Grocery Shopping Hacks

Grocery shopping is definitely NOT one of my favorite things to do, so I try to make it as efficient as possible!

Here are some of my go to tips and tricks for efficient grocery shopping 🙂

1. Plan your meals for the week BEFORE going grocery shopping
– I make a mock up of what my days will look like for the next week in MFP, so I know what I need to buy in terms of lunch, dinner and snacks!
– Do NOT enter the grocery store without having planned out what you will be meal prepping for the week.

2. Make A List
– The number one thing in my book for efficient grocery shopping is being prepared and knowing what you need to buy!
– Some people like a pen and paper list, but here are some digital ways to make easy lists!
   – Google Keep: allows you to make lists with checkboxes that you can click away as you put each item in your cart. Since it’s in the Google Suite, you can also share the list with other Google users aka significant others 😉
    – Grocery store app: I do almost all of my shopping at Wegmans and they have an awesome app where you can make digital lists that will tell you the aisle to find an item and estimates how much your grocery trip will cost #budget

3. Stick to the perimeter
– This is not a new tip, but all of the foods that have a shorter shelf life (ie. veggies, meats, dairy are located on the outer perimeter of the grocery store).
– The majority of your food shopping needs should be coming from the perimeter because you want to be purchasing majority clean/organic foods instead of the processed things that you would find in the inner aisles.

4. Create a store routine
– I have a set path that I follow whenever I go grocery shopping.
– This assures me that I always get my regular weekly items and that I don’t buy anything that I don’t specifically need that week.

5. Don’t Go Hungry!
– This might be the simplest in theory, but it can totally sabotage a good grocery trip
– When you aren’t thinking about food, then it makes it much easier to stick to your plan and only buy what you need for the next week’s prep!