by Barb Hopkins

Created on: March 07, 2008   Last Updated: January 17, 2010

As grocery prices continue to skyrocket, the best way for the average weekly shopper to stay on budget and save money is to shop with a planned list. A shopper who is able to stick to his planned grocery list will ultimately save money and significantly reduce his impulses to purchase items that are not part of his budget.

Making a money-saving grocery list does involve a bit more than just grabbing a piece of scrap paper and jotting down milk, eggs, and bread. Of course if those are the only items you need, do write them down, carry that short list into the market and purchase ONLY those items. Keeping even that short list in hand as you dash through the store after work will help you stick to just the milk, eggs, and bread and avoid the chips, ice cream, and package of on-sale batteries of which you already have three of at home!

As we're all crunched for time, it seems much easier to go to the store and fill our carts with items we think we're out of or will want to use at sometime, maybe, during the week. It's true that sometimes this method is unavoidable but wandering the aisles of the market without a list is a certain recipe to overspend as well as increasing your chances of forgetting an item you really need. Creating a budget-friendly grocery list is a habit we need to get into and should be treated as part of our lifestyle. To consistently avoid impulse purchases and save money, grocery planning needs to become as routine as other household chores like vacuuming or washing clothes.

If you can follow five simple steps, you will save money as well as time at the grocery store while reducing your shopping stress.

(1) Keep track as you run out of items.

On your refrigerator or pantry door post a notepad or whiteboard. During the week as you run low or completely out of an item, write it down on the posted pad immediately. This will give you the beginnings of your list and you won't have to struggle to remember on Saturday what you ran out of on Monday.

(2) Plan your meal menu and create a list rough draft.

It's simply easier to create a list and shop if you have ideas about what you want and need for the week or month. With family and personal schedules that are demanding and hectic, it may seem like planning out meals is a monumental task but it will ultimately save you both time and money. Even if you only know that you want to make spaghetti one night and pork chops on another, write those meals in the right-hand corner of a notebook size piece of paper.

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