10 Super Shopper Tips to Get You In And Out Of The Grocery Store!
Do you find yourself spending way to much time grocery shopping? Are you purchasing food items you don’t really need and find you are spending too much money at the grocery store? You will find below 10 Super Shopper Tips to Get You In And Out Of The Grocery Store!
Shop with a list at the grocery store
Writing a list beforehand based on the meals you have planned for the week saves a lot of time and extra thinking. It also avoids you forgetting a crucial item and having to spend more time making a second trip to the store.
Organize your list
Write down the items you need based on the section they are located in the store. For example, itemize all your fruits and vegetables together, then your protein, then your extras like spices and packaged items. This way, you only have to visit each section of the store once and in an orderly manner, without any backtracking keeping your route efficient.
Shop with a full stomach
If you shop hungry, you are more likely to purchase items like frozen meals and snack foods which you can crack open or heat up with little effort as soon as you get home. Once you add one of these items to your cart it can be easy to get carried away with more. If you are hungry, shopping can turn into a frustrating experience since anxiety and irritability emerge when your blood sugars dip.
Shop the periphery of the grocery store
Avoid the aisles as much as possible since they contain processed, sugary, high calorie but low nutrient foods. Shopping the periphery of the grocery store is where the whole foods like produce, meat, eggs and dairy are. Remember to choose fresh as much as possible to supercharge your meals.
Stock up on bulk items
Products such as brown rice, pasta, quinoa, chickpeas, lentils, beans, nuts and seeds come in bulk. Often they are less expensive if bought in bulk and they have a long shelf life. Always having these on hand in your cupboard allows you quick access to hearty meal ingredients and decreases the number of trips and time spent in the grocery store.
Check for flyers, discount apps, and cut out your coupons
Make sure to check out flyers, discount apps, and cut coupons before you get to the store, so that you only use the discount for the items on your list and don’t end up spending more than you intended with spontaneous purchases due to in store marketing.
Change your shop time
Instead of going right after work or on weekends which tend to be the busiest times, try going later in the evening after dinner or mid-day if you can. Less people in the store means less irritation, clear aisles and faster checkout times.
Shop alone
If possible, grocery shop without your spouse and your children. Shopping with others can be distracting and cause you to waste time. They can also cause you to spend more on items that appeal to them but were not on your original grocery list. If you do shop with others, try as hard as you can to stick to your list and not give in emotionally to their desires for chocolate bars!
Plan to grocery shop only once per week at one store that is familiar to you
Shopping multiple times at multiple locations will cost you more time and lead to more spending. Know your way around your favourite grocery store with your eyes closed so that if you are tired, you can spend less energy on figuring out where items are. If you do this grocery shopping will become as automatic as breathing.
Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) group
Fresh, local and organic fruits and vegetables can be delivered right to your door or close by at a central location. Often CSA’s have options where you can add meat, eggs, grains and other food items to your delivery for one stop shopping that avoids the headache of the crowded grocery store. Participating in a CSA allows you to eat in season as well as experiment and be creative with your meals.
With these handy tips, you will certainly get in and out of the grocery store faster then before!
Dr. Ellen Simone, N.D.
Thanks for sharing these great tips with us
So very true that you need to take a list, I know that if I’ve forgotten my list that I always forget something and buy something that I didn’t really need, a list is vital if you don’t want to waste money.
Using a list is much easier for me! Saves money, I have gotten into a pretty good routine. And it’s terrible to shop on an empty stomach, I will even have toast before going shopping to not fall for buying everything in sight.
When i go shopping now i only buy whats on the list
I do most of your tips except “Shop with a full stomach” and C.S.A because I don’t know what or where there is this program is in my area