A Food Editor’s Secret To Saving Time and Money at the Grocery Store

Walking into a grocery store can feel like punching in on a timecard. If I added up all the hours I’ve spent in grocery stores in my lifetime, I might faint. If you are the primary grocery shopper in your family, you know what I mean. A 2024 survey indicated that the average shopper visits the grocery store at least six times a month. Those minutes really do add up.

On top of getting groceries for my family, over the years I’ve worked as a food editor, recipe tester, cooking teacher, and cookbook author. A recipe professional spends a lot of time grocery shopping. I feel like I know every nook and cranny of the grocery stores in the towns where I’ve lived. 

That knowledge is the key to getting in and out of the grocery store fast, but the thing that really cuts time is something I do before I even leave my house.

This Tip That’s Tops on My List

I always write my grocery list to mirror the order I go through the store, almost like a map of sorts. This way I’m not crisscrossing all over the aisles to nab something I missed.

It’s incredibly intuitive, and I’m not sure if I figured it out on my own or read it in a hint from Heloise. In any case, I think of my typical pathway and structure my list that way. Because I always start out in the produce section, I list fresh fruits and vegetables first. Then I tackle condiments and canned items, because that’s where the store leads next. The deli is the last section I walk through on the way to the checkout, so items like deli cheeses close out my list.

I’m hardly the only recipe professional who knows that when it comes to grocery stores, time is money. Simply Recipes recipe editor Laurel Randolph is an adherent to well-ordered lists as well. “Even when I make my husband go, I list the groceries in order of location in the store,” she says. “It saves us both a lot of time and effort—I get out of the store so much faster than if I’m hopping all around the list or the store.” 

During the week most of us jot down grocery items throughout the week as we realize we need them, which means you’ll need to revise your list if you want to try this tip. But it’s a small task and it never takes me long. Before I head to the store, I transcribe my dashed-of list list to a new one that follows the store’s geography, and those few minutes make my time in the aisles go smoothly. 

Savings that Add Up to More Than Time

This method not only shaves off minutes; it means less dawdling and fewer impulse buys. The so-called “center store” refers to the aisles where the shelf-stable foods are typically stocked. Those items tend to be more costly and more processed, so spending minimal time around the snacks, cereals, and candy can translate to a lower bill and more wholesome diet.

I actually like some things about grocery shopping—running into people I’ve not seen in ages, chatting with the friendly goth teenagers who work at the checkout—but I generally want to get in and out of there. The boon of an intuitively structured list helps me cruise through the store with a relaxed sense of purpose, giving me a little bit of my life back.