by Lisa Web

Created on: December 06, 2009

Tips for buying and putting away groceries. Something most of us do at least once a week, or more often. We run to the store, buy what we think we need, and get home to put it away before it gets warm, or cold. Here are some tips to help you more efficiently grocery shop and store your groceries.

START AT HOME:

1. Go through your pantry and organize the items you do have. Remove anything that is expired, or will go unused. Donate what you can and toss the rest. Organize your pantry in a way that will work for you. One way to organize is by asiles of the grocery store. Canned, pasta, cereals, etc. all together. Another way is alphabetical, by how they are packaged, or by meal. Don't forget to organize your personal care items, paper goods, and cleaning supplies as well.

2. Make sure you have enough room. If you have a small pantry, or just cabinets, storage may be an issue. It may help to store items in a different location, especially if you purchase in bulk or stock up on sale items. For this a set of metal storage shelves in a cool, dry place is perfect. Make sure that you pull items from your "extra storage" to fill your pantry, and stock your newly purchased items in the extra storage, to avoid spoilage.

3. Once you are organized, make a grocery list. This should be a master list of things that you buy often. Add things like milk, eggs, butter, bread and other staples. Add other items that you purchase often. You will want to leave room for any special items that you need to add to your list. It is easiest to have your list organized in the same manner as you have organized your pantry. This will make quick work of taking a look to see what you need, as you move down the shelves, you move down your list. Having a shopping list is essential to savings at the grocery store.

AT THE STORE:

1. Now that you have an organized pantry and list, shopping should be easy. Stick to your list, and add items in the order you have them on your list. It is easy to be drawn by snack or impulse items, and even sale prices. Stick to your list for your budget purposes. Stores have impulse items everywhere, knowing that many people go shopping hungry, with children, or in a rush. To avoid these impulse items, shop on a full stomach, follow your list, and have the least amount of distractions possible. Even if that means finding a sitter for the kids.

2. When purchasing and bagging your groceries it helps to unload the cart in the same order that you shopped in, however in reverse.

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