How to Save Time and Money Grocery Shopping
How you can save time and money when grocery shopping!
Hey you!
While I was grocery shopping yesterday, I thought to myself…
Why don’t I create this week Tuesdays Tip around grocery shopping? Ways you can save time & money!
And so I did. And here we are!
So, I’m curious…
Are you someone who “falls” for the 2 for 5 deals? or Better yet, 3 for 5?
Yea, I used to too. Until I realized that I was buying more than I had space for!
I was also buying more than I knew I would eat.
I made a video for you if you prefer to watch a video vs. read a blog (because I’m that way too!)
So, click here to watch it!
And if you’re someone who prefers to read, then, read on!
So here are some quick tips on how you can save time and money grocery shopping.
Ready?
#1. Write a list.
I look in my cupboards first and see what I need to buy more of. I also only buy when I am out (or almost out)- I don’t like to keep an overstock. That means I very rarely go for those 3 for 5 deals. If I don’t need all 3, then I will not go for the “deal”!
Why I don’t buy/keep an overstock:
1. It means spending more money than I need to right now.
2. Stuff often times goes bad by the time I eat it.
3. Space is often limited. Where are you going to store all of it?!
#2. Buy only as far as you can see
Cass, what does that even mean!?
I mean that you should only buy exactly what you know you are going to eat for the next 3-7 days.
Why?
Fresh foods go bad fast (fruits, veggies, meat). When you overbuy, you end up having expired food.
Expired food means lost money and time.
It could be a fad!
Example:
Have you ever decided to start a new health trend, such as eating only beans and cabbage for the next month (weird example but you get it! haha)? I’ve seen this before! Then you end up with a million cans of beans, you try it once, and hate it. Now, what do you do with all this food?
This is where the “buy only as far as you can see” comes in handy!
Another thing about this tip is being mindful when buying fruits and veggies. I never buy a full bag of grapes because I know I can’t eat the entire bag by the time they go bad.
The same thing goes for a full bunch of bananas! I think about how many I will eat in the next 3-5 days and I buy accordingly.
YES! You can break up the bunch!
#3. Prepare your food when you get home!
– Empty your snacks into a snack basket (remove those dreaded boxes from your pantry!
– Rinse and store your fruits and veggies in a container to keep them fresh, longer. This also means they’re prepped and ready to eat so you’ll be more likely to eat healthily!
– Write down on a whiteboard (or even on your fridge) when you plan to eat what you bought!
Below is a link to the bins I use for keeping my fruits and veggies fresh, longer!
I also thought to show you the containers I use to organize my snacks!
I have so many tips that I could share with you around this topic but I don’t want to bore you so I’ll end it here for today.
If you want more, follow me on Facebook and Instagram where I’m posting daily content!
Okay, last tip:
Don’t shop at Costco unless you’re CONFIDENT that you will eat it before it expires and that you have the physical space to store it. So many people I know have created an external pantry just so they could store their Costco stuff! Meanwhile, they end up throwing out a bunch of it because they forget or they don’t have enough time to eat it all.
I hope this weeks tip was helpful! If it was, please tag me on socail media and let me know!