One of the most important things to do when you go shopping, if you don’t want to overspend, is never go shopping if you’re hungry, if you’re cranky, or if you’re in a fabulous mood ... .
All those emotions are actually going to get you to spend more. So will going to the produce department first.
The produce department is at the beginning of the store for a reason; it puts us in a better mood, with all those aromas and all those colors.
So what you really want to do, and from a food safety standpoint it makes sense too, is you want to shop the center of the store first. All those boxes, all those cans, all those jars; the “non-emotional” foods, you want to put in your cart first.
Then you go to the bakery. Then you can go to the produce department, and obviously you want to do frozen and dairy last.
Phil Lempert
SupermarketGuru
Journalist, author & consumerologist
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Great advice. Might I suggest you add, “Don’t shop with your children in tow?” I know that I spend on average $50 more per trip when my children are with me.