I'm trying to streamline and maximise the time I spend shopping. I want to spend as little time as I can in the supermarket and I want top results and the best savings.

I've tried shopping at various times - for me shopping first thing in the morning is the best time. If I get there at 8am when the store opens, I can get a car park close to the main entrance, I get to talk to assistants about products while they put out the fresh produce and the checkout queue is very short.

I tried shopping once a month thinking this would reduce the amount of money I spent. Less time in the supermarket = less money spent. It didn't work. I found I would run out of things, even if I made thorough list. I also had to go to the fruit and veg shop to buy fresh produce, so this defeated the once a month thing.

I tried fortnightly shopping for 6 weeks before I went back to weekly shopping. I find this works best for me. I can buy everything I need for a week and don't need to return to the store at all until the following week.

But this time when I returned to weekly shopping, I found a better way to do it. I go with a shopping list and buy everything on that list, plus I cruise the aisles for good specials that I might need in the following few weeks or for my stockpile.

What I do now is I make a list of everything I've run out of during the previous week. When I open the last package of whatever, I enter it on my list for replacement. I have a list of permanent items that I must buy every week. These things - butter, milk, cheese, fruit and vegetables, meat, fish etc - are permanently on the list. I also add things to the list that I might need IF the price is right.

So I do my shopping as normal, starting at the bread/cake/fruit and vegetable section and then I go through every aisle. I buy the items on my list as I go and I check out every item that has a 'special' tag on it as I walk through the aisles. If I think I need it for my stockpile or will use it in the following week or two , and it will keep, I buy it IF the special price is a good one. If I don't think the special price is good enough, I leave it and get it another time. If it's on my list for replacement, I buy it straight away.

I've been shopping like this since November and I've cut down my grocery bill by about 25%. I've found that now I'm able to replace most things from my pantry now as I've built up quite a lot of what I use frequently. That gives me enough time to wait for each item to come on special again before I replace it. I've noticed too that most items go on special about every 4 - 6 weeks.

Another thing I do is to change brands frequently. I don't stick with one brand just because I've always bought it. If the same product is cheaper in another brand, I buy it.

I used to think shopping was just a walk through and buy kind of thing. I know now that you can save money by examining how you shop and use products and by tailoring your shopping to suit your style.

How do you shop? Are you a grab and run shopper or do you have some tips to share that work for you?

I shop fairly similar to how you do. The must haves and then stock up on the loss leaders. It looks odd buying 12 jars of peanut butter sometimes though!

Here's what we used to do, and we're trying to get back in the habit of. Our grocery store runs sales Sun through Sat. So we would go every other weekend - on Sat and then again on Sun - so we could catch all of them items on sale - if we forgot something, we knew we could go back the next day, or if we weren't sure if we needed something, we could go home and check and come back the next day - also helps to resist temptation knowing that we'd be back tomorrow. Otherwise, it would keep us out fo the store for two weeks.

I keep a running list on the fridge of what we're out of, and bring it with me.

I, basically, do what you do. I shop weekly, and I have a list of the fridge that I add to when I run out of things. I shop on Fridays, but there are times when I have to run to the store for something.

Something else I do: The night before going shopping I look at my list, and then look through my coupons to see if I have a coupon for an item on my list. Also, if a coupon is about to expire for things we buy often, but don't necessarily need at the moment (shampoo, etc), I go ahead and pick it up with the coupon. Or I'll use a coupon combined with a sale going on, for extra savings, for something we may not need at that moment, but will later.

that's an excellent tip, jennifer. Thanks for adding it.

I usually have to shop at five different stores to get the items that I want at the prices that I am willing to pay. So I have split my shopping up into two week segments. On pay week I hit the bulk food store and the huge superstore that are the farthest away from me. At the same time I can hit Walmart for all of the stuff I need there. On the way home I do a major shop at our local grocery store. They post their specials on line so I can see before I get there what the deals are. Then on Fridays I go to the produce store, discount store (and the library) which are on the other side of town. Week two which is the week when DH doesn't get paid but I have my babysitting money, I only need to stock up on milk, fresh produce and specials only. I don't usually buy meat this week.

I only shop with my list and I plug my budget for that trip into my calculator and then subtract each item. When it hits zero I am done.

whoa! I like the sound of your calculator hint, Chriss. That would be a great thing to do when you've only got a certain amount of money for that particular shopping trip or if you're on a very tight weekly budget.

thanks for your input!

We have also tried monthly, fortnightly and weekly shopping but have very recently discovered that the best thing for us is to go every 4 days.

It does sound like a drag and I never though DH would say yes, but even he has said that it's a better system.

