10 Strategies for Smarter Grocery Shopping

Clean-up on aisle 10: We’re spilling our favorite ways to save time and money (and your sanity) at the supermarket.

Maze-like aisles. Long lines. A dizzying amount of alternative mylks. Shopping for groceries can sometimes feel like a real-life version of Supermarket Sweep. (Minus the fun and prizes.) So we're ringing up our 10 favorite tips for making it less stressful and more fruitful—for your wallet and your well-being.

We’ve all gone to Target for one thing...and come home with 10. To reduce your risk of rolling home with five bags of Peeps andveggies, make a list ahead of time—and make it strategic by basing it on ameal plan. Think about what you're going to cook for the week ahead, then take inventory of what you already have and what you actually need to buy. This way, you’ll shop more efficiently and be less likely to impulse-buy, explains Leslie Fink, MS, RD, nutritionist and recipe editor at WeightWatchers.

Who doesn’t love a great deal? But buying something just because it’s on sale could steer you off track. Instead, look at your store’s weekly specialswhileyou meal plan. And if you’re not sure how you might incorporate certain on-sale items, use the“What’s in Your Fridge?”feature in the WeightWatchers app. Select the ingredients and you’ll see all the tasty recipes you can make with them.

Try organizing your list by where items are located in your grocery store. This will shave time off your trip (no more doubling back to the produce section for a loneavocado) and help you stick with your planned meals and snacks.

One thing your fridge should always be stocked with? An easy, fuss-free meal you can turn to on nights you're tired, stressed, overwhelmed, or all of the above. It’s that much easier to stick to your plan when you have the ingredients to back you up. Not sure where to start? Thisshopping listcovers the basics.

You might feel tempted to grab all of the baked goods if it’s been a while since your last bite. To prevent your grumbling stomach from leading you off-script, Fink recommends scheduling your next trip afterlunchor stashing aprotein barin your bag. For more pre-shopping snack inspo, check out25 of our favorite healthier snack ideas.

To max out on savings, enroll in your go-to store’s rewards program before you shop. While the perks differ based on where you go, you may be able to earn points for every dollar you spend, access special pricing, and more.

If you want to try a new food but you’re not sure how it’ll fit within your Points Budget, open theWeightWatchers appand take advantage of thebarcode scanner. This is a great way to see the Points® value of any packaged food in seconds and help you decide what works best for you.

Chocolate bars in the checkout lane calling your name? Opt for self-checkout, Fink says. While the sweets may still be displayed near the register, you’ll be too busy scanning and bagging to think about them.

Who says you have to shop IRL? Services like Amazon Fresh, Peapod, Instacart, and FreshDirect bring groceries right to your front door, and certain national chains, including Walmart and Aldi, offer curbside pickup. You can also opt for a recurring delivery of certain items each month likefresh produceormeat.

Sometimes you don’t have time to think about what to cook for dinner, let alone make it to the store. We get it. In that case, consider outsourcing all planning and shopping with a meal delivery service—all you need to do is follow the instructions and supply thekitchen gear.