Time-Saving Tuesday

I don't know many people who enjoy spending lots of time in the grocery store. Moms of young children especially don't want to spend any more time than absolutely necessary in the grocery store. So our time saving tip for this Tuesday will hopefully cut down the amount of time you spend wandering the aisles with kids in tow.

Everyone knows it's helpful to make a list before you go to the store, but this tip takes it one step further. Write out your list with the layout of your store in mind. If each time you walk through the store you follow the same pattern--produce, meats, dressings/pastas, canned goods, baking items, cereal, breads, juices, dairy, cleaning products, frozen goods--then write out your list in that order. It doesn't make sense to write all your frozen goods first with a few produce items thrown in. You'll be walking back and forth the whole time (and you'll likely spend more money as you see things you "must have".) Many grocery stores offer "store maps" or lists that tell you what items are in which aisles. Ask at the service counter if you can't remember the store layout at home and next time you write out your grocery list use the store map. Often I keep a running list on my fridge of items we need, then as I prepare to go to the store I rewrite that list with the store layout in mind.

Just yesterday I had a reminder of why this is important to do. I hadn't written my list out for the store I was going to. I made countless trips back and forth across the store with 3 increasingly cranky kids. If I had taken just a few minutes of time before we left home to write out my list in order we would have saved time (and lots of frustration) in the store.

Have a time saving tip you use? We'd love to hear it!