Personal finance blogger J.D. Roth points out that the more frequently you go to the grocery store, the more likely you are to impulse-buy unplanned items. Quoting the book America's Cheapest Family, Roth writes:

  • "Shoppers making a ‘quick trip' to the store to pick up a few specific items usually purchase 54 percent more than they planned."
  • "Forty-seven percent of shoppers go to the store three or four times each week."
  • "Consumers graze at the grocery store, with impulse buys making up between 50.8 and 67.7 percent of total purchase."
To limit unplanned pickups at the grocery store, Roth is reducing his shopping trips to twice a month. (Authors of the quoted book grocery shop only once a month.) Infrequent trips require lots of planning and list-making, and can impact how and when you eat fresh fruits and veggies, but it also can turn out to be a big money saver. How do you avoid plucking that thing off the grocery shelf you never intended to buy? Let us know in the comments.