Save Time Grocery Shopping
by Crystal Dupay
Many hours of our week are spent
grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning the house. By the time we finish
our myriad other responsibilities and try to squeeze in some quality family
time, we don't have much opportunity to research the sale ads, travel
to several different grocery stores to find the best deal, cook from scratch
or make homemade clothing and gifts to save us money. We know that all
of these things will help us keep more of our money and contributes to
our quality of life but how do we fit it into our already hectic schedules?
Budgeting our time and condensing several tasks into one can help tremendously.
Saving time can add up to financial savings in a big way.
Becoming organized can cut down on time and money spent in the grocery store!
We all know how frequent trips
to the grocery store can separate us from our precious pennies when we
scoop up the many impulse items strategically placed by savvy store managers
and marketing experts. We also know the virtues of shopping from a list
and never buying anything that doesn't appear there, but how many of us
can be that disciplined all of the time? I have found the best plan is
to keep myself out of the store as much as possible. This means that I
must be organized enough to remember everything that I need on the first
trip to the store. Below you will find some tips to help you curb your
time spent in the grocery store and in turn, help you keep those hard-earned
dollars where they belong…in your pocket.
Make a master list of all the things that you absolutely must have on
hand at all times. This means anything that you would make a special trip
to the store to purchase if you no longer had it in the house. This list
usually includes things like diapers, formula, milk, bread, dishwashing
detergent and, for many of us, coffee! You'll need to add your own personal
family favorites as well. Once the list is finished, purchase two of every
item on the list. When you begin to use the first of your two items put
that item on your grocery list for you next shopping trip. Which brings
me to the next tip…
Create a continuous grocery
list. Keep this list in an accessible place and have all of the members
of your family use it. Whoever uses the last bit of any item is responsible
for writing that item on the list. You may find that for the sake of convenience
you will need more than one list. I have a list in the kitchen and also
one upstairs inside my linen closet door to record when I am out of such
things as toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper, etc. A dry-eraser board is
good for these types of lists and cuts down on paper usage.
Keep a freezer inventory. Especially
if you stock up on items while they are on sale. Different things begin
to look very much the same after they have been in the freezer for awhile.
If you don't keep a running list of what is inside your freezer and mark
it down when a portion is used, you may find yourself with far too much
of one item. It is a sad shame to find a great deal on ground sirloin,
for example, only to have to throw it away because it became freezer burned
before you actually needed to use it.
There should be a place for everything and everything should be in it's
place. Be sure to always store your grocery items in the same place in
your freezer, pantry, cabinets, or drawers. I've forgotten this rule several
times and have run out to buy more toilet paper in bulk quantities only
to find that I already had a huge box of it underneath several other items
that I've carelessly thrown on top of it. Here again, organization is
the key to saving time, effort, and money.
Make a "super shopping
list". This is more like an outline, really and it is divided into
the departments of a grocery store such as dairy, produce, household items,
etc.. I shop at the same store every time I grocery shop so I have my
list set up according to the layout of this particular store. I have the
master copy of this list saved in my word processor and I print out several
whenever I need them. Even if you shop at several different stores, a
list like this will still be very helpful. Using this list saves so much
time and helps keep me focused on the items I came to buy instead of the
fun little kitchen gadgets that are sitting in the center of the aisles.
About the Author: Crystal Dupay is a stay-at-home mother of two daughters, ages 1 and 3. She also
co-publishes a Web site for SAHMs called Main Street Mom. The purpose
of the site is to provide support, inspirational stories, comedy, money-saving
tips, a nationwide playgroup listing, and much more. You can visit Main
Street Mom at
www.mainstreetmom.com, or you can subscribe to the free weekly newsletter by writing to
subscribe@mainstreetmom.com.
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