Simplified Grocery Shopping

I am frequently asked, “How can I get organized with my grocery shopping?” I love this question because I have some helpful answers. Some people are naturals when it comes to organizing and planning, while others tend to be spontaneous and “fly by the seat of their pants”. Regardless of your personality, I think these few tips will help you get more organized.

Although I generally fall into the first category, it took some trial and error for me to figure out how to be organized with grocery shopping when I was first married. At first, I would arrive at the supermarket and start putting things in my cart, attempting to piece together enough ingredients to make enough meals to last for the week. Inevitably I would discover that I did not have everything I needed and would have to make quick stops throughout the week, and I always seemed to have items that I didn’t use.

After fifteen years of practice, what follows is the method for preparing for my weekly shopping adventures.

1. Menu planning. This is the single most important thing I do in preparation for grocery shopping. It will also sets me up for a successful week in the kitchen. This step enables me to make a shopping list that contains everything I need for the week without last minute “I forgot something” trips! A menu can be simple or detailed, as long as every meal, snack and dessert for the week are included. Here is a blank sample of mine (feel free to copy it):

2. Shopping list. There are various formats, and I’ve tried several. I’ve made simple handwritten lists and I’ve created master shopping lists where I just circle what I need that week. I found two weaknesses in these formats: I end up backtracking through aisles too much, and sometimes I forget the list at home! Now that I have a smart phone, I have switched to using the fabulous Grocery Gadget App that keeps track of my shopping list. With this App, I can add things to my shopping list during the week, categorize items according to where they are located in the store, and since I never leave home without my phone, I never show up at the store without my list.

3. To Do list. Once I have my menu planned and shopping list made, I look over my menu and decide which meals require extra preparation so I can note these on my To Do list. For example, I like to make homemade refried beans, and I soak the dried beans overnight before cooking them. I put “Soak beans” on my 2Do App on my phone for the day before I need to cook them so that I don’t forget.

As you can see, it doesn’t take much to get organized for grocery shopping. If you spend 30 minutes completing these steps, shopping and mealtime are so much easier and less stressful.