How to Get the Most Money and Time out of Your Grocery Shopping Trip

I go grocery shopping every two weeks. We call that "major" grocery shopping in my house, because we attempt to get a majority of what we need in that trip. But we always end up making little side trips for things like fresh produce and spur-of-the-moment items. So I decided to share my tips to get the most out of your "major" grocery shopping trip.

1. Coupons, coupons, coupons!

I always get weird looks from people when I pull out my little coupon organizer in line at the store, but those few minutes I take clipping coupons really saves money. I also print out some from sites like coolsavings.com. Coupons seems like a small deal until you see how much they save! Also, if you can, avoid stores that don't double coupons. My local grocers (Ralph's) will double any coupon up to $1.00. So that $1.00 turns into $2.00 off! If you get a few of those, they make a big difference.

2. Bring water!

I sometimes make the mistake of going to the grocery store when I am hungry, which we all do at one time or another. It gets me buying things that weren't on my list, and that I didn't really need. So now, I always bring a bottle of water with me to the grocery store. It helps me fill full while I shop so I cut down on those impulse buys.

3. Hit the impulses first!

Speaking of impulses, cut them out first! When you first walk into the store, take a minute to walk by the registers and look at the magazines, candy, and all the other junk they put for you to grab while you wait in line. Then, when you are checking out, you can remind yourself that you didn't need it earlier, so you don't need it now.

4. Know when to splurge and when to save!

There are some things that you can buy generic, and some that you can only buy depending on the brand. These are all individual choices, but take a second to evaluate them. Do you need name brand sour cream or can you buy generic? Does your coffee need to be pre-ground Starbucks? If you go generic on a few items that you won't be able to tell the difference on, you can splurge on one or two other things!

5. Don't buy produce in bulk.

This was a hard concept for me. I wanted to get all my bell peppers, lettuce, and other produce all in one trip. But even with specialty items from the container store, some things still went bad. Now I buy one head of lettuce, and only enough produce to get our house through one week. Then I go back and buy what I need when I need it. This saves me money, since produce isn't just spoiling in my veggie bin, and it saves me the hassle of cleaning out that drawer if something does go bad.

6. Deviating from your list is OK!

I always used to feel bad if I bought something that wasn't on my list. Now I realize that even through the best planning, I occasionally forget things. Or I will pass something and think "That would be great tonight for dinner!" The important thing is to be able to tell the difference between deviating from your list and impulse buying! Laundry soap is deviating, a candy bar is impulse buying.

7. Pick good hours to shop!

I can't stand a packed grocery store with tons of people and small kids running around unattended. So I have scouted out my local grocery stores to see when it's quietest. I usually shop on Friday mornings. There aren't many people, and I can get in and out with very little fuss. Now, I realize not everyone can shop on Friday mornings, but try to pick a time that works well for you. I would avoid weekends and holidays at all costs!

Happy shopping!