The Grocery Store…It can drain you of precious time, energy, and money. Here are some suggestions to limit the long-term effects of the grocery cart tango.

Keep a running list. I have included a preprinted grocery list to get you started. Keep it on the refrigerator and have family members highlight what is needed.

Check out the store ads on Wednesday. Even if you do not get the newspaper at home, most major grocery stores display their ads online. Find the store that has the best overall deals for your family. Super Wal-Mart will ad-match all other stores. It’s great if you can get out of there with just groceries but ultimately it cost me even more money in unplanned “cool deals”. I try to stay out of Wal-Mart except to get cleaning and sundry items once a month (they usually have the best prices on these).

Utilize your local warehouse store for bulk savings. Smart and Final can offer bulk savings without the cost of a membership.

Limit visits to the store. I do major shopping on pay week and minor shopping on the opposite week. The less you are in the stores…the better. For a nominal fee some stores will do the shopping for you! You can have your groceries delivered or you can pick them up at the store on a designated day. Albertsons picks out the groceries I choose online and I pick them up for only $5.00. Most times I have a coupon to cover the cost of them shopping for me. You can take advantage of their weekly specials and resist temptation buying. I have good luck with the quality of produce and meat products. They even load them in the car!

Try shopping at smaller stores every once in a while. Markets that specialize in produce can really save you a lot of money in fresh fruits and vegetables. Sunflower Market is my personal favorite. Wednesdays is double savings day as you can take advantage of the previous and current week’s ad specials. Trader Joe's offers an assortment of organic and conventional foods. You can find interesting pastas, salsas, cheeses, and bakery items also at great prices.

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Preprinted Grocery List

Easy for your family to highlight and read. Saves
time on decoding kids spelling!