Making the Most of Grocery Store Trips

Things could change at a moment’s notice, and every trip to the grocery store counts right now. While you still want to be mindful of your budget during these shopping trips, you never know when you might find yourself wishing you had bought another toilet paper package. Fewer trips to the grocery store also mean less of an opportunity to impulse buy. To help you make the most of your grocery trips, here are my best tips to make those trips to the grocery store count!

 

Making the Most of Grocery Store Trips

Stock up while you’re at the store

Take advantage of this downtime to replenish your stockpile and start creating a small stockpile in your home. Ideally, you want to stock up at items at their rock bottom price to last you until the next sale. If you're going to be more cautious, stock up on items that you will need to last roughly three months.

You can save money with a pantry challenge. Find out how!

 

Take advantage of hard to buy items

Chicken, beef, toilet paper, and cleaning products are hard to find, and when you do, there are usually limits on them. It’s okay to do a little store hopping to make sure that you can stock up on those hard to buy items. Ensure that you’re not overbuying more than you need, but stick to the stock up principle to the last tip.

I had luck finding some hard to buy items by putting out a Facebook post in a local group. In hours, I had exactly what I was looking for!

Want to know how to live cheap without feeling cheap? Check this out!

 

Be flexible with your list

It’s important that when you head to the store, you are more flexible with your grocery list. You may not be able to find everything you need, or prices might be inflated on items that used to be relatively cheap. Be flexible with your list as much as you can to avoid having to deal with overinflated prices. For example, if you are looking for a side salad, be open to other options such as prepackaged salad if that’s all you can find.

Secret must-haves of the frugal home! Bet you don't have all of these!

 
Buy ingredients and staples over fully planned meals

Meal planning can be a huge help in helping you stick to your grocery budget, but with the uncertainty of what you’ll find in the store, it might not always be possible. Instead, buying ingredients and staples your family uses at home can help you eliminate many trips to the store by planning meals based on what you have on hand. Only buy ingredients and staples for meals you plan on eating regularly, but if you have shelf-stable items like rice or canned foods, why not add a few extras to your stockpile to avoid making a trip to the store!

 

Aim for more extended periods in between trips

There is a saying that the fewer trips you need to make to the store, the more you will save. This is very true with longer trips too! Instead of buying a week at a time, try two weeks or even a whole month! You may find that you have enough to keep you out of the store for a few months by shopping through your own home stock!

 What's the real cost of the impulse buy? Find out here! And some tips on how to avoid them.

While many of these tips are specific to COVID-19, you can use them whenever you feel uncertain in the grocery store. You may not always have the ability to get what you need, so you need to take advantage of it!

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