grocery shopping

American grocery stores contain an overwhelming variety and quantity of food. You may find it tempting to try everything in sight; however, if you have a tight budget you should make a list and purchase only those items, and not to go to the store when you are hungry (people tend to buy more when they are hungry). It will take a while to figure out the location of the items in each store, but once you become familiar with the layout, your trips to the store will take a lot less time than they did at first.

Some of the more popular places to purchase groceries include Walmart, Target, Fred Meyers, Ralph’s, Safeway, Albertsons, Piggly Wiggly, Krogers and Whole Foods, just to name a few. If you are not sure where to shop, ask around your campus or neighborhood for recommendations.

Many people make a weekly shopping trip to purchase the items they will need for the week. You can also buy your food in a rotation. For example, purchase half the items on your list on one trip, and then purchase the other half the following time. If you do this, make sure you combine the items that will provide a complete meal on one list so you don’t get home with only half of what you need.

Taking along a small calculator to the grocery store can help you keep track of how much money you have spent while shopping and keep you from overspending. Grocery stores often put impulse items near the checkout area, so be careful not to fall prey to this attempt to make you buy things you didn’t intend to. Remember, some states charge a tax on food and others do not, so be sure to find out the policy for the state where you live.