Ok, I know, not many people enjoy going to the grocery store. Especially me. I dread the awkwardness of it all. Constantly saying "excuse me" as everyone and their baskets are in your way. But, alas, the grocery store is a must when you cook.

For the past couple of years I have been making one trip a week to the grocery store. Yes, you read right. Once a week. When I tell people I only go once a week they look at me like I am crazy. But this weekly trip has made my life much more simple in regards to cooking meals. I mean who wants to go to the grocery store on Wednesday evening after working all day? No one, that's who. So I thought I would share some tips that I have accumulated to make you the master of the grocery store. Hopefully the tips will help you plan out your week so that you become a 'once a week' shopper.

1.) Plan out your meals. Now this may seem a bit daunting. Who knows what you will want to eat three days from now. But this is the first step in becoming a 'once a week' shopper. Every Sunday Collin and I head to the grocery store with my extensive list in toe. Making the list usually happens right before we head out the door. I have a list of recipes that are 'go to' recipes but I usually like to mix up most of the days with meals we've never tried before. Therefore Pinterest is my best friend. Pinterest is amazing when it comes to recipes all in one place. I have found so many blogs that I now follow thanks to Pinterest and many are full of delicious recipes. One of my favorite food blogs is Damn Delicious. She has an amazing amount of recipes and I haven't tried one that we didn't like. Simply logging onto Pinterest and searching 'recipes' will help you find different meals to prepare. Also, create a board on Pinterest for meals so that you can search your own favorites.

2.) Start in the same location at the grocery store. Collin and I always start in the dairy section and work our way to the produce. This has become our plan of attack when visiting the grocery store. You will get to know where things are in the grocery store and it will make your life so much simpler. You'll find out where that oddly placed roasted red pepper jar is that always seems to be a bugger to find. Knowing your own grocery store is one way to remain sane when making your weekly trip.

3.) Don't worry about making a Monday, Tuesday, etc. list. Collin and I look at the list every night to decide what we want the next day. That way we are able to thaw any meat, if needed, and it is ready to go. My ultimate peeve is when I realize we forgot to defrost something. Sometimes I even get out of bed when I realize we hadn't put that ground beef, chicken, or what-have-you in the refrigerator to thaw. It helps make things simpler if you decide a day in advance what you want. Now, we don't plan out Monday we'll have this and Tuesday we'll have that but we do make a conscious effort to decide a day before. Trust me, it'll help.

4.) Have fun with it! I know the grocery store is awful but I enjoy cooking and so must endure the weekly trip. If I had to go multiple times a week I think I would go crazy. When Collin goes by himself he wears his headphones. No joke. When I go by myself I just try to get everything as quickly as possible and head to the check out lanes. It's like a race. But don't forget something because then you'll have to backtrack and that is never a good thing. Ha! Collin loves to tease me when that happens.

5.) Enjoy the fruits of your labor. We like to get something special every now and then to treat ourselves. Ice cream being the likely treat. And it has to be Blue Bell. For those of you reading that aren't from Texas Blue Bell is the best ice cream. But I may be a bit biased.

These few tips can help your grocery store visit seem a bit less daunting. Let me know if you try any of these tips. Good luck to you and happy shopping!