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Back when I used to shop without a list, I'd burn $50 a week on random stuff
About three years ago I'd walk into the grocery store after work, tired and hungry, and just grab whatever looked good. I'd end up with fancy cheeses and premade meals that cost double what I needed. Now I spend 15 minutes every Sunday writing out a list based on what's on sale and stick to it like glue. The big change came when I added up my receipts for one month and saw I was wasting almost $200 on impulse buys. What's your method for keeping yourself from grabbing stuff you don't need?
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hannah_west392mo ago
Lol the "tired and hungry" part is the real trap, I only shop after a meal now.
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danielr992mo ago
Yeah I heard a podcast about this once, some food scientist said your brain basically treats the grocery store like a buffet when you're hungry. You start craving everything in sight, especially the stuff with the brightest packaging. @hannah_west39 I tried the full stomach method but now I just stand there in a food coma staring at the yogurt for ten minutes. There's no winning I guess.
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the_sean2mo ago
Actually I'm gonna push back on that a bit. Shopping hungry forces me to be more intentional and decisive. If I see something I want and I'm hungry, I either grab it quick or leave it, no waffling around for 20 minutes comparing options. When I shop after a meal, I turn into a browser, I'll walk every aisle, pick up five different brands of pasta sauce, put them all back, and walk out with nothing but a bag of apples I didn't need. Hungry me gets in and out in 15 minutes with exactly what I came for. Full me wastes an hour and still forgets the milk.
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