The kind of meals I cook seem to fall into 2 categories, either potato-based or tomato-based, so I do a 4 day meal plan (I usually put 5 or 6 dishes on it so there's a bit of flexibility) and we buy the ingredients for either plan "P" or plan "T".

I check my prices and sales online before I start my meal plan so if there are any good sales I can adapt my list so it still comes in around my budget (I keep an extra £10 a month back to allow for sales or other purchases). I write the price I've seen online next to each item on my list so I will know how well I'm doing pricewise.

I used to do the weekly shopping trip, combined with a detailed list. But now I mostly shop the sales as they change, which is weekly but sometimes I have to go more than once a week. I do stock up on the sale items and get the better prices even so. I've found that if I'll shop the sale items and stock up I can buy most of our groceries here in our small town at our overpriced store for less than I can run to the nearest town once a week and buy them for.

I had really hoped to shop once every two weeks, especially since we don't live 'just around the corner' from the stores anymore, but it's not working out that way for a few reasons.

The health food store has a sales circular that is good for a 2 week period. They have thrown me off-track in the past few weeks though (I suppose due to the holidays) by not having a 'sale' for a week and thus not having the sales circulars come out on the schedule I expected. I also find that it's best if I go the first day of the sale if there is a really good deal (like organic butter buy one get one free) or they will run out that on the first day and not have it in stock the rest of the 2 week period (:confused: ) and then I have to deal with getting rain checks which have to be signed by a manager, blah, blah, blah. I also have found I can't go right when they open, especially on the first day of the sale, because they don't set up the night before - they wait until that morning so they don't have the price stickers on the shelves, don't have all the items out, etc. They have also gotten really bad about not having basics that I need in stock when I go (like organic milk) which results in another trip for me. And, they have had some problems with their freezer case over the last couple of months - the temp has gone haywire and they've had to toss everything which has meant I've had to make unplanned trips to go back and get what I needed once the new shipment arrived. I do hop online the first day of the new sale every 2 weeks and look at the sales circular (we don't receive it in our newspaper because we don't live in their 'target' area :rolleyes: ). I've shopped there so long that I know in my head the regular prices for items and I know when a 'sale' price is truly a good one. I make a list of everything that's a good deal and get out any coupons that I have for those items to take along. I do go up and down every aisle in the store because they do have unadvertised sales that aren't in the circular. I take all my coupons along with me, but leave them in the car (so I'm not carrying in a huge amount) and I can run out easily and grab what I need if it turns out there is a sale I didn't know about.

I do shop at WalMart - ugh! I really do not like that store - but I do limit it to every 2 weeks. They have the lowest price on the organic cheeses we buy and the lowest price on Morningstar/Boca products. Target is an even further drive away for me now so I do use WM for other personal care/household purchases as well to save time and gasoline. I have a list and only spend enough time in the store to get what I need and then go (much to the protests of ds who wants to stop and look at everything).

There are 2 other grocery stores I shop, but not on a weekly or even bi-weekly basis. It all depends on what is in their sales circulars. Neither has unadvertised sales so I just make a list from the circulars, go in and get it over with quickly.

I also shop at Sam's (warehouse club) generally once a month, but sometimes it's twice a month (depending on if we've had to order contacts and then go back a couple of weeks later to pick them up when they've come in or something like that). There are certain things I buy there so I don't spend time really wandering all over the store (although I do every now and then to see what new things they have added).

There is also a produce stand I stop by fairly near my home and I just stop by there on my way home on whatever day I've gone shopping.

I just buy loss leaders with the exception of basics like milk, eggs, etc. and plan my meals based on what I have available in my pantry and freezers rather than shop based on a meal plan I have created.

I do carry a calculator with me and try to add up the total as I go so I can determine whether or not the total at the checkout is accurate - it gets a little tricky sometimes, especially when using coupons and some things are taxable and some are not, and some stores take the coupon off before tax and some take it off after tax, etc. but for the most part I can catch an error before I pay. I do try to watch as the cashiers scan the items and coupons, but some are super fast and then ds is usually pestering me about something (can he have a candy bar, can he have a penny for the wishing fountain, etc. LOL) so I can't always focus on the screen and watch.

One thing I started doing this month was keeping a page in my frugal notebook where I list my goal amount at the top and then any time I make a purchase I list that amount and subtract it away and show the amount I have remaining. I have $3 left to spend this month and no plans to buy anything (let's hope dh doesn't blow that!). I think doing that has really helped me because this is the first month I haven't overspent!

that's a good idea to list your shopping amount goal, Kim.

Like you I shop at an organic supermarket for many items. I tend to do this once a month as all my organic stuff is bread flour, tea, coffee, spices, oats, barley etc. and stuff I can buy in bulk. The organic supermarket here never has specials. It's always the same price the only time they vary their prices is in their fruit and vegies. We use all organic toiletries too, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, deodorant, body wash, moisturiser. All these I get from our store at wholesale prices.

