Grocery Shopping: My Process

One of the things I get asked fairly frequently is "How do you do it" or "What's your process" or even "How do you have time to do all of this"??? So I thought I'd devote a post to telling you just that. I think I might loose the respect of a lot of you, because you're going to find out that what I do - is not that hard. I'm not that organized. I'm not that prepared. But hopefully it will also help you to understand that you can absolutely do what I do, too!

Preliminary Stuff 

1) I try to grocery shop once a week. This is a habit I learned from my mother. The idea is to avoid multiple trips to the store every week. Besides the amount of time it takes to drive to the store, park, and get in/get out - you are much more likely to be tempted to buy things that you don't really need. Cut down that temptation by reducing the opportunity to once a week - when possible.

2) I keep a magnetized notepad on the side of my refrigerator so that I can write down items as they come to mind, or as I notice that we're getting low on a particular item. 

Process

 1) Take list from refrigerator to the computer and review items needed - so I know what to keep an eye out for in particular.

2) Go to savingstar.com and make sure all the current coupons are loaded onto my account (takes about a minute).

3) Go to harristeeter.com and make sure all the current coupons are loaded onto my account (takes about a minute).

4) Go to swagbucks.com. Click on the coupons tab (under the Discover Tab). Click on any coupons for things that I think I might EVER use. Print. *These are the same coupons as the ones on coupons.com. The only difference is that when I use these coupons, I'll get 10 swagbucks for each one!!! (takes about 5 minutes)

5) Go to southernsavers.com and click on the Harris Teeter Tab. Click on the list for the current sales week. Click the boxes by the items that I'd like. If I don't have the coupons that she's listed, I print when there is a link available. (takes about 5 minutes)

6) When I've clicked all the items I want from her list, I scroll to the bottom and click "Create my List".

7) I then take my list from my notepad and manually type in any items that I need that I didn't see in her list. If I have coupons for those items, I type in a note about what my coupon is for - so I don't have to pull out my coupon while I'm shopping. If I've noticed any potential coupon stacks from when I added my electronic coupons on steps 2 and 3, I'll make a note of those too. (may take about 5-10 minutes, depending on how big of a trip I'm making).

8) Print my list and pull out my coupon binder to find the coupons that I will need for my shopping trip, and clip any coupons that I have just printed. (takes about 2-5 minutes - depending on how many I have to cut)

9) Put those coupons and my list in one of my clear zipper pouches that is in the front of my binder.

10) Take my entire binder with me to the store and enjoy my shopping experience.

This is my ideal set-up - but this does not always happen! However, it seriously takes 15-30 minutes to do all of this. At the beginning it'll probably take closer to 30 for you, and as you get more comfortable and familiar, it will take closer to 15! 

 But what usually happens. . .

• I forget to load the e-coupons on harristeeter.com and savingstar.com before I go, but thankfully they have apps for both of those. So I either sit in my car in the parking lot, or in the cereal isle and take 2-3 minutes to upload! Super simple and always worth it! I just loose the benefit of being able to make sure I have coupon stacks (paper coupons w/ e-coupons).
• I don't take the time to cut all of my printed coupons (especially if I printed off a lot). So I just get the 3-hole punch out, punch the holes in the paper, and put them in my binder. I have little scissors in my binder, so I can cut them in the store if I need them. I don't love doing this, because it's awkward - and I'm still a little bit of a bashful couponer. I don't like to draw attention to myself - and this tends to catch people's eyes. But it's the price I have to pay for not cutting and organizing my coupons ahead of time. 
• I totally forget about my list on the side of the refrigerator. So frustrating! But, the hope/plan is that I'm buying things ahead of time so that even if I forget an item for a week or two, I'm not to the point of running out of it. I maintain that keeping the list is important, regardless of whether or not I ever remember it. Just writing things down helps to solidify them in your memory! 

So don't get discouraged! It's a process! The important thing is to do what you can! The goal is to save money, but that's pointless if you're adding stress! Baby steps. . .