Time Saving Tips: At the Grocery Store

Grocery shopping is often a dreaded experience for many. Not only do we spend hundreds of dollars per trip, but also hours in stores. Our time is valuable, so to increase productivity at the grocery store, keep in mind these time-saving tips.

• Set aside one day a week at a certain time to do your main grocery shopping. Write that day in your calendar.
• Go at a non-peak time. Pick a time when your favorite store is usually well stocked, but not too busy. You can navigate the aisles easier.
• Go shopping when your energy is at its best. It's best to do all your tiring and tedious activities when you have the most energy. Find out what works for you.

• Let your master list be your master. Rather than taking so long to think of what to buy, have a master list posted on your wall or corkboard for quick reference before you shop.
• Have one master list for perishables that you can buy weekly and another one for dry goods that you can buy monthly. If you have the storage space, once a month go to a warehouse or discount store and stock up on all of the nonperishable goods and freezer items your family will need for the upcoming month. As much as possible, limit your weekly shopping to perishable items.
• Make copies of this list and put them in a notebook with your favorite recipes and weekly menu plans. Each week, put one copy of the list on the fridge or some other place where all of the family members can see it. Once a week, on your designated grocery day, do your shopping based on your meal plans and your shopping list. Then put out a new list on the fridge for the upcoming week.
• Go to one-stop shops. Some stores just seem to have it all while others run out of so many items. Shop around for stores which contain all items you regularly need – including Kahiki products! – then patronize that one complete store so that you won’t waste time hopping around.

• Map out your list according to your favorite store’s layout. The main advantage of being a loyal patron of one store is that you get to memorize its floor plan and thus can navigate your way around very quickly. Another advantage would be that with this layout in your mind, you can list down ingredients accordingly.
• Obey your list. If you stick to your list, you wouldn’t waste much time stopping at this or that item. Shopping would be fast and clean and right within your budget. But if you are prone to looking at sale items which are not in your list, set time and price limits – perhaps no more than 5 minutes and no higher than $50.
• Consider going to a smaller store that has baggers at each checkout. It's amazing how much more time it can take when the cashier does the bagging.
• Ask for help. Inquire if your grocery bagger can bring your bags to your vehicle and pack them in for you. And when you get home, make arrangements for someone to be there to help you. Or just bring in the perishables first, and go back for the other food later.

Be sure that while you’re saving all this time, you don’t forget to add Kahiki products to your list to save time on meal preparation!