10 WAYS TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY AT THE GROCERY STORE

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GiantEagleSlashedPrices #CollectiveBias. We all seem to have busy lives. Running children to lessons, working more than one job, making healthy meals, and trying to find time to have some social life. But time and money always seem to be lacking. And as we head into the spring-summer season of sports and outdoor activities, saving time is a necessity. So I have given you 10 ways to save time and money at the grocery store, plus a bonus time saver in the kitchen.

This past week I found some ways to save both time and money.

10 WAYS TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY AT THE GROCERY STORE:

1. Don’t shop hungry. I know we have all heard this tip, but I impulse buy when I am hungry. “That looks good. I’ll eat that in the car on the way home.” (Money Saver)

2. Create snacks and meals around weekly advertised specials. (Money saver)

3. Make a grocery list. Without a grocery list I often find myself buying things that I don’t end up using. (Money saver)

4. Make your grocery list in order of the aisles before you go to the grocery store. If I can plan my trip, I can make sure I get everything on my list with minimal backtracking. This ensures that I save time. (Time saver)

5. Recently I tried Giant Eagle chips over my usual brand (insert shocked expression here). I have purchased the other chips my entire life. I was pleasantly surprised at the taste of the Giant Eagle brand.

THEY.TASTE.JUST.LIKE.MY.FAVORITE.BRAND!

Now I am just wondering how many other Giant Eagle brand items taste just the same or better than name brands? (Money saver)

6. Shop at off peak times. When I shop at off peak times, I can be in and out in no time at all. If it is a busy week, knowing which times the store will not be crowded allows me to save sometimes up to 30-40 or more minutes. (Time saver)

7. Keep stock of pantry items. I keep a list on the refrigerator of all my necessary items. When they are on sale, I can purchase them before I run out ensuring that I get them at the best price. Plus I eliminate unnecessary runs to the grocery store. (Time and money saver)

8. Purchase price-slashed items. Recently Giant Eagle announced that they have price-slashed over 5,000 items. These products are permanently reduced. I was amazed at how much more I purchased for the same amount of money (Money Saver)

9. Make sure to shop at stores participating in the price-slashing program at select Giant Eagle locations. I enjoyed shopping at a location that is not the nearest store. Not only did I save a ton of money, but I found some items that I don’t normally buy. (Money saver)

10. I allow my children to select one item each time I shop for snacks. I know they will have something they will eat and it ends up saving me time. We made a game out of it this last shopping trip. I told them to look for price slashed items (Both Time and money saver)

BONUS TIMESAVER IN THE KITCHEN:

I create simple recipes like my fruit with cream for snacks. (See recipe below) I found that I was spending too much time in the kitchen creating healthy lunches and snacks. Having a few simple recipes saves time in the kitchen (Time Saver)

FRUIT WITH A CREAMY HONEY-LIME SAUCE

Strawberries
Blueberries
Canned Mandarin Oranges

Can substitute other fruits your children will eat

Sauce:
4 oz softened Philadelphia cream cheese
Zest from 1/2 lime
Juice of 1 lime
3 Tablespoons Honey
Mix together. Refrigerate

Spoon fruit in bowl. Drizzle with sauce. Enjoy!

Make sure to take advantage of other price slashed items at participating Giant Eagles. And I hope you have enjoyed my 10 Ways to Save Time and Money at the grocery store.