Like most people who enjoy saving money, I didn’t know you can save money by simply making a shopping list. Most of the time I use to just ‘go to the store’. Little thought, no planning… just hungry. However, I’ve since discovered you can actually save money by just making a shopping list first. Thinking through what you need and creating a list has the ability to eliminate quite a bit of ‘impulse buying’. Impulse buying is a nasty little thief that can quickly drain your grocery budget if you’re not careful.

How to start making your shopping list

If you’re not sure what you need to buy, first start by creating a list of the food you already have in your kitchen. Second, figure out what you’d like to make for your upcoming meals and what ingredients you need. This is the beginning of your shopping list. You may be surprised at how many meals you can make with what you have on hand. Lastly, set a budget. Then buy the most important items first, continuing down your list until your budget is spent or you’ve gotten all your items. Which ever comes first.

Save by making a better list

Check out our article on how to Save Money by Meal Prepping.  You can get some ideas that may help you make meals easier. Meal Prepping is a train of thought can save you money as well as time. You ever notice that person in the grocery store that walks in and picks up something off the shelf? Then heads straight to the register? They’re saving both money, and time. By knowing what you need ahead of time and putting on blinders to anything else in the store that you don’t need, you can transform your savings as well as your diet. By creating and spending only what’s in your budget, you can save even more. Bottom line is that making a list of the things you need before you go to the store and sticking to it, will save you money.