Do you make frequent trips to the grocery store – in and out of the store all week long depending on the needs of your family? The obvious problem with this strategy, if it can be called that, is that it’s a huge time waster. However, it’s also a good way to lessen the burden on your wallet. Assuming you’re normal, you like for the burden to be on the weight of your wallet and not on your finances. So below are some tips on saving time, money, and personal sanity while grocery shopping.
Plan your meals
Not everyone is a planner, but here is secret planners aren’t sharing with free-spirited types. You will have more time to be free-spirited if you actually take the time to do a little planning. Novel concept, right? Sit down with a single cookbook, pick out the meals you want to make for the coming week and write down the ingredients and bracket off each set of ingredients with the page number so you can find the recipe later. If you don’t write down the page numbers or the name of the recipe, you might forget what you’re supposed to make. Also, you noticed the phrase, “single cookbook”. The more cookbooks you juggle each week, the harder you make it on yourself. You can have fifty cookbooks, but be sure to stick to one a week.
Another advantage of planning out the meals is the savings
Even if you break out in hives at the thought of clipping a single coupon, having a direct purpose for everything you buy will save you some money. Only break the rule of buying no more than what’s on the list when you see a great sale on meat. But be sure you remember that the meat’s in your possession before freezer burn sets in. It’s also a good idea to make a yearly trip to the grocery store for items that won’t expire, preferably when the items are on sale.
Shop when there are fewer customers
This might seem obvious, but if it is, why are there so many long lines in grocery stores on a Sunday afternoon? The reason is many of you work an 8-5, Monday through Friday job. This will take a little bit of scheduling on your part if you work the typical work hours. Saturday mornings and Saturday evenings are usually a good time to go. For those with non-traditional hours, go when everyone else is at work. Whatever day and time of the week you decide to go, stay with it. Mixing up your routine on something so necessary and mundane does not produce more creativity. It just makes you a little loony trying to juggle your changing schedule. Take care of your sanity. Go once a week at the same time.
Hopefully, these tips have been helpful for you and save you the precious time, energy, and money for more important things, like your family. The best part is knowing exactly what you’re going to cook every night and being able to answer that question when your children and husband ask. On the second thought, the best part is the relaxing bubble bath after the shopping trip.