How to Save Money in Europe: Going to the Store

Wasting money really sucks. And no matter how big or small your Europe trip budget is, no one likes to spend more than they have to for things. Well, if you’re aren’t careful, you can throw away a ton of money on a trip to Europe. Especially on little things like bottles of water, soda, snacks, and beer.

Even if it’s just a few Euros here, a few Euros there, that money adds up and could have been used better elsewhere for something much more worthwhile and more fun. So, what’s the best way to save money in Europe? Well, in the first on a series on the subject, this post is about one of the simplest and easiest ways to save money in Europe:

Shopping at supermarkets.

You see, by their nature supermarkets cannot exist on tourists alone, and thus can not gouge you at quite the same clip that an oh-so-convenient corner store or train station kiosk can.

An example:

I was in a supermarket in Germany looking to buy my favorite local orange cola called Spezi. They only had it in cans, but I was hoping for a bottle, so I went across the street to the see if the convenient store had it. I made note of the price of the Spezi can though, which was 50 Euro cents. At the convenient store, they didn’t have the bottle either, but their cans of Spezi were going for €1.50.

Really? Three times the price? Well, I marched back across the street and bought the Spezi can. I know it was only a Euro difference, but it was the principal. Multiply that by several times a day for a couple weeks, and you could have thrown away an entire nice meal out.

Not only is shopping at supermarkets one of the best ways to save money in Europe, it gives you a real insight into the local flavor and culture of a place. It’s always fun to see different brands and check out how the stores in Europe present their food and how they are laid out compared to back home.

Heck, shopping in a supermarket in Europe can become a travel experience in itself.

On the contrary, there is nothing really that interesting about the corner convenient store or unique about the stand in the train station selling bottles of water for €3. Luckily, supermarkets are in every town big and small , so just simply ask at your hotel or hostel where the nearest supermarket is, and they will send you in the right direction and on your way to saving money.