By Phil Lempert, The Supermarket Guru             

We’d all love to have the time to stroll leisurely through a spacious, well-stocked supermarket or grocery store, comparing products and making healthy, delicious food choices. But the reality is we often try to cram a full grocery trip into less than half an hour, grabbing bare necessities or whatever happens to be closest at hand. The solution? Follow these five easy steps for creating a shopping list that is guaranteed to help you shorten your in-store shopping time.

1. Use your old receipts.

Take your register receipt from last week's shopping trip and cross off all the items you don't need. Spend a few minutes and do a quick check of the freezer, fridge and cupboard to make sure you do not add products that you already own to your shopping list.

Write down on the bottom of the list any additional items you know you need.

2. Plan your impulse items.

Under the additional items draw a horizontal line for each of your “allowed” impulse items. Keep the number of impulse items fixed from week to week – don’t vary it. That wastes time and money.

3. Shop when you’re in the mood.

You've heard the rule: Never shop when you're hungry. You'll end up with all kinds of impulse items in your cart. Another rule is not to shop when you're stressed out. The crowds and lines will only make you more frustrated. Some people, however, find the supermarket to be therapeutic. Figure out which type of shopper you are, and shop when it suits your mood.

4. Fax your order.

More and more supermarkets are accepting fax orders. Just write up your list, fax it in, and your order will be ready for you to pick up at the time you designate -- or the store will deliver it to your office or home. Usually you pay for the groceries when you receive them. To make the process easier, get the catalog with the fax order form at your local store. That way you can use the catalog numbers to identify products. Don't forget to indicate whether you'll accept substitutions and whether you'll be using manufacturers' coupons. Even if your store does not have a formal fax ordering service, it's worth asking the manager if you can order by fax anyway.

5. Order online.

As supermarkets embrace this new medium, there are more and more opportunities for shopping online. Several services already offer personalized ordering services on-line, and more are soon to follow.

About the author:

Phil Lempert is The Supermarket Guru®, a Television & Radio News Reporter, Newspaper Columnist, Author, Consumerologist and Food Marketing Expert.