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Step 1
Plan your menus weekly. List them on one side of a sheet of paper. On the other side, list the food you will need to prepare those menus. Menu planning is a crucial step in streamlining your grocery shopping. Remember that you don't have to please every member of your family every night.
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Step 2
Shop your own kitchen and pantry first so you won't buy duplicates of items you already have. Just think of how many cans of poultry seasoning and containers of paprika you have on hand. Canvass your kitchen before you go grocery shopping, and don't buy what you don't need.
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Step 3
Categorize your grocery list to further streamline your shopping. Write down what you need to buy in the order items are laid out in your grocery store. Group all the produce together in the first column. List all the frozen items in another column. You can start at one corner of the store and work your way through without having to backtrack.
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Step 4
Go grocery shopping when the stores aren't crowded. This is another key step in streamlining your shopping. You'll be practically the only shopper at 9:30 on a Monday morning. If your work schedule won't permit daytime shopping, try late at night. Avoid Friday afternoon and anytime on the weekend.
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Step 5
Stick to your list. Methodically go through the grocery store shopping for just what you need. Don't be tempted by food demonstrators and your own hunger pains. It's always best to grocery shop on a full stomach.
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Step 6
Stash your coupons in an envelope. Once you learn the layout of your grocery, you can even file the coupons in your envelope according to the layout of the store. For each item on your list that you have a coupon for, mark a "C." And don't forget to give the cashier your coupons.
