The Preshop: Making Your List and Checking it Twice!
Make Your List:
This step is for all you list lovers out there! My biggest tip is to use a list when you shop. It helps you be organized, get in, get out, and get on your way. I love it as it provides an out when I do take children with me and they ask the inevitable, “Can I have….”. I can blame the list. “Oh, baby it is not on the list. sorry. xoxo” See how awesome it is! My shopping list will have the following things on it to help guide me and keep me in check:
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Name of store(s) (seriously I HAVE to have this!)
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What I am getting, including sizes
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How many of what I am getting
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What coupon I am using and where to find it
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How much I am spending (This is an optional step for me. I really stink at math and am notoriously wrong! I go on gut feeling hehe-Speaking of gut, don’t shop hungry! Shhhhh. I sometimes stop at McD’s and get a snack wrap BEFORE shopping!)
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Any special instructions I need, like how many of this to get that discount.
My shopping list is not something that I write on the back of my kids homework. It used to be but not anymore. I go online to The List (scroll up and you will see a logo for The Lists in your area, pick the Home tab if you don’t see them). I pick the store(s) I will shop at usually depending on sale items, needs, and distance of travel for me. What is great is I don’t have to leave the comfort of my own home to do that, woo hoo. Then I use the Start feature select what I want, Shrink, then print my list. If you are not following me then please view this video. If you are mad at me because you do not have a list just hold on, I will show YOU how to make one. After my list is printed I go through it hand write any extra items I need that week, then circle the codes for the coupons I need. Below is a picture of my actual shopping list. I will explain the numbers on the left side in my next post.
Now let me teach YOU how to make your own list. So you’ve gone and looked at the ads and circled or written down what you think your family needs or uses right? Now go to your copy of the Excel worksheet I gave you a few weeks ago. If you still havent downladed it here is the link . When you open it go to the bottom tabs and select Step 2. Watch this video as I explain what to do to create your own list.
This Excel worksheet could also come in handy to you locals if you are like me and are math dumb! It will tell you how much you could spend which helps you know if you need to remove things from your list OR if you can ad things, yeah! If it means that much to you you can enter your info from your online list here instead then follow the rest of the directions I gave in the video above to print and use this while your shopping.
Monday I will show you how to Gather Your Coupons to complete your PreShop. Have a great weekend!
Filed under: PreShop, The System
Love this spreadsheet. I love knowing how much I am going to spend. Plus, it’s so cute and I love to have a cute list when I go shopping!
When customizing one’s own grocerysmarts shopping list, is there any way to adjust the quantity of something that I want to buy? Or do I just need to hand-write that in after I print it out?
Ruth,
You will have to hand write your quantities. I like to put mine on the left side of the list.
Shauntell
When you are using coupons do you find that you have to switch brands all the time? For example, in the video you mentioned toothpaste. Did you happen to find a coupon for the kind you use or do you just buy whatever kind you have a coupon for and switch what you use according to the coupons?
Ellie,
I have used brands that I hadn’t before. Mainly because before I didn’t think I could afford them! However once a brand that I like goes on sale I buy as much as a I can with the coupons I have, which usually gets me through until that brand goes on sale again. I have also decided that I don’t care what brand most things are as long as they are name brand. I hope that helped!
Shauntell
I have a question about the spreadsheet. How do you enter a coupon that you have to buy 2 or more. For example if each one is on sale for 2.00 and you get 1.00 off of 2 if I put that the sale is for 2.00 and then put in a 1.00 coupon and put quantity 2 the amount is going to be wrong. I hope that makes sense. Any suggestions. Also can you tell me deals on newspaper subscriptions in the Ogden area.
Thanks.
Taryn,
If you get a $1 off 2 items then enter your coupon as .50 or divide the coupon’s value by the amount of items required and enter that amount. THEN in your notes area make a note that the coupon requires the item be bought in groups of 2 or whatever the number.
I hope that helped. If there are any other questions regarding the Excell Sheet visit this Thread on the Fun With Food Storage Forum.
Shauntell
Shauntell,
Thank you. That does help. I love your spreadsheet and have been using it the last few weeks. It’s really helped me stay on budget.
I love your website and am excited to use your system! Do you happen to have a grocerysmarts passport for California?
Erin,
Please visit my FAQ section for more information regarding codes and lists.
Shauntell
Shauntell,
You don’t know how much easier you have just made my life. I use to throw away all the sales adds and coupons fulling knowing that they could save me $ because the thought of them gave me a headache. Your system makes it so much easier to keep things organized and easy to find when I need it. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I’m glad that after surfing the web for uch a long time I have found out this information. I’m really lucky.