Self Help

Most people I know find themselves running to the supermarket at least two or three times a week, and many shop more often than that. Think about how you could simplify our grocery shopping chore and made it a goal to cut by at least half the two or three hours I spent shopping each week.

Type up a list of all the food items you might possibly buy. Then arrange them in the order they appear in the aisles of your favorite grocery store. Run off a couple dozen copies of the list, and keep in one of the kitchen cabinets so a fresh one is there when you need it. It can easily be updated as your eating patterns change.

Before I go shopping, I sit down at the kitchen table and draw up a quick meal plan for the week. Then I go through my computer list and check off the items I’ll need. Since I’m right there in the kitchen, I can quickly see what we’re out of, and note those items on the list.

The entire process, from making the list to doing the shopping to putting the groceries away, takes a little less than an hour, and I almost never have to run back to the store during the week for items I’ve forgotten. Just by keeping a list, we’ve substantially cut our monthly food expenditure, and created more free time for ourselves.