I shop weekly too!

I have two lists. One permentent list for all food we every eat plus coffee filters. List #2 is for things we need that week.

On friday night I go through the fliers and map out were I need to go on sunday. Then I have my envelope system where I mark the sotre name and list of things i'll buy from there and add the coupons into them. On sunday mornings I go to the stores with my list and my perment list of all things we ever use. This allows me to stock pile if something we use is on sale. I don't buy things that are not on my perm. list. This also helps when i come across a sale like: take 8 dollars off a bill of $50 or more. I'll stock up on things we use for sure until I get to the $50 mark.

I go every Tuesday morning -- the last day of our sales -- between morning Mass, which gets out at 9:30; and going to the library, which opens at 10.

I mostly go 'cherry picking' -- get the good stuff on sale and stock up. Ignore what's not on sale, unless there's no help for it. For example, this week, Kroger-brand salad dressing is on sale for $1/bottle. I'll pick up 6 or 8 bottles. But I won't buy any butter; I have 6 lbs in the freezer.

About once a month, we go to Sam's Club for a stock up run.

And the SHARE co-op (www.sharecolorado.com) has a monthly distribution day. I placed an order in Jan for Feb delivery.

For most of my stockpile items and canned goods I go to a liquidation store that's right around the corner from my work. I go once every two months.

For most of my meat (chicken) and other bulk items I go to Costco once a month.

For my main groceries and staples DH and I go to the grocery store once a week. Each of us carry a hand basket and the main things we buy are fresh veggies, milk, half and half, flour, cheese, and a few other food items. We usually only shop the outside isles of the stores and never buy processed foods.

I shop every week. With the exception of milk, I buy ONLY what is on sale. I compare each stores ad to my coupons. Stock up when I find a good price. Last week, I bought 10 cans of coffee (it was $1 a can). I do this with everything. I plan meals around what is in my freezer or pantry. When I hit a good sale on cereal, I will buy 12 or more boxes. With double coupons, I never pay more than $1.50 for ANY CEREAL. I buy whatever produce is on sale that week, for example, this week it was 3 lbs. of apples for $1.49, 3 lb. bag of onions for 99¢, 10 lbs. of potatoes for $1.49, fresh express bag salad for 99¢, and baby carrots for 99¢. The only exceptions to this rule are bananas (which are always 49¢ a lb. or less) and onions, which I will buy if I am out and they are not on sale.

I have cut our grocery budget by more than half with these shopping strategies. I do shop at ALDI for some items, about once a month. Their prices are always very low.

I get many items for free by combining sales with doubled coupons. I also combine coupons with closeout or clearace priced items. I got 14 FREE full size tubes of toothpaste at Target this week. Also 10 boxes (a year's supply) of haircolor at Walgreen's for 19¢ a box (reg. price $8.99). I take my coupon binder with me EVERY TIME I LEAVE THE HOUSE. You just never know when you will stumble across a great unadvertised special like the two mentioned above. This month I have also stocked up on Cover Girl and Max Factor cosmetics by combining coupons and clearance at Walgreen's.

Since I started stockpiling, I no longer go weekly to the grocery store. I go whenever I run out of milk and eggs. If I have time, then I go through the ads and check out the bargains. Since we only have my income right now, I'm trying to eat off my stockpile. So far, we've had plenty to eat. Now, I'm curious how long I can go before I really need to stock up at the store again. It's kinda turned into a game.

We shop weekly (with a list) for groceries. I shop monthly with a list for non-groceries (toliet paper, personal care items, etc.).

We're pretty boring eaters...shopping from a list is a "so we don't forget" thing as opposed to a "so we don't spend lots of extra" thing. We might occasionally see something we'd like that's not on the list (and often is on sale). That's fine.

I love grocery shopping! Isn't that strange? :toothy: It's probably because I love cooking, so it's sort of like fabric shopping for someone who loves to sew.

I generally go weekly, but I have enough of a stockpile that I'm not forced to if the weather is bad. I like to top up on the freshies: eggs, veggies, etc.

The bigger (further away) grocery stores have their flyers online, so I jot down the specials and try to pick the store that maximizes what I need vs good sales. Since I have to take a bus, it's usually just one store I'll visit.

My local discount store doesn't post its flyer, but it's walking distance, so if the specials at the big stores aren't worth my $4.50 in return bus fare, I'll just go there. Sometimes I'll go anyway, just to cherry pick. :) It's only a block from where I work.

As for the actual shopping, I get what's on my list, plus I'll cruise for markdowns. I almost always have time when I get home to "process" aging reduced items.

