5 Tips for a Successful (and Quick!) Grocery Shop
Good morning friends!
Today I'm sharing my top 5 tips to make your next grocery shop an easy and quick experience! From my favorite (meal planning!) to maybe a slightly unexpected way that I make it in and out of the store in about 15 minutes, join me this morning as I discuss all things food shopping!
Meal plan and write your list
An easy way to spend a lot of money is going to a grocery store 1) on an empty stomach and 2) with no plan in place. I am a huge advocate for meal planning! It saves a huge amount of money, keeps food waste to a minimum and allows you to put the whole food experience on auto pilot. I recommend people begin their meal planning journey by gathering 10-20 recipes in one central location. That can be a physical copy of recipes or digital, whatever works for you! The recipes can be tried and true family favorites or new ones that you want to try this month. Use a calendar to plot out what meals you will make when. Currently I’m utilizing my Google Calendar to meal plan and its incredibly quick and easy to do! After you have your meal plan in place, write out your grocery list for the meals you plan to prepare for the week, and then add any additional items you need to pick up from the store.
Need more information on meal planning? Check out this post for more guidance!
Know your store
I shop pretty much exclusively at one grocery store in our town. However, I know that many people shop at multiple locations to take advantage of sales or coupons. Regardless of how many stores you shop at, knowing the layout of your store, your families food preferences and your grocery list will allow you to zoom past any areas of the store that don’t apply to you. For instance, I rarely buy prepackaged food. I stick to the outside isles of our grocery store and hit the fresh fruit and veggies, sometimes bread for Amelia, milk and eggs, frozen fruit, meat and then any cheeses Amelia may like. I do sometimes hit one isle that has pasta and chickpeas. Knowing where everything is in the store saves me a huge amount of time and I can usually have my grocery shop done in about 15 minutes.
Bring your bags
I have two large reusable bags that my Husband and I have had for probably 4 years. The handles are incredibly sturdy and the bag’s allow me to pack a lot of food into each one. It’s also zero waste to use your reusable bags, so it's a win for everyone! Most states and countries now have started charging for disposable bags as well, so bringing your own fabric one is the frugal choice!
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Pack a snack
I have learned over the last year that when my daughter and I grocery shop together that she needs a snack. It shouldn’t shock me really. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post one of the easiest ways to spend money is to go to a grocery store on an empty stomach. If this rule applies to me it most certainly applies to my daughter as well! I know take a small container of cheerios or, weirdly enough, a hard boiled egg (because that's what Amelia always craves for some reason?). I also take advantage of the small ice cream counter that our grocery store has and once in a while I will pick up a small scoop of strawberry sorbet for Amelia to snack on while I get the shopping done. Everybody's happy and I don’t have to add any additional snacks into my grocery cart (and my budget doesn’t take a hit!)
Help bag for a quicker exit
This may be an odd tip, but I wanted to include it in my post today. One of the reasons my shop is so quick is that I pack the groceries in our bags if there is no attendant available to pack them for me. I bag my groceries while the cashier scan's and we get out of the store ASAP (Not to toot my own horn but I’m pretty good at bagging).
I would love to hear your tips on how you make grocery shopping easier! Comment below or send me an email and let's talk about it!
Lauren