You’ve got your menu for the week, including the recipes that you’re preparing. You used those to create your shopping list, not some general list, but an itemized list including quantities. This week is going to be different…no impulse shopping your way through the supermarket hoping to get inspiration from above. Heck, the kids are even going to behave as you shop.
We can all dream, can’t we?
But seriously, the menu and the list will be big helpers as you navigate the store. You’ll be on a mission with a plan, not on walkabout trying to find yourself. You might even be feel superior knowing you’re going to be in and out of the store as fast as possible!
To help you along, I’m going to share my system for shopping. Yup, much to everyone’s surprise, I have a system.
What, you’re not surprised? Excellent, that means you’ve met me in person, read prior blog posts, or both. Get used to it, I’ve got systems for everything. Some work better than others and all of them are in constant states of refinement…but systems are one way that I keep from losing my **** (censoring provided to support the family-friendly nature of this blog). As my friend and sometimes mentor Mike Vardy of Productivityist says, “Frameworks foster freedom”. I’ve taken that to the limit.
Shop Like A Boss
Don’t go to the store hungry
Shop with a list
Stick to your list
Shop only once a week
Buy the store brands
What’s the Benefit
Being able to get in and out of the store as quickly as possible has a number of benefits. First off, you save time. Since none of us has unlimited time, saving it wherever we can is awesome. Second, getting through the store quickly means less time to make budget-busting, impulse purchases. Having a list and sticking to it keeps you from wandering eyes and buying things you don’t need.
Set it and forget it
If you’re going to be shopping at a store on a regular basis, join their shopper discount program. Sure, you’ll likely have to endure marketing emails, tweets, or texts, but the savings are worth the inconvenience. Most of the programs are administered online, and sometimes have additional, non-food benefits. For instance, the Kroger-based program provides discounts at Kroger-affiliated gas stations. While their food prices are a smidgen higher, the gas savings balance those out. I’d strongly recommend belonging to the frequent-shopper program for every store where you shop regularly.
You can also link digital coupons to your shopper card. While I’d love to make better use of paper coupons, and I know many of the tricks to making that work, the key term is work. Organizing and purging expired paper coupons is a pain. More importantly, you have to take them to the store with you. I’ve proven awful at purging and I forget my paper coupons all the time. The same is not true of the digital coupons. I’m still rather new to this coupon game, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by unexpected savings at checkout. I add digital coupons every two weeks, so it’s not something that has to be done daily, nor does it take a lot of time. It takes me about 15 minutes to grab all the coupons I might use. Then I don’t have to think about it again!
Before You Go
Before you leave the house, have a snack! Besides not having a list, the biggest mistake you can make when grocery shopping is to go to the store hungry. You’ll end up in the market famished, looking to buy everything in sight. You can’t make good decisions surrounded by all that food and a rumbling tummy!
Right after the snack, review the food you’ve already got at home. No need buying refried beans if you have six cans! Look in your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. While you might think you know what you have, sometimes you either discover something you didn’t realize you had or you find out that the kids ate the last of something. There’s nothing more frustrating than selecting your recipes based on what you know you have in stock, making the menu, and then starting to cook…only to discover somebody ate the last of the frozen chicken. So my word to the wise, check your stock immediately before you venture out to the store.
While you’re at it, take a quick look at the sales flyer for great deals. Be judicious about good buys. That 10-for-10 “sale” might not be such a great deal if the packages usually cost $0.88. Think I’m joking? It’s a regular tactic at one of our local grocery stores. But identifying truly good deals might allow you to save a few bucks. Same thing for coupons, if you’re using paper coupons peruse them really quickly and pitch the expired ones. Then know if the savings are worth it.
Finally, make sure that you’re buying the right stuff at the store you’re going to. Be aware that the local farmer’s market might have some high quality produce at the same or lower cost than the supermarket. If you’ve got the time (and energy, motivation, etc.) you might want to consider that extra trip. If you don’t have the wherewithal this week, don’t beat yourself up. But do try to go every once in a while. If you’re headed to a store that specializes in food, think about skipping the pet food and paper goods aisles. You’re better off getting those elsewhere…unless you’re OK paying for the convenience. Heck, you can potentially order online, save the extra trip, and potentially money too. In general, making good decisions before you head out the door will help you when you get assaulted by the marketing displays designed to shake your resolve.
When to Shop
I realize you may not have a lot of control over when you shop. I work from home, so I can select the time I go. If you’re working a 9-5 job you have fewer options. But do try to avoid a couple of times at the supermarket. Right after work is a disaster. All those people who didn’t plan ahead are there…rushing about grabbing things off the shelves and acting like the apocalypse is near. Do everything you can to avoid the window 60-90 minutes after the workday ends in your area. Same thing goes for the morning the sales ads come out. I swear, there are people who get the sales ad and think they have to immediately go to the store to get that sale. Just avoid that morning!
There are some days where special discounts are offered to certain groups. While I love all the senior citizens in our town dearly (and my Lord we’ve got a load of them), they are not the fastest shoppers on the planet. Whether senior citizens or parents with a load of kids, anytime there are lots of folks in the store, try to avoid it. Same goes for the times when the shelves are being restocked. We have one grocery store where they do this on a rotating basis, and don’t clog up every aisle. Another supermarket does a full restocking all at once. I swear it’s like trying to work my way through a war zone. While the employees are usually gracious, it’s a pain to have to avoid all the stocking bins.
Finally, avoid Sunday late-morning and early-afternoon…unless you want to see every family you know from the baby through grandma. Folks around here to go church and then drag the entire family to the grocery store so Mom can shop. Large family groups are huddled around a cart as the matriarch  delegates tasks to the clueless kids. The store is packed with these gaggles and well over half the folks possessing no idea where anything is.
Up Next
Next time I’m going to write about how to navigate the store as efficiently as possible. Get ready to learn some tricks and a couple of different methods to get the freshest food at the lowest cost in the least time. Your family will thank you. Your bank account will thank you. And your feet will thank you.
In the meantime, keep making it a great day in the kitchen and prepare for that supermarket trip like a pro!