How to save money in Mauritius

Howsoever frugal it may sound, the key for grocery shopping is to compare prices between various markets (say, near your office/ residence) as there can be drastic differences for the same products.  It may be shocking to note that some of the price differences can be as high as 1.5 to 3x ... You may see the difference over an year with the grocery shopping of 2-3k/month !!   

Reg. Accommodation - some of the agents are smart to show some lousy houses followed up with a nice over-your-budget house so that it looks appealing !  Best to avoid exclusivity with an agent and speak to couple of them and let each agent know that you are talking to few others (needless to say, 'no-name' basis)..

Another striking aspect is that it's not a practice here to inquire if the price quoted is the best price or not - I've had experiences where an off-the-shelf software is provided at 80% discount (yes, you read it right - just at 20% of the original quoted price) or some souvenirs purchased at 60% discount i.e. 40% of the initial quoted price!! There's no harm in asking politely. 

Happy to hear others' experiences as well

Fully agreed with Cajt

Hi

The strategy to be applied to saving money in Mauritius is no different to any other country.  First it's always important to set a budget. You know what is your monthly income so when setting up your budget set aside a little every month as savings. You can reduce your monthly expenses by going to the local markets. I've found that the fruits and vegetables are much cheaper and fresher than at the supermarkets. If you can take a sandwich or snack from home for lunch without eating out you can also save. Consumption of less meat (my weakness:( ) is also another way of saving on your groceries. If you are renting and can have a trustworthy roommate to share the monthly rent this can also help. at first it may be difficult but don't give up.

There are also some very good supermarkets like LOLO that discount a lot of food items because they do not have such fancy shelves etc like SUPER U or JUMBO.  Other supermarkets have 'HOT" days where a range of discounts apply on a variety of goods .  I think SHOPRITE tend to do this on a Wednesday.

In addition to what has already been said try the following: 1) buy fresh beef from shoprite or monoprix, pork from the "bazar" and chicken from the "meatshop" round the corner, fresh fish at the jetty when the fishermen come in 2) buy vegetables in the rural areas whenever you have a chance 3) quit smoking and drinking or moonshine your own booze

Hi which Jetty?

Le Morne , Grand Baie are two places where local Fresh fish are sold but you need to know what days they sell the fish on

Thanks, Le Morne sounds good!