Fast N Fresh

Keep things stocked for quick-n-easy meals.
Easy meals for us might be spaghetti or mac-n-cheese or a quick stir-fry. We’ve always got the ingredients on hand, so we can whip something up fast when we’re feeling lazy.

Have a budget.
When I go to the store, I know exactly how much I can spend. Then I try my best to stick within that limit. If you don’t know how much you can spend, you’ll certainly spend too much.

Plan out a weekly menu.
This is the best way to ensure that your list is complete, and that you have enough to serve your family dinner for the week. I often plan a weekly menu and then duplicate it for the next week this way I can shop for two weeks at once. Be sure to plan a leftovers night.

Always Grab Meat and Dairy Items Last
When you plan a longer shopping trip, consider what items could lose their cool. On lengthy shopping trips, begin in the produce section and end in the dairy or meat aisles, as those products can spoil if left in a non-chilled environment for too long.

Always Grab Meat and Dairy Items Last
When you plan a longer shopping trip, consider what items could lose their cool. On lengthy shopping trips, begin in the produce section and end in the dairy or meat aisles, as those products can spoil if left in a non-chilled environment for too long.
Also, explore the list of polite habits that grocery store employees secretly dislike.

Bring Your Own Bags
Bringing your own reusable totes is good for the environment (who needs another plastic bag anyway?). Some stores even offer discounts for every reusable bag that you bring into the store.

Shop Alone When You Can
Similar to never shopping while hungry, it’s also a good idea to avoid shopping in a group. When you’re running out with people to grab food for a party, think about how many leftovers you’ll have by the end of the night. Likewise, shopping with kids can turn into a candy-coated, ice cream-drizzled, Cosmic Brownie smorgasbord (you know those stores are strategically shelving sugary sweets at a kid’s eye level). By the time you get home, you may not even remember what was on the original list to begin with.

Shopping alone when possible can help you stay focused on the food you need, spend less money and spend less time in the store—an all-around win.

Never Shop Hungry
On top of making it hard to concentrate, being hungry while grocery shopping can potentially cause an increase in your spending. Past research has proved that shopping for food on an empty stomach is a pricey risk. Hungry shoppers have the potential to buy items they don’t need or to fill their cart with unhealthy snacks. Instead, shop after meals or take along a healthy snack to enjoy while you shop.

Always Shop with a List
It’s easy to think you’ll remember every item you need once you’re browsing the store, but in the hustle and bustle of shopping, there’s bound to be something you forget. If you hate throwing away food, then shop smarter and curb food waste by having a shopping list in hand.

Before you leave home, take stock of your pantry items and make sure you’ve got things like olive oil, pasta and other staples. Meal planning before your shopping trip will help you know what to grab instead of standing in the freezer section planning five days of meals in your head. Plus, making a list beforehand lets you shop more efficiently since, you know, grocery stores set traps for consumers to purchase more than they need.

Never Shop on Sunday Afternoons
From shoppers strolling in after church to procrastinators hitting the store before the weekend is over, Sundays are one of the most crowded times at grocery stores. Doing major shopping at peak hours is a bad idea; it’s never fun to fight the crowds, endure long lines and have to browse picked-over produce bins.

Instead, plan your bigger, pantry-stocking grocery runs for the off hours. Lower-traffic grocery store hours are typically first thing in the morning, late in the evening, and during the week.

A bowl of oatmeal a day, keeps the doctor away!

America's favorite cheeses.
Cheddar.
Mozzarella.
Swiss.
Colby Jack/Monterey Jack and Pepper Jack.
Provolone.
Blue cheese.
Brie.