Grocery Shopping Bootcamp (You Know You Need It!)

Ready to get your grocery shopping under control, once and for all?

“Boot camp is the initial indoctrination and instruction given to new personnel.” (Wikipedia)

You may have been overwhelmed, unprepared, or frustrated with grocery shopping in the past.

New you, new rules.

Ideas you can implement today:

Shop With an Organized List

Grocery Lists need to be written in a particular order.  It makes no sense to backtrack.  If the list is ordered by section, like the store is, you will breeze through in no time.

Limit the Number of Trips

At my best, I only go to the grocery store once a week to get milk, eggs, etc.  At my worst, I go to the grocery e-v-e-r-y-d-a-y.  The only realistic way to pull this off is to make a concerted effort to get everything you need, plan your meals, and resolve to go without if you run out of something.

Limit the Number of Stores

I used to shop at more than one store to take advantage of all of the deals, but sometimes you have to simplify.  You can run yourself ragged trying to snag every deal, at every store, every week.  “Perfect is the enemy of the good.” (Source)

Go Alone

When my kids are with me, they argue, they ask for things that are not on my list, and they slow me down.  When I’m really smart, I go to the grocery store before I pick my daughter up from daycare.

Delegate

When I was on bed-rest, I had to relinquish control of grocery shopping.  Guess what?  We still ate!  Sometimes guys can be better at grocery shopping because they have one goal: to get out of the store as quick as possible getting everything on the list.  They aren’t tempted by the sales, promotions, and markdowns.

These solutions will help you get out of the store quicker, go less often, spend less time overall shopping, limit distractions, impulse spending, and frustration.

More Grocery Shopping Tips:

How to make a grocery list
Shop at different stores to stretch your buck
Know the sales cycle
Start small
Pro’s and Con’s of once-a-month shopping
How NOT to Blow Your Grocery Shopping Budget
How to Blow Your Shopping Budget

Pumped?  Ready to get serious?  Check out this  series of guest posts that I wrote on saving money with coupons:

• Goals when using coupons
• Common reasons why people don’t use coupons
• #1 obstacle in using coupons
• Types of coupons available and where you can get them
• Ways you can organize your coupon stash
• How to make a grocery list
• Shop at different stores to stretch your buck
• Know the sales cycle
• Start small
• I have no luck in couponing
• No coupons on products I buy
• Remembering to use your coupons
• Am I a casual couponer?
• Pro’s and Con’s of once-a-month shopping
• How to Setup a Coupon Binder
• How to Setup a Whole Insert Coupon File
• How to- and why to- Stockpile

 

Read other posts in the 31 Days to Make Being a Working Mom Easier series.

 

 

^{Original Photo Credit}