Grocery shopping can be one of the most important trips you will do throughout the week, but with so many shopping lists scattered around and overwhelming aisles it is difficult to stay on track and make an effective grocery shopping trip. How to make grocery shopping easier?
Create a realistic game plan for your food items
It sounds like data, but it’s easy to skip making a thorough plan before going to the store. What does the coming week look like for you? Consider your schedule: how many meals will you eat at home? Do you pack your lunch? In addition, choose dinner recipes or set a meal plan and check what ingredients you can buy. Check the staples you take for granted. Take time to think about your meals and use each purchase.
Knowing what to cook this week before going to the store will help you be more productive, save money and reduce potential food waste.
Make an inventory of what you already have
Before adding anything to the list, it is good to know what is in the cabinets, pantry and refrigerator.
The only way to shop effectively is to know what you already have. There is nothing worse than spending valuable money and using valuable space in your pantry for repetitive groceries.
Do not buy hungry!
Plan your shopping in the grocery store after a meal or at least an hour or two before the next. If you go shopping when you are hungry, you go out much more often with food and snacks that you didn’t plan! Shopping when you are saturated is good for the wallet as well as for the waist.
Build your shopping list to match the layout of your store
Although running around the supermarket can be a good form of exercise, if you want to be productive, sort the list by department and type of food. If you have a mind map of a regular grocery store, it’s even better.
Most stores open in the product department, so that’s what keeps me at the top of my list. What’s more, creating a route-ordered list should mean less return and less impulsive shopping.
Buy loose when it makes sense
If you can save money in a month or two by buying in bulk, plan it. But make sure you use it before it breaks – buying in bulk is not cheaper if you don’t use it.
