Nie Asks: Share Your Favorite Shopping Tips

I make my list according to what aisle the items are in at the store. It makes the trip go so much faster!

I shop mostly at Whole Foods. I call my husband and we meet after work for dinner there. Then we either both shop together or he heads home and I shop. For me it's a great date night.

My best tip: Send your husband!

I make out the list as I do the menu planning (with his input and sometimes the input of the children too). He goes and does the shopping. This falls back to way before we had children when we were both working. His job (firefighter) has him on shift for 24 hours and off for 48. As such, he would use an off day, when I was working, to go get the groceries. It's stuck even years after I've been home (working, but home).

He honestly does a better job grocery shopping than I do. He sticks to the list, right down to the letter, very rarely picking up any extras. Which is good from a financial viewpoint and a waistline one. When I go, I get caught up in shiny and new and, "Oh, wouldn't this be nice to have," and I spend too much money. While the foods I buy off-list are usually healthy, we just don't *need* the extras. So, he goes. Without the kids 99% of the time. Sometimes he takes one with him, but not two.

I go with the family, I need my husbands help. So we make it a family thing. I go once a month, with a list and I try not to go hungry. We go back in the week sometimes for bread, milk and juice but everything else we have. I like to try and prepare a meal plan and base my list off that. I like having the food available, this way we can change things up if we want without having to get out.

Happy New Year

Friday afternoon I put together the list of meals for the week on a white board. I'm able to go through my pantry/fridge/freezer to see what there is to use and what I need. I go grocery shopping Saturday mornings, at about 6:30 AM. That's also the morning of a truck delivery. Once produce gets to know you, they even get stuff off the truck for you (veggies still alive and kicking). This also applies to the deli and meat counters. There's no one else in the store, I can take my time and not have anyone in the aisles. Check out is a breeze and by the time I get home, the kiddos are up and hubby has coffee and breakfast waiting for me!

Pt 2....This is more meal planning, but still might be helpful: I buy meat and ingredients for 2-3 nights, things that can be prepared a variety of ways because I like to have flexibility and know we'll eat leftovers the other nights. For example left over pork roast might become fried rice later in the week. I try to avoid running out of staples such as pastas, sauces, lettuce, milk or bread.) If needed I will have my husband pick things up on his way home but that is rare. I also keep some easy meal items and certain veggies in the freezer.

I try to avoid bringing the kids at all cost. Now that they are in school that is the best time. But IF I bring the kids I ask them to find certain things on the list and then ignore the "helpful" store employees who evesdrop and try to tell me where to find the item I've assigned to each kid. The point is to keep them busy. Then at the end they always help put the items up on the belt for the cashier.

In some ways having to overcome a difficult situation really helped me because I wasn't always so organized.

Grocery Shopping was extremely difficult in the beginning years of having a child with a trach and medical issues. I had a 5 and 3 year old in addition to a baby that required tons of medical gear. After Ainsley came home from the hospital everything changed, including how we did grocery shopping. Eventually what I learned is that though saving money is great, driving all over the place isn't. And time is money right? I realized that Trader Joes was THE place to shop. The prices were fair. I didn't have to spend a lot of time comparing prices or waiting for a sale. Yet I still saved money. Because the store is small I could get in and out in 20-30 minutes with most everything I needed for the week. I still have certain things I buy at other stores. But after years of being a Costco member I am happy to say I haven't been there in years.

I keep a special notepad in the kitchen just for the on-going grocery list and ask my husband to put it on the list when he uses the last of something. I try not to shop without a list because I'm otherwise forgetful. Another benefit of TJ, I can visualize the store and write the list by section to avoid back tracking. I try to shop consisently on the same day of the week.

I write a list organized by category or department (produce, dairy, health and beauty) and try to stick to it to avoid impulse purchases. Next I will put it on my phone - looking for a good app.

I make a category list - produce, dairy, health and beauty (which I should have on my computer but don't yet) and try to stick to just those items to resist impulse purchases.

Since I have 5 littles, I try to go early in the morning (6am or so) before they are all up and before hubby leaves for work so I can go alone (10x faster!!). Because most people aren't shopping then, I can get through the store quickly (no jammed aisles like on Saturdays or evenings!), and I can check out quickly as well! Then I'm able to get home and get all the groceries put away before the day gets crazy-busy! If I can't go early in the morning, my next choice is to go later at night for the same reasons - not as crowded, no long lines, and the kids are in bed sleeping!