5 Bad Supermarket Habits To Break

By Hilary Meyer, Associate Food Editor, EatingWell Magazine

Since I need to eat at least three times a day, the grocery store is one of those unavoidable parts of life. And like other activities that I tend to do over and over again, when I’m there, I default to autopilot -- idly shoving familiar things into my cart while I think about something else. Well, it’s time I wake up. It’s a new year and the desire to slim down and maybe save some money while doing it just might be enough to snap me back into coherence while I’m shopping for food. Below are five common pitfalls that can hinder weight loss or cause you to spend more at the grocery store, and I offer ways to avoid them.

What are your grocery shopping tips to save money and eat well?

More from EatingWell:

• 12 Secrets to Spending Less at the Grocery Store
• Clean Up Your Diet and Lose Weight
• 7 Foods That Do the Weight-Loss Work for You
• 13 Cooking Tips to Save You Money

By Hilary Meyer, EatingWell Associate Food Editor

EatingWell Associate Food Editor Hilary Meyer spends much of her time in the EatingWell Test Kitchen, testing and developing healthy recipes. She is a graduate of New England Culinary Institute.

 

Follow EatingWell on Twitter: www.twitter.com/eatingwell

Comments

[Rich Wretch]

11:36 AM on 03/02/2012

I like to shop for groceries as often as possible. I like eating the freshest ingredients possible and I also like keeping up with daily or weekly specials as much as possible. Another healthy tip is that you should buy your ingredients as close to their original, fresh and unprocessed stat as possible. That way you avoid tons of bad and unhealthy salts, sugars, preservatives, flavor enhancers and a whole host of additional and unwanted chemicals. So get out there as often as you can and reap the benefits of 'Fresh Is The BEST'!

[Gregory Schwartz]

10:26 AM on 03/02/2012

I spend time making a concise grocery list...then, when I get to the store, I realize I left the list on the kitchen table! When God passed out brains, I thought He said "trains"....and took a slow one!

[TomMartin]

10:07 AM on 03/02/2012

That surprises me that someone would go shopping every day. What a waste of time.

[pdw2280]

10:07 AM on 03/02/2012

This has to be one of the most useless articles I have read in a long time.

[mimsycat]

10:00 AM on 03/02/2012

Keep the food police away from me. I will shop the way I want to shop,make my own decisions and spend as much as I want. I do not need the nanny to help me.

[USAyesterday]

09:27 AM on 03/02/2012

How about these:

1. Don't leave your cart in the middle of the isle and walk away. Others might like to shop that isle too.
2. Don't consider the other customers your personal babysitter by letting your kids run wild
3. Don't wait until after the cashier has totaled your bill to decide to look for a 5 cent coupon that expired last year, or decided that is when you start looking for your bank card, check book or cash. Put the tabloids down, look for it while being rung up, not after.
4. Don't proclaim that all food eaten prior to getting to the register is free, especially weighted items. Eat one pound of grapes and pay for a 1/4 pd. You just can't weigh the stem.
5. Don't block the isle while texting, others want to shop.

[oaoroho]

08:08 AM on 03/02/2012

The pizza in the picture looks soo good right now. Little Ceasers is awesome every once and awhile, but it can get old real fast if abused.
I do pretty much everything they say not to here. I don't like to eat frozen foods or left over and specially dislike any type of meat that's not fresh as in I bought it that day. My stores only a few blocks, walking distances so it's no big deal to put feet to the street to pick up fresh everything and I enjoy the walk.

[Ossit]

07:09 AM on 03/02/2012

So now nannies are telling everyone how to shop? If your method works for you go for it.

[simpleperson]

08:28 PM on 02/28/2012

6. Getting stoned and going to the store.

[daigz]

01:36 AM on 02/29/2012

7. Going to the store with someone else who is stoned.
8. Going to the store with someone who drinks too much Red Bu-- AHH WHERE DID THEY GO??

[yappnmutt]

09:44 PM on 02/27/2012

in tokyo, shopping every day or a coupla days is the norm. it is the way the neighborhoods keep in touch with other neighbors and the local vendors.

strawberries are in season in florida in january.

shopping when hungry is only bad for your budget but it means some great food for your taste buds.

[stilllearning2b]

07:34 PM on 02/27/2012

I peruse the weekly ads (Kroger has a free app for this) for the next week to see what produce is on sale. Then I can choose recipes that feature those foods. It helps to save money and encourages consuming a variety of veggies.
http://lessonsfromtheendofamarriage.com

[dragondancer1814]

09:51 AM on 03/02/2012

We do something similar; Sundays are when we plan the dinner menus for the week, and we like to see what perishables are on according to the store circular. I also have a firm rule about the grocery list-if it's not on the list, don't complain when I don't buy it. We grow our own vegetables and some of our fruits for freezing during the winter, and I stock up on other fruits at the local pick-your-own farms when they're in season so the only things we really have to worry about at the store are perishables such as fresh fruit, salad makings, dairy items, and meat/poultry when we run out, and other items such as flour, sugar, coffee, and cereals.

[OutAtFirst]

07:15 PM on 02/27/2012

One of the grocery chains where I live has implemented small, out-of-the-way discount areas for products that are about to expire. All kinds of meats and veggies (bagged salads and such) for half off.

[MichaelAKD]

07:10 PM on 02/27/2012

also don't use coupons as soon as they come out, they plan on this and you typically will not make out as well. instead wait as long as possible towards the expiration date and you are more likely to catch sales and then get your coupons on top of that. until a few months ago we hardly ever used coupons, now we print online ones as well as get two sunday papers. it takes work and planning but we now are averaging savings of $180 a month and all on things we use. as said it takes work, about four hours of planning and making a list each month but the savings for us right now are over $2000 a year, worth it for us.

[stormy21856]

09:18 AM on 03/02/2012

Your coupon advice is absolutely wrong. I have worked in the industry many years. It is best to use coupons soon after they come out. Manufactures orchestrate coupons, ads, price reductions and sales to occur all at the same time to move the maximum amount of product.

[sculptor]

06:59 PM on 02/27/2012

You squeeze the produce and ruin it for the people that end up buying what you rejected. Instead buy if far enough ahead that it has time of ripen.

[cookscove]

06:11 PM on 02/27/2012

The most important thing not to do in a supermarket is put your food in the baby seat part of the cart. You know where baby sits in poopy a diaper full of nasty spores and lots more.

[dragondancer1814]

09:52 AM on 03/02/2012

Why do you think I love those sanitizing wipes they put at the entrance to the store? Not only are they great for debugging the cart handles, but they are good on the seat too (which is where I put my reusable shopping bags for easy access at the checkout).