How to save on groceries even when you're tired

by Jill Cooper

(Reprinted with permission from The Dollar Stretcher. Together, Jill and Tawra Kellam run Living On A Dime, where they offer great advice for frugal living. We love this piece on grocery shopping, full of great advice for tired Babes. And these tips can be applied to other errands, like department store shopping or going to the farmers market. - The Editrix)

Jill,
I have fibromyalgia and a host of other ailments, most of them chronic. There are days when I just want to grab the first things I see and get out of the store and back home to rest. How do you get your shopping done for the week without killing yourself and destroying your budget in the process?
- Robbi

I know it can be very hard to go to the grocery store when you are sick. My daughter Tawra and I both have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and once went, parked in the store parking lot and had to turn around and drive right back home because we were too exhausted after just making the short drive to get there. Boy, did we feel dumb. Here are a couple of ideas that may help a little.

First, always keep a list. That may be hard because for me, by the time I find a pencil, I usually forget what I was going to write down. HA!HA! The list helps you not only to remember things, but also helps you decide what to buy. I am usually so sick at the store that nothing sounds good, so making myself buy just what is on my list helps.

I also go to the smallest grocery store in my area. Walking up and down long isles just kills me. I like Aldi's because it not only helps me save money but also it is smaller.

You may find it easier to buy a month's worth of staples all at once and then just go once a week to buy the fresh items. The fresh items are on the outside wall of most grocery stores so I can sometimes walk that distance if I don't have to go up and down each isle where the staples are.

Make a floor plan of your store. When you buy items that always seem hard to find (for me it is syrup), make a note of the location on your floor plan. Then you don't have to wear yourself out wandering the isles aimlessly.

Some superstores will match the prices of their competitors' ads. I take my ads in and purchase all my loss leader sale items at one store. Then I don't have to go from store to store purchasing the exceptional deals. I can get the sale price all at one store. Ask if your store will do this and it can save time and money.

To help save money, ask your butcher when he marks down the meat. The same goes for produce and bakery items. That way, you can plan to do your shopping when the bargains are right there. You don't have to go hunting for them.

Keep you meals simple. Don't feel guilty if you get to the grocery store and only have the energy to buy milk and cereal. Guilt drains you. Once I stopped fighting and feeling guilty about what I couldn't do and what other people would think about what I wasn't doing, I actually started having some good days.

Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam are frugal living experts and the editors of Living On A Dime. This article is just one of many excellent tips found at The Dollar Stretcher.

Posted: 8/25/2006 in Coping

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How to save on groceries even when you're tired