Grocery Shopping for Dummies
Now this may seem like a strange thing to talk about; however, if someone had shared this info with me a few years ago, I would have greatly appreciated it LOL. I am not a very patient person when it comes to certain things, shopping being one of them. Now when it comes to shopping for clothes and shoes, I have ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD: ). I could shop for clothes and shoes all day every day with no problem. Back to reality. When it comes to groceries, my plan is simple: get in, get out, and don’t forget anything. I don’t know what’s worse, having to deal with long lines. or getting home from the store after being there forever, only to realize while putting everything away I’ve forgotten something. I will seriously change what I’m cooking to avoid going back to the store. Seriously. Now the system I’ve come up with has had many a trial and error. I finally think I have it down to a tee now, and that’s what I’m going to share with y’all today.
Pre-Game/Take Inventory
I keep a clipboard on the inside of my pantry door with a list of what I’m out of and what I need to pick up.
Grocery Shopping
This just makes my life easier. I will also take a look around my pantry to see what I have already. What I can make meals out of. Using what I already have on hand will save money. I then look at my inventory list for the freezer to do the same thing. This is great for many reasons, the one of them being that nothing will go to waste! Doing this will ensure that nothing goes bad or expires before you get a chance to use it. Most importantly I save money with this approach.
Clip Coupons & Research
I shop at three different grocery stores in my area. Seventy percent of our food comes from Trader Joes, twenty percent comes from Ralphs (Kroger in some areas), and the last ten percent of our food comes from Sam’s Club. Ralphs has an a really convenient app for smart phones that allows me to load coupons onto my shopper card/shopper ID. The app also gives me a link to the most recent flyer. I also get Trader Joes & Sam’s/ Costco flyers mailed to the house, and I look at them as well. I try to see what “on sale” items I can make meals out of. This is something I do to save some money. It seems like a lot, but to be honest takes me about 15-20 minutes tops. If I’m saving money in the long run, it’s time well spent.
Make a Menu/ Mean Plan
This is key ladies & gentleman. I can’t stress this enough! Sit down and write out meals you want to eat for a week, for two weeks, or for a month, whichever works best – just write it out. Personally, I grocery shop every other Friday, so every other Thursday afternoon, I go into my kitchen and take inventory of what I have on hand. I look on the Ralphs smart phone app for coupons & their flyer. I’ll also look at my Trader Joes and Sam’s club flyers as well. Then I’ll usually go to my Pinterest page, and/ or pull out a cook book or two to look for some inspiration. After that, I’ll take some notebook paper and write down five to six dinners, five to six lunches, five to six breakfasts, and snacks. Since its just my wife and me, one meal will normally last us for about two days, so five to six meals is two weeks’ worth of meals for us. Doing this helps beyond measure. It ensures I won’t run out of food. I won’t have to run out to the store mid-week. It’s just something, once again, that makes my life easier.
Make A Shopping list
After I’ve done the first three steps and gathered all the info, it’s time for me to sit down and make my shopping list. Now I’ve been shopping at the same stores since we moved to this area about four years ago now, so I honestly know all the stores’ layouts. I know the aisles by heart. I will take out some notebook paper, make a section for each store, and separate it by the store and aisle. When I do this, I normally don’t forget things while shopping. More importantly, it makes my shopping trip go by quickly! Which I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOL!
Show Time
Now I’m at the store. I literally like to be the first person in the store to avoid the crowds. Again, I like to get in and out. This is where all the pregaming and hard work will pay off. Before I even get out of the car, I pull out my list, grab my reusable bags, and put on some headphones : ) . Doing these things ensures me a speedy, effortless, stress-less shopping trip.
Last Leg of The Race
We’re almost done! Now the one thing I hate more than shopping is putting away the groceries LOL. When I get home literally the last thing I want to do is put things away. I wanna snap my little fingers and have everything put away nicely and neatly. Back to reality. My strategy is to take two to three bags in at once and immediately empty the bag on my island while trying to group things together that will be put away in the same area and/ or place. I repeat this until I’ve emptied all my bags. This allows me to take photos and record for my blog/vlog. It also helps me put things away quicker.
We’re done guys! Did you survive LOL? I promise doing this has saved my life. I can’t just “run to the store” any longer. I literally can’t anymore. Being well prepared and planning things out is key for me. I’m going to give you guys my disclaimer: these things work for me. I’m not saying they will work for you. I’m all about sharing and motivating. Until next time guys.