What is your Grocery Shopping Personality?

I read an article on woman's day that had the same title as this blog post. My first thought was " what is a grocery shopping personality and do I have one?" It got me thinking about grocery shopping and how efficient I am. Typically, I like to do bulk shopping and pick up the perishables as needed while staying within a certain budget. With a busy schedule, I want to maximize my time so I try to keep my grocery trips to a minimum. I have tried the following tips given by grocery shopping gurus and they have not worked for me

• Shopping at different stores for different things
• Shopping on certain days for certain items
• Clipping coupons every week from the Sunday paper

However, there are some things I have found helpful with my busy schedule which have worked very well for our family.

• Having a consistent food budget: This has helped me shop efficiently and be a mindful shopper while at the grocery store. I compare prices and brands to make sure I am getting the most for my dollar. Because I have a certain budget, i make adjustments only within those limits because once I run out, thats it. 
• Knowing what to buy at the buying club such as Sam's club and Costco:The buying club is my friend and over the years I have learnt what to buy in bulk. I tend to buy certain things once or twice a year such as laundry supplies, batteries, paper goods and dry foods. Click here for an article on the 10 best bulk buying bargains. 
• Keeping coupons of things I buy regularly in my car: I am always available to pick up something we have run out of because I keep coupons in the car. I mainly keep the coupons that are given at the grocery store when you purchase a similar item. 
• Buy the same things often: This helps me not create a new grocery list every time. We have found that the same items can be used to prepare various meals. We try as much to stick to the list because we already know what things cost and can spot a deal without too much effort. 

Back to the grocery shopping personality, I discovered I do not  have one. I may be a wonna-be-planner with a long way to go to the real thing. Check out the article here and discover your grocery shopping personality. If you have some tips that have proven useful for you, please add a comment and share them with the Makuti family.