Save a lot of time and money by organizing your grocery list the the location of the item.
Before I go to the grocery store (Meijer), about 1 time a week, I write out my grocery list. Having been to Meijer many times, I pretty much know where to find each item in the store. So, when I write out or type my list, I list the items that I need based on my entry to the store and their location.
Since I've done this over the last several months, I have saved SO much time and money. I've probably cut my time to shop in 1/2, since I don't normally find myself back at the front of the store and then realize I have to wheel all the way to the back of the store to get an item I forgot.
It's also saved an unknown amount of money, as I do not need to go down an aisle with items that I do not have written down. As another side-tip, if an a aisle that I do need to go down is full of other carts and people, I will usually park my cart at the end/or side of an isle (out of cart traffic), then walk down, grab the item I need (without looking at other non-essential items), walk back to my cart...and on my way I go!
And, now off I go to the store. :)
By JARED DELLINGER from Blacklick, OH
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I have been doing the same thing for several years. Additionally, I save envelopes that come with junk mail, etc. I write my grocery list (in order) on the back of the envelope and mark the items I have coupons for with the amount of the coupon.
To take this one step further, I make a menu for the week, from the store ads and from family requests, and that helps me determine what I truly need to buy - since I checked the cupboards first, knowing what I was going to make. My friends have teased me over the years, and I don't adhere to the menu strictly - it's just suggestions, but I know that I have what I need because I planned ahead.
Excellent advice. My late husband started me on this path several years ago when we shopped at the commissary. The commissary gave out sheets of paper with the plan of the store, and my husband took it and made a simple spreadsheet (notebook size) with the items I usually bought already entered, leaving several lines per section for additions. I could then either write in the items, or enter them in via computer. Some grocery stores provide such a list; just ask the manager. If not, make your own. It really works!
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