I used to refer to grocery shopping as the “Bain of my Existence”.  The monotony of putting items into a cart, taking them out of a cart to buy them, and then putting them into bags, to put back into the cart, only to take them out of the cart to put them in to the trunk, to take them out of the trunk, out of bags and back on shelves.  Sigh.  It was a chore, my Monday ritual.  Not only was it boring, but my grocery bills seemed to be ever increasing. 

Then, I got “smarter” about how I shopped.  It all started the Monday I decided to shop at a different grocery store…I abandoned convenience and my comfort zone and shopped at a competing grocery store, rumored to be cheaper.  I assumed it would be dark, dirty, cluttered and disorganized with grumpy people working at the check-outs.  I was delighted, however, to find I was mistaken.  Not only did I buy all the same products, but I got them at a lesser cost.  Once I realized that my food budget didn’t necessarily have to continue to rise, I got even smarter about shopping.

The next week I decided to check the store’s advertisements for sale items.  I used a black marker and circled all the items than were on sale that I needed. I created a list.  My shopping experience was transformed into a treasure hunt of sorts; my list became the “map” and the sale items, “clues” that led to my “treasure”…money saved!    I was on a role, so the following week, instead of throwing the “junk mail” containing coupons away, I decided to flip through and clip the coupons for items I used.  Meanwhile, my previous grocery store was trying to get me back, and sent very tempting discount offers.  However, the competing market, accepted this competitor’s coupons, so again, I saved more, and more money! Next, I ditched Mondays as my shopping day and went midweek, when special sales were offered. 

By simply tweaking some of my shopping habits such as, switching grocery stores, previewing sale circulars, making a shopping list, clipping coupons, and shopping midweek, I was able to buy all the same name-brand groceries at a lesser cost, an average of $30.00 cheaper a week; over $100.00 a month!

Next I plan to tackle, meal planning, buying in bulk and coupon websites, to bring my costs down even more.  I still haven’t solved the dilemma of loading and unloading the shopping cart, but I am satisfied with the challenge and benefits of being a “smarter” shopper.

“…be frugal. Labor and frugality lead to prosperity.” – President Gordon B. Hinckley

 By:  Beth

Gordon B. Hinckley, “To the Women of the Church”, Ensign, Nov. 2003, 113-115