Plan Your Next Grocery Visit

Tips for preparing for your next grocery visit to maximize savings.

How To Grocery Shop

How would you describe your approach to grocery shopping? Do you:

• A) Finally go when you have absolutely nothing left and buy anything and everything you need/want?

• B) Shop once or twice a week with a mental list of things you need?

• C) Shop once a week armed with a list of things you need?

If you chose C) I would say that you are one smart shopper. Like I talked about with my food waste post, people often end up buying things they don’t need at the grocery store. It’s on sale, it looks appealing, you think you might want it, so you buy it. Then it sits in your fridge or cupboard until it goes bad or you give it to the food bank. I know we are all guilty of this, but, really, how does this habit make any sense? 

A study from the University of Pennsylvania showed that it is on weekly shopping trips to replenish household supplies that the most impulse spending takes place. So let's stop our impulse shopping and stick to a list!

Make A Meal Plan

Once a week, preferably on a regular set day (just so you get in the habit) come up with a meal plan for you and your family. Do it alone or do it with others, it can be a lot more fun than it sounds and a great way to try new things. By having a list of everything you're going to eat you avoid the inevitable, "what's for dinner tonight?" (you'll probably eat less takeout too). Make sure you include snacks in your meal plan; they don't have to be healthy, but include them. If you think you're going to eat a bag of chips as a snack all week, write it down. Then when you're at the grocery store you only need to buy one bag and not the other one you were eyeing as well.

Write It Down

You know what meals you’re eating, so now you write up what ingredients you’ll need. Double check it to make sure you’re not forgetting anything. I would also recommend dividing the list by how you will find the items at the grocery store. So lump your fresh produce, fresh meats, frozen items, dairy, and canned items together, as an example. 

My husband has an app for his phone and has his grocery lists divided by store so that he can start from the top at each store, instead of wandering around. For him grocery shopping is about getting in and out as quickly as possible. Personally I like to wander, but the University of Pennsylvania study showed that my husband's approach is better. Those "fast and efficient" shoppers are 82% less likely than the average person to make impulse purchases.

Check Your Stock

Chances are your kitchen is going to have some of the ingredients you’ll need already. So take an inventory, look around and eliminate redundant purchases. 

This is also a good chance to check on your supplies of other items you don't regularly buy but use, like condiments and butter. Doesn't it suck when you've just done all your grocery shopping and come home to discover you're out of jam to put on that bread you just bought?

Shop Smarter

Armed with a well-organized list you’re ready to start. Try and buy only what is on your list. Remember that you already made a well-rounded meal plan so there shouldn't be the need for any superfluous spending. Once you have everything, double-check your list just to make sure you haven't forgotten anything.

Other Tips

Ever heard someone tell you to shop the outside aisles of the grocery store? This can be a good approach as the outskirts of the store usually have the produce and fresh meat. However they generally also contain frozen items which can include things like ice cream. And don’t forget those center aisles contain canned fruits and vegetables, pasta, rice, and baking items. These are all things you’ll likely need.

Don’t get distracted by the sales. Items on sale are placed in prominent locations to attract our attention and thus end up in our carts. But they aren't necessarily the best deal (more on this late this this month), so don’t get fooled.

Walk or bike to the grocery store and you'll be less likely to make impulse purchases according to the University of Pennsylvania study.

Shop with a full bladder and you'll want to get in and out as quickly as possible. This can backfire on you though if you wait too long, so be careful...

Overall this might all sound like common sense. That's because in general it is. Personally I would like to see some more studies backing this up to convince more people of the savings they can get. In the absence of those studies I'll try and convince you to do this through my own experience. I've been strictly sticking to a grocery shopping list for about 2 months now and can proudly say I've cut back my household grocery shopping by $150 a month. I credit those savings to creating meal plans and shopping lists. So try it for yourself and save some money.