Survival Guide: How to Save Money in Norway
Norway is considered either an expensive or very expensive country. (Depending on one’s salary.) Tourists, who come visit Norway for a longer period of time, often pack their luggages with large amounts of food. But they cannot pack the whole fridge. But fear not, when you buy food or groceries from local stores, prices do not bite that much.
Of course, it is not easy to shop “wisely” in Norway. People from other countries are used to relatively low prices and wider variety of brands and goods. The hardest part when shopping in Norway is that the range of goods is completely different from what we are used to. Big price differences and new brands confuse people. They cannot tell if money is paid for brand, or for quality. Testing and experimenting for value for money consumes a lot of time and finances. Finally, when you have chosen the relevant goods, you will be able to save money.
Firstly, if you want to save money, you should buy goods when they are on sale (tilbut). In this case you may buy some cheese for a half of price, save 40% on fish, etc. You can check when goods go on sale online. This way, you will be able to plan your purchases and shopping dates.
Secondly, you may want to change your diet and forget about fat, carnivorous food. In Norway you can survive without steaks, meat balls or hot dogs. It is advisable to substitute meat for fish and seafood, because it is healthier and cheaper. Do not forget to include in your menu food that you are not used to, but that is worth trying. For instance, instead of waiting for a discount for chicken or beef, you may try buying some cheaper pork or lamb.
Moreover, purchase in large qualities. When you buy goods in small amounts, it may be tricky to find out the real price, hence you should calculate unit price. Per kilo. Per liter. Price of unit is usually written in different font below the main price. You will notice that you save more when you buy more. For instance, a 200 gram package of sausages may cost 30 crowns. (1kg=150 crowns) and 1kg package of the same kind of sausage may cost only 100 crowns. No rocket science knowledge is needed to understand that it is worth buying a larger package.
Last but not least, cheap goods may also be of high quality! Do not be afraid of buying cheaper brands only because their price is much lower than other advertised goods. Usually, cheaper brands are as good as more expensive and more advertised ones.
It is interesting that most of cheaper brand goods are produced in the same factories and the more expensive ones. Feel free to try them and then judge about value for money. The cheapest brands in Norway are: “Firstprice”, “Landlord” (Rema1000) I and “Euroshopper” (Rimi and ICA).
However, if you visit Norway and still take with you a lot of food, do it wisely. If you want to save money in Norway, take only those goods that are much more expensive in the Land of Midnight Sun, for instance, dairy products or alcohol.
