by April May Maple

Created on: March 09, 2009

Grocery shopping is one of the most tempting activities to complete. No matter how much you prepare, it seems you still end up walking out with more than you intended to. You spend the time making the list but then when you get to the store you completely disregard it. Here are some simple ways to reduce those impulse buys.

The first step to making a grocery list is knowing what you need and what you do not. Try to make sure that you do not forget anything, making a second trip to the store normally results in even more impulse buys. When you are writing your list take into account items that you allowed to go bad last time and remember that, perhaps instead of getting a pound of deli ham, add only a half pound to your list. If you love fresh vegetables but are not able to eat them fast enough opt for purchasing a smaller quantity or the frozen equivalent.

Every household has certain items that they use frequently, ketchup, ranch dressing, chicken, spaghetti sauce and noodles. When getting these staple items, the bigger the better. When buying the largest size, you end up saving. When buying meat in bulk, divide it into family sized portions and freeze what you are not using.

Nothing encourages an impulse buy like a sale, the bigger the sale the more you want to buy. When you see something on sale, you buy it just because it seems like a great buy and it may be a great buy, but is it still worth the sale price if no one eats it. With internet advancements, you can now browse the weekly ads for many stores. You can browse the sales at home and decide if you want to buy any of the sale items before you get to the store and add them to your list. This way you are already aware of the sale prices and do not feel the need to buy something because of the yellow sale label.

Once you have finished your list, estimate how much it is going to cost you as best you can. Leave your bankcard and checkbook at home, instead only bring enough cash with you to cover the costs of your intended purchases and then ten extra dollars for tax and if you estimated a little off. When paying with cash you are likely to spend less, as opposed to just swiping your bankcard. It seems that actually seeing the cash in hand makes it more valuable and harder to hand over.

Make sure that you are not shopping on an empty stomach. If you are hungry, you shop with your stomach and are more likely to fill your cart with things that just look good and are not on your list. Oftentimes when you get home,

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