6 Tips For Getting Out Of The Grocery Store In 10 Minutes Or Less
July 1, 2010
•Le Cordon Bleu
•Minneapolis/St. Paul
• 0 Comments
Mapping Your Way In And Out Of The Grocery Store In 10 Minutes Or Less
Grocery shopping is just one of those things in life that you just love (rare) or hate (far more common). If you fall into the second category, don’t worry you are not alone. Many people’s hatred of the grocery store is deeply ingrained. Often, your first grocery store experience as a kid resulted in a lot of waiting around, being scolded for jumping or standing in the cart and having your teeth chatter in the chilly produce section. Well, once you become an adult, it still isn’t all that fun and you don’t even get a lollypop at the end if your good– bummer.
If you go in with a plan, you will be able to cut down on the amount of time you spend wandering aimlessly down the aisles and you’ll avoid that feeling of getting home only to realize you’ve forgotten the main ingredient of tonight’s dinner.
Follow theses take-the-pain-out-of-grocery-shopping tips and you’ll be in and out in no time.
1. Make a list of meals you plan on cooking in the next week or two Search the web or sort through your favorite recipe books and decide what you want to make for dinner. Though it seems a bit painstaking, charting out your meal plan will actually make the rest of your week less stressful, including the trip to the store. When you know what you need ahead of time, you will know where to go and what to get. Simply write down all the ingredients you need for the recipes and you’re good to go.
2. Never go shopping on an empty stomachWhen you are hungry and have no food in the house, it seems to make sense to go grocery shopping. In actuality, this is one of the worst decisions if you don’t want to be walking the aisles forever. Not only will your blood sugar levels be low, making it difficult to concentrate, but everything will look overwhelmingly good causing you to over shop and over spend. Even if you are in a hurry, it pays to pull over and grab a quick bite to eat before you venture into the jungle of overwhelming food options that await you.
3. Divide the items on your list Once you’ve decided all the necessary ingredients you will need, divide these up by the sections they will be in at the grocery store. For example, lump all your meats, dairy, dry goods into their own easy to see sections so you can easily check off the whole section on your list. Nothing is worse than getting all the way over to the produce section just to realize you never grabbed that jug of milk on the other side of the store.
4. Coupon clippingEven when you have your neat little list in front of you, simple items come in many different varieties and brands. Comparing prices while you are in the store can cost you some valuable time. Keep an eye out for the coupon section in your local paper or the flyers you receive in the mail. With these in hand, agonizing over the right brand is no longer an option.
5. Shop aloneThough this is not always a feasible feat, shopping alone will allow you to focus without your kids or significant other grabbing things you may have already added to the cart or carrying on a conversation that will distract you from the task at hand. It’s great to get the family’s input on what they want to see in the cupboard, just do it before you get to the store, when you can neatly add it to your list.
6. Avoid common shopping timesTraffic jams and cart collisions can be just the thing to hold you up, even when you have everything mapped out that you need. Worse yet, after making your way through the madhouse, you have to wait in a long line. Try going early in the morning or late at night before closing and you will have the whole place to yourself.
This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Minneapolis/St. Paul offers culinary arts and pâtisserie and baking training programs in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota area. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit
Chefs.edu/Minneapolis-St-Paul for more information.