My cabinets are bare. Well, they’ve got a few canned vegetables in them, but nothing to speak of. I’ve just been too busy to grocery shop lately. That’s bad. I’ve got to go to the store today.

I rarely make a list when going to the store, and it usually works out pretty well. Sometimes I’ll forget something, but usually not anything of great importance. But there’s so much I need to get this time that I should probably at least make a tentative list.

A lot of people find that if they make a list and stick to it they spend less, but I usually experience quite the opposite. If I don’t bother with a list, I’m more apt to seek out good deals and get them instead of whatever I had in mind when writing the list. Whereas if I have a list, I feel obligated to get everything on it plus whatever good deals I find along the way.

I do probably make more trips to the store than I should, but I rarely go to town just to get groceries. Today I have other things that I would have to go out for whether I went to the store or not. And a lot of times I swing by the store after work to avoid using too much gas. And when I have something specific in mind to buy, I go straight to it, pick it up, and hightail it to a register so I don’t get tempted to buy more stuff.

If there’s anyone out there not using them, get a frequent shopper card from each grocery store you shop at (if offered). They can save you a respectable amount of money, and some of them carry other rewards as well. I do most of my shopping at Food Lion, and they have a promotion going on now where you get a ticket each time you buy a gallon of store brand milk. Once you collect six of them, you can turn them in for a free gallon.

And let’s not forget coupons. I’m the world’s worst for not using them. But every little bit helps.

That’s about it for my grocery advice for now. If anyone has anything to add, feel free to do so in the comments.