Grocery Shopping With a Plan Leads to Grocery Savings!

Grocery Shopping. This is where the grocery savings happens. Everything else about my strategy is a means to an ends, but when you step foot in the grocery store, it’s game on an to the victor goes the grocery savings.

The List

How do we put everything included on my site to work to result in grocery savings? Well, to start with, if you need an overview of the basics, review my strategy. Your weapon of choice in this battle of grocery savings is your grocery list. I have long said that if you are going to accomplish a mission, you must have a plan. Well our mission is grocery savings and our plan is our grocery list. The grocery list is gospel. If you fall off the grocery list wagon, the price you will pay is your grocery savings. That being said, how do we come up with a grocery list you can stick with? Here are some tips.

Grocery Shopping Tips

• Your grocery list must be derived from a menu. You decide what you are going to cook that week and make a list that includes all of your ingredients.

• Go through your grocery store ads to see where you can save money on ingredients, then plan your meals around the savings. You can find an online copy of the ad on your grocery store website.

• Compare Grocery Prices

• Ensure your menu covers all three meals.

• Follow my menu planning guidelines for preparing your menu.

• Make sure you include snacks and desserts on your menu.

• Hang a piece of paper from a magnet on the refrigerator to write down miscellaneous items you run out of such as condiments. This will avoid the, “Oh, I think we ran out of ketchup, but I can’t remember. Well, we’d better buy some just in case.” I hang the current week's menu on the fridge and use it to write down items I run out of during the week

• Use a Recipe Software to generate your grocery list.

• Discpline, Discpline, Discpline!!! Stick to the list. We’ve all heard the clique, “You can nickel and dime yourself to death.” That phrase has become clique because it’s true.

• Consider using a discount grocery store

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is to discipline yourself not to make impulse or emotional buys. If you see something you’d really like to try, write it on the bottom of your grocery list, so you can remember to include it on your next week’s menu.

Happy Shopping and Happy Grocery Savings!

Learn More About My Grocery-Savings Strategy