Episode 119 How to Avoid Multiple Grocery Trips

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How many times do you go to the grocery store each week? My goal is to go twice a week. I like to do a big shopping trip at the beginning of the week and a small trip for more produce and sometimes fresh fish at the end of the week.

But in reality, I can often go to the store many times a week.

Part of that is because I live five minutes from 9 grocery stores and it is just too easy to get to the store.

I also have to manage more than just the food for my family of six. I have to manage the food for the recipe testing, photos, and video production for the website.

Today I have 2 big tips to help you make fewer trips to the grocery store.

1- Keep a well-stocked pantry.

• Having a well-stocked pantry means you don’t need to run to the store for staples. It also helps you make substitutions in recipes. If you don’t have penne pasta, you can substitute rotini or another shape from the pantry.
• In episode 108 I talked about how I like to do a deep-dive shopping trip once a quarter to stock my pantry with basics.
• If you have a tight budget, you may want to do this once a month rather than once a quarter.
• Have a system for keeping track of items that are getting low.
• Have a system for rotating pantry basics so items don’t get stuck in the back of the pantry unused.

2- Plan

• When you plan your meals at the beginning of the week, you know the ingredients you need to buy at the store. There is less guessing at the grocery store and you can purchase exactly what you need.
• Get the free Weekly Meal Planning Sheet
• I understand if you like to go to the store to get inspired or to shop sales. That is okay, but make a plan first. You can adapt your plan if you find a good deal in the store.
• If you don’t have a plan when you go to the store you will likely end up making the same foods over and over and you will need to go back to the store to get extra items to complete recipes.

Extra trips to the grocery store waste time. Even when you are close to the store, you have to get in the car, drive there, park, and drive back home. A “quick run” to the store takes more time than you think. These tips will help you be more prepared and make fewer trips to the store each week.

Marie Fiebach is a married mother of four active kids. She helps busy families plan and execute weeknight dinner so they can recapture a little calm in the crazy. You can see her every week on KAKE TV’s Good Morning Kakeland or listen to the Feed Your Family Tonight Podcast.

Click here for a transcript.