I shop monthly from a strict list and shop at Aldis, good thing hubby likes their munchies :) I've found that this really is the most economical way for us and keeps the bill way down. We don't drind a lot of milk so I portion it out in 2 cup containers and freeze it.


I'm also lucky in that we have two freezers full of beef/veggies and I go monthly to the thrift store for bread and freeze.

I've got free range chickens for eggs.

kj

I keep an eye out for sales and will stock up if the sale is good enough.
I go first thing in the morning because the stores put out their clearance bins and it's gone within an hour(last week I got a package of bacon and 3 pkgs of lunch meat for .50 each)
I walk. We don't have a car so I walk the 6 blocks with the kids and the wagon once a week. 3 of the 4 stores I usually shop at are all together and the other on is another 2 blocks. Doing this also stops me from buying things I don't need because I don't want to pull a heavy wagon home and there is only so much room for groceries.

I can tell you we all have to spend in life, we just don't have to do it compulsively anymore if we work a good recovery program. Whenever I shop it is by the direction of a pre-planned list. No list ~ No shopping, it is that simple. I go to the shops only on the list and buy what is on the list and that is it.

I don't walk down every aisle in the store twice like I used to wondering if I am missing out on something. In the past, I used to shop for a hobby, now I have many hobbies that are healthy and don't revolve around shopping and producing more clutter snd debt.

When I am done shopping, I leave the store and don't window shop the mall or wonder which store I can go into next to find that elusive missing link to happiness that can never be bought anyway. If I want some walking exercise I go to the gym or a school track or on a hike, but I don't "mall walk" for exercise.

All purchases are discussed with my family ahead of time as "hiding behavior" is a signpost for many addicts they are headed in the wrong direction.

I get paid bi weekly and try to do all my required shopping that weekend, saving money for the next weeks groceries and then shop again on Thursday or Friday evening.

So I essentially try to grocery shop weekly (it is what works best for me as I have a short attention span and lack of creativiity in the kitchen) but needed stuff....garbage bags, cat litter, cat food, toiletries etc are stocked up on one of those bi weekly shops as needed.

I find that if I stick to this as closely as possible, it keeps me out of the stores and there is less temptation. I am someone who can go into a store with a whole lot of determination to get just a loaf of bread but usually come out with everything I think I need but the loaf of bread. :)

Wow, this thread has been around awhile.
Thanks to whoever "bumped" it.:flowers:

I enjoyed reading everyone's experiences and systems, especially since that is one area of my life that I'm also working on right now.
I'm also trying to pare down my shopping to the most money saving system.

Right now I'm working with my main shopping trip to be only done once monthly. But I'm finding out that while this works well for us for the bulk of our purchases, if I don't make at least one short weekly trip, I'll miss out on alot of really great deals.
Just like this weekend, Kroger had a 10/$10.00 sale of their Colgate toothpaste. I got them for free after using my $1.00 off coupons.
If I hadn't decided to make an unnecessary trip just to buy the toothpaste I would have missed out on a really great buy.

So, what I think that I may need to do is to put x number of $ aside to spend soley on weekly sale purchases and then leave the rest of my budget for my main monthly shopping trip.

Great posts everyone!

I shop more than one way.

I buy my beef and pork yearly. Chickens every 4 months, potatoes every 3 months.

Then the rest is weekly.

I make very detailed menu plans. Main course to side dishes and dessert if I'm planning(rare event). I also am fine tuning a lunch shopping list. This is great for the school year. It also means planned baking etc. We're working on cooked breakfasts for this year. trying to find the right mix so all the kidlets eat. Cooked is cheaper than cereal, and healthier too.

What I do is shop weekly. Recently, I reduced our budget to $300 a month from $400 by making the non-payday weekly shopping a "fill in the blank" rather than a stock up shopping.

I plan my meals by the week or day, depending on what's in the freezer, fridge, etc. and needs to be eaten. (For example, last night's dinner was chili: LO cooked ground turkey, LO dirty rice, LO pepper, LO onion, chili powder, water, oil, cheese, tomato paste, can of beans.)

Also, I work at a farm stand, so I might bring home whatever is particularly good/cheap the days I work too.

I shop multiple markets sales (I use mygrocerydeals.com for this) on stockup weeks.

Something I have NOT seen in this thread: before I buy anything else, when I walk in a market, I go from the salvage produce bin, to the deli ends bin, to the markdown cheeses, to the day old bread bin FIRST, and pick up whatever might suit us. THEN I go through my multi-store list and cross off whatever I just picked up. (Grapes last week.) Only then do I go through my list for that market.

When I worked in a "big" town, I went shopping twice a week: the day the ads started, so that I could get the best of the loss leaders and the last day of the ads, so I could get rain checks for something we'd really use. I did NOT get rain checks for any/everything, just the items that were regulars on my list.

Judi