Grocery Shopping Tips

Grocery Shopping… “What, like it’s hard?”

For those of you who didn’t get the reference, go watch Legally Blonde. Trust me, it won’t disappoint you… anyways, back to the topic at hand here, why is it that people hate grocery shopping? Why does it have to be a chore? I happen to love grocery shopping. There’s something about planning out meals for the week and buying the groceries to make it happen that gets me excited. Yes, I’m a weirdo. But hey, I am who I am. 

So let’s think about how to turn grocery shopping from a nightmare to something you actually might look forward to doing. There are a lot of things you can do to improve the experience. 

Make a list.

Obvious right? Well, you never know, so I still need to say it! Going shopping without a list is like going outside in a Winnipeg winter without a jacket- why do it? So it’s settled then, make a list. 

Pro Tip: if you go to the same grocery store every time like me, you get pretty familiar with the layout. To help you go through the store quickly, categorize your list based on the section of the store. For example, my list has 6 sublists - Produce, Fridge, Freezer, Meat, Shelf, and Other. When I go to the store, the produce comes first, then the meat, then the fridge and freezer sections, and then I go through the aisles for “shelf” items.

By organizing your list, it speeds up the process big time. It also lets you be more mindful of what types of food you’re putting on your shopping list. For example, I try to make sure at least 80% of my grocery list comes from the perimeter of the store where the fresh produce, meat, and fridge items are found. Obviously there’s still a need for aisle items, but by limiting the amount of preserved foods, you know your meals and snacks are generally healthy.  

Make a Plan. 

Now you’re probably thinking, what’s the difference between a list and a plan, but trust me, there’s a difference. We always talk about meal planning but what about grocery planning? The two go hand in hand. Think of it like this. A grocery list consists of items - milk, cheese, pickles, crackers, broccoli, etc.… Those are definitely all food items, but what meals do they make? What are you doing with these groceries? A grocery plan ensures you’re specifically incorporating food onto your grocery list that will result in actual meals, ideally for the entire week. Taking the time to think through what your meals will be for the week and making sure you buy all the ingredients saves you having to make multiple follow up grocery trips mid-week. 

Pro Tip: as you make your grocery list, write out your meal plan for the week. Think about the quantities each meal will make so that you can plan for having leftovers. You can also use leftover ingredients in the next day’s meal. For example, if you buy green onions for making a specific recipe and they only come in a big bunch and you don’t want to let the extras go bad, pick another recipe to use later in the week that also uses green onions so they don’t turn rotten and go to waste.

Get Groceries in the “Off Times”. 

We all know that a packed grocery store can be overwhelming at the best of times, nevermind in the middle of a global pandemic. I hear ya. But the good thing is, a lot of grocery stores these days are open early and stay open late. If you’re an early riser like me, you should consider going to get groceries early on a weekday or weekend. I go get groceries every Saturday morning at 7:45am, after I finish my meal plan and grocery plan Friday night. If you’re more of a night owl, maybe 10:00pm would be a better fit. 

Check the Flyer. 

I’m going to embarrass myself again with what gets me excited, but I receive the Safeway/Sobeys flyer in the mail every week and I love looking through to see what’s on sale. In many cases, I select what some of my meals and snacks will be based on what’s on sale. If you don’t receive flyers for your grocery store of choice but want to stay up to date on deals, check the flipp app, where you can search tons of stores for weekly flyers, deals, and discounts. Checking weekly flyers can definitely help you save on costs, and also allows you to stock up on certain items if you have enough storage space. For example, I pretty much only buy meat that’s on sale, so when chicken or pork chops or lean ground beef come on sale, I’ll grab a couple packages and freeze them in portioned out bags so that I can have them for meals in the future. 

I hope these tips can help make your grocery shopping more efficient and enjoyable. That’s all for now. Time to go make my grocery list!