Grocery Shopping Tips

My adorable cousin, Ashlee,  posted on facebook that she needs help with grocery shopping because she "isn't very good at it". Rather than reply only to her, I thought there may be other young women (or men) that could use a few tips. Here are six things that have worked for me over the years:

1) Make a list of menus that you would like to cook for the week. You can find inspiration by looking at grocery store ads, cookbooks, magazines or even watching Food Network.

2) Write a list of all the ingredients you will need and organize it according to store layout. This will save time and keep you focused.

3) Choose a day when you can go shopping and get it all done. Doing this will prevent extra trips to the market where you may be tempted to purchase unnecessary items.

4) Figure out which stores are your best fit. I like to shop for produce and meat at Costco. However,because it's close to home, I buy all other grocery's at Wal-Mart.

5) Set some of your grocery money aside. There will be nights when you can't cook and eating out is your best option.

6) Never shop on an empty stomach. When you are hungry, you're apt to buy things that you don't really need.


Doing all of the above may seem like a pain (and it can be), but it is much better than wondering what you're going to fix for dinner every night. You will have already  it figured out!