How to Do Your Grocery Shopping in Less Than 30 Minutes

Grocery shopping is not one of the favorite pastimes for most people. The reason for this I think is that in general, people spend way too long in the store shopping. The idea is to get the best possible value and food for your dollar, and not to spend the whole day doing it. I am going to show you some tips on how to cut down the time you are spending and the amount you are spending on your total food bill.

Most important is do not leave the house without a list of what you need. This is so important because if you're like most people, you have no list or direction, and you will "impulse buy." This means you will just walk up and down the aisles picking out whatever looks good to you at the moment, and we all know what we can end up with when we get home! Take at least 15 minutes before you leave the house to write down what you are going to the store for. This will also eliminate getting home and not having everything you need to make dinner. This is also a good time to get any coupons that you may have, store them in a separate drawer or folder, and then pick out the ones you can use.

When you get to the grocery store, you are not going to shop in the way you have been used to - going up and down the aisles picking out what you want. What you are going to do first of all is pick up the store flyer and see what's on special this week. It pays to know when the ad runs, so you can come back if you want more of an item. After you have looked over the ad, start out walking around the circumference of the store, shopping as you go. The refrigerated sections, freezer, meat, dairy and produce are located around the outside because they need the electric power. The electric power cools the foods. These will be the bulk of your shopping, if you are eating healthy. If you aren't getting many items on the outer ring then maybe you need to reconsider what your family is eating. It's a good indicator because all the dry, processed foods will be in the center aisles that do not need refrigeration.

Then as you pass an aisle, say the 'cereal aisle', and you know you need that, simply take the cart down, check out your coupons, make your choice and go right back out to the end of the aisle and continue moving around the circumference. Need coffee or tea? Head down that aisle and go back out to where you were. When you have gone all the way around, which would probably take 15-20 minutes, stop for a moment and recheck your list to see if you forgot anything. If you are going to try a sample, which most grocery stores are having, now is the time to do it so you don't impulse buy on those items! If you've forgotten anything, go back and get it and then get in line to purchase. Check your coupons, and any store specials so that you can watch and make sure the register identifies the reduction.

Task accomplished in 30 minutes or less, and you can look forward to using this system next week when you go grocery shopping and chances are you only had to go back during the week to pick up milk or fresh meat for dinner. Happy Shopping!