Adventures in Grocery Shopping

I find that as I approach my 30th year, and our schedules become more and more full with wonderful opportunities, I am constantly looking to steal a few minutes here and a few minutes there to fit new things into the day. With that in mind, I prepared to tackle the weekly grocery shopping.

I did my due diligence, making a list before heading out for the day. In the interest of efficiency, the plan was to take my 2-year old to daycare, and head straight to the Giant. Is it any wonder that, in the inevitable excitement involved in getting our coats and hats on, grabbing his diaper bag and my purse, and making sure we have our football and a Thomas train, the list was tragically left behind.

So, after a quick stop home to retrieve said list, I am armed and ready at the Giant. I decided to try the "scan and bag as you go" option for the first time. I chose today for two reasons: 1. Without Nathan, I can be in sole control of the scan gun and 2. Being a weekday, during the week it was a quiet time, allowing me to annoy as few other shoppers as possible while I stumbled through. There was also a brief fantasy of my husband being enthralled by the scan gun, much like registering for wedding gifts, and insisting on taking over the food shopping, but that seems destined to remain a fantasy.

I can offer a few helpful tips, should you decide to give it a try:
1. Don't put the items in the cart until they have been scanned. Going back to see what you've done and what you haven't will drive you crazy!
2. Bag as you go! I made the mistake of filling my cart first, and ended up blocking 1/2 the aisle while I got my already scanned things into bags.
3. Be prepared to spend more. It seemed like I'd be spending less, but in the end perhaps it was the thrill of the scan gun that lead me to spend about $30 more than I would have liked. Or food is just continuing to get exorbitantly expensive....

SO that was today's adventure. I now know that while not cheaper, it could be faster if I got good at it. It was satisfying to see my savings rack up when I did save, and I liked seeing the running total as I was shopping. Another mom in the store told me today she is a slave to the scan-as-you-go. Maybe I'll try it again next time... or maybe we'll go with the Peapod!

What are your thoughts? Has anyone else tried this, or the delivery options? I'd love to hear your feedback!