shopping bag (Tote bags for shopping are available anywhere). To avoid buying plastic bags just in case you needed one. 

Photo source: Baguio Public Market

While on the market area: 

• Buy what you NEED. If there's an extra change that's when you could have what you what. Buying things that are unnecessary and or buying other goods without completing the list will cause to shortage of budget. 

• Make use of your discount coupons. 

• Always check the expiration date. 

• Check the items condition before buying a discounted item. Some items that goes in packages don't always have a good quality (I'd experienced buying a tray of pears once, and I was really disappointed when I opened the container and noticed that the spoiled part of the fruit was hidden under.)

• It might be tiring and takes a lot of time, but try to roll from stall to stall to find better goods. 

• Compare prices of brands, but consider the quality of the goods.