Today's Adventure: Grocery Shopping

I do most of my grocery shopping at the commissary, taking advantage of one of our many military benefits. It's a 20-minute drive to the store, so I only go every other week or so. In order to maximize my effort, I have created a shopping list that includes the items we purchase, arranged by aisle. I go through the list and check off the items we need. I also have my coupons organized by aisle. Usually I look through the coupons before I go and pull out the ones I am most likely to use that day. When I check an item on the list for which I have a coupon, I place a "C" beside it to remind me that I have a coupon for it.

I also have on the checklist items I typically buy at HEB - tortillas, soy milk, some store brand or generic items that are cheaper there. We pass by HEB on our way home from anywhere, so it makes sense to go there for the items we need in between trips to the commissary.

Some might say Wal-Mart is cheaper than HEB, but I have found that any trip to Wal-Mart encourages buying unnecessary non-grocery items because they are so cheap. Well, those inexpensive, unnecessary items add up to a lot of money needlessly spent.

Others like shopping at wholesale clubs, buying items in bulk. Whereas this might make sense if you have a large family, I believe buying in bulk really just encourages consuming in bulk, whether it's food, paper goods, or whatever. Also, the wholesale clubs sell lots of unnecessary items that people buy up because they are "such good deals".

Smart shoppers only spend money they already have, buy just what's necessary, splurge when they've saved money for it, and use cash so they can feel the impact of their purchases. let's be smart shoppers today!