Grocery Shopping is a Life Skill

Posted by Diane Laney Fitzpatrick Jul 26, 2007

When I first became a stay-at-home mom, no one told me I would have to become an expert at my least favorite chore, grocery shopping.

When I worked, I would stop at the store on my way home from work on Fridays and throw random packages into a cart until my pumps started to hurt my feet, whereupon I’d go home and be happy with whatever we had in the house.

Now that I’m a stay-at-home, I’m expected to fine-tune that process into a lean, mean path of coupons, frequent buyer cards, and a grocery list that I print off of my computer.

But regardless of who you are and how much money you have, it’s just silly to pay more than you have to for groceries. As much as I’d love to walk into a store and just pick up whatever I want without digging through my purse for coupons, comparing prices, and checking sale racks first, I can’t do it.

But then again, I get excited about a 50-cent-off coupon for Advil. And it takes me more than an hour to get through the grocery store. I fill a cart to the overflowing point, just to avoid more than one trip per week.

If you’re looking to save some money and time on grocery shopping, check out Efficient Grocery Shopping.

And if you’re trying to shop with children in tow, good luck and may the Force be with you. When shopping with children, it’s a small miracle if you end up with anything more than a cart full of empty boxes and wrappers. Kids can open and eat snacks in the shopping cart faster than you can get through the produce department.

If you have any secrets for successful grocery shopping, start a discussion on our discussion page and share your tips with us.