5 Grocery Shopping Shortcuts
Before you know it, the holidays will be here and the grocery stores will be mobbed. To help get you in and out quicker, here are five supermarket-shopping shortcuts.
1. Organize your list by grouping items by either type or the store's layout. The latter can take some time, especially if you jot items down by hand as you run out of them. To make it even easier, download a grocery list app on your phone.
2. If you're buying a large amount of soft drinks or water, start at the beverage aisle. This strategy may mean you do some backtracking, but will help you save time in the long run. The heavy, bulky items will go into your cart first, so you won't have to constantly stop and rearrange things to prevent fragile items like bread from being crushed.
Related: Five Bargain-Shopping Secrets
3. Consider bagged produce if you're planning to use several pounds of onions, potatoes, carrots, or parsnips, instead of picking out individual ones. Not having to sift through large bins will definitely save you time. While you're in the produce section, grab a few extra plastic produce bags to wrap around drippy meats, like chicken.
4. Unload the cart by grouping like items together on the conveyor belt. Place frozen foods together and the same for dairy, meat, etc. This way each category will be more than likely bagged together, making it faster for you to unpack once you get home.
Related: 10 Time-Saving Commandments of Grocery Shopping
5. Skip the store and order online. If you're leery of ordering everything online, only purchase products where quality isn't a big issue, such as paper goods and drinks.
What are your top grocery-shopping shortcuts? Let me know in the comments!
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