Today we have a guest post from Francis Lawson. He has found that by preparing for a shopping trip before you reach the store, you can save time and energy. There are some great tips here, and I will definitely be trying to incorporate all of them into my future shopping trips!

Making the Most of Your Grocery Shopping Trip
By Francis Lawson

If, like me, you can think of better things to do with your time than spend it in the supermarkets picking out food, then you will always be on the lookout to make the most of your shopping trips. I’ve finally managed to reduce the amount of times I need to visit the shops and now have more time to spend doing the things I want to do!

Here are my top tips:

• Write a list before you go. This way you can make sure you buy everything you need and not have to go back because you forgot to pick up something essential. This can also help you save money by only buying things you really want. I’ve found that since I’ve started making lists to take with me, I’ve stopped forgetting to pick things up and my shopping trip is much more productive.
• Don’t waste things. Freeze that extra food. Whether it be extra chicken you bought, an extra loaf of bread or the left over spaghetti bolognese, freezing it for a later date will preserve its life and mean it lasts longer. Check guidelines for how long food can be stored in the freezer as different items have different use-by dates. I use sandwich bags to separate chicken breasts before freezing so they don’t get stuck together and I can use one at a time. Food storage boxes are ideal for keeping leftovers intact while in the freezer.
• Buying in bulk  can not only mean that you save money, but you will also have to shop less. Stock up on non-perishable things and store them ready for when you need them, particularly useful if you’ve got the space to store extra items. Things like tinned food, jars and dry pasta usually have a long life on them so can be stored at home. Items like washing powder can also be stored for when you need it, saving on those last minute panic trips to the shop so you can wash your clothes!
  

  Part Baked Bread

• It’s also useful to stock up on food and other items in case of emergencies. Even when you aren’t buying in bulk, putting a small amount of food away for a rainy day is probably sensible, especially in these current, troubled times. Emergencies can be anything from bad weather such as snow or flooding or power outages. For these sort of emergencies it’s also worth stocking up on things such as some tools, equipment and other essentials.
• Milk is one of those daily essentials, so by purchasing the long life type instead of fresh cartons you can store it ready for when you need it. This will mean you have to head to the shops less as your essentials are there ready in your cupboard. I also buy some part baked bread to keep in the cupboard. This usually has a fairly long life on it (at least a month) so I have that on stand-by for when the fresh bread has run out. It saves me having to go to the shop when all I want is some bread to go with my soup.

How do you cut back on how often you shop? Do you have an emergency stash?

This post was contributed by Francis Lawson. He works on behalf of Makro, who are catering equipment suppliers of items such as chef whites, cutlery and all the essentials.