Organize Your Grocery Shopping

Grocery shopping has changed a lot in the last couple of years, hasn’t it? From the rush to get the last roll of toilet paper off the nearly-empty shelf to getting your groceries delivered to your home or car, nothing it quite what it used to be. Now that most of us are venturing back into the stores, it’s time to organize your grocery shopping. This is especially true if you’re doing some holiday feast preparing!

WHY YOU SHOULD ORGANIZE YOUR GROCERY SHOPPING

Whether it’s because of the holidays or just to keep your grocery bill under budget, taking the time to be a little more methodical about groceries can save you time, money, and most importantly – stress. This time of year, as we prepare to cook big feasts and host extra guests, grocery shopping becomes even more of a chore than it normally is. It doesn’t help that when you get to the store, everyone else is already there and you have to park a mile away and fight for space in each aisle. Fighting crowds and supply shortages can make even those of us with the best dispositions a little crabbier than usual.

We’ve put together a list of our best tips to help you have a more organized grocery shopping experience – but if you have other great ideas, be sure to share them with us in the comments or on Facebook!

START WITH AN INVENTORY

Especially if you are buying spices and other expensive ingredients you don’t normally buy, be sure to check your cupboards first and get an inventory of what you already have. And before you go to the store, do yourself a huge favor and plan your meals for the coming week. Check the cupboard for needed ingredients so you don’t end up making an emergency run for one missing item. Once you know what meals you’ll be having that week and what ingredients you need to make them happen, then you can go to the store prepared.

MAKE A GROCERY LIST

Going grocery shopping without a shopping list does two things: It wastes your time, because you wander through the store and suddenly realize you forgot something six aisles back. And, it ends up costing you money because you buy things you don’t need or that the store cleverly convinced you that you need.

We recommend that you always make a shopping list! To make your list work for you, organize the list so that everything you need is organized by where you find it in the store (list all the breads together, fruits and vegetables, dairy, meat, etc). If you do your shopping at more than one store, you can even separate your lists by store. You don’t have to waste paper or remember to bring a pen with you to mark things off your list – your cell phone’s note feature works perfectly for grocery lists and lets you add to them on the fly.

>>Download the Organizing Maniacs Shopping List Template Here<<

MAKE IT ALL EASIER WITH TECHNOLOGY

Saving your list on your cell phone isn’t the only sustainable way to keep your grocery list up to date. Technology can make a big difference in helping you to organize your grocery shopping, from shopping lists to store apps that let you check out while you shop. There are apps for everything from comparing prices and finding coupons to making lists. Livestrong has a great list of the best grocery apps.

SAVE MONEY WITH COUPONS

Once you know what you’re planning to purchase, organize your coupons so that you have the ones available that will help save you money. (If you do the coupons first, you’ll end up buying things you don’t need just because they are on sale). If you have a loyalty card for your grocery store, you can often add the coupons to your card and not have to carry paper coupons anymore. As well, there are several coupon apps that can help you save even more money on things you buy.

GET IT ALL HOME

We’ve been recommending the use of reusable grocery bags since long before it started being the requirement in most states. Some bags are better than others; standard canvas bags are great for dry products, like breads and cereals. We recommend that you have one or two insulated bags or a cooler to protect your cold and frozen items. And because so many states make you pay for bags now, if they offer them at all, we also recommend keeping a collapsible bag in your purse or car for unexpected shopping trips.

There will always be times that you forget something and have to make a quick run to the store, but when you organize your grocery shopping by planning your meals, making a list, and using apps, you’ll spend less and stress less.