Supermarkets are getting bigger and more complicated.

Unless you have all day, wandering aimlessly through a store can be frustrating, and it can wreck your budget, says Susan Mitchell, a nutritional consultant for SuperTarget stores.

"Start with a plan," she says, "preferably a running grocery list that you add to at home every time you run out of something."

That can keep you moving swiftly through the store and cut down on impulse buying.

Here are other time- and money-saving tips for your next shopping trip.

1. Keep a well-stocked pantry.

The best tricks may start at home.

Grocery shopping can feel less overwhelming if you keep a well-stocked pantry, says Adam Roberts, who wrote The Amateur Gourmet: How to Shop, Chop, and Table-Hop Like a Pro (Almost) (Bantam, $25).

That means keeping ingredients such as pasta, rice, eggs, cheese, olive oil, butter and spices on hand.

It also can help you save money. If you know what's in the pantry before you leave the house, you'll be more likely to eat what's in the cupboard, says Liz Crawford, a strategist at the consumer research company Iconoculture Inc.

2. Use a menu plan.

Spend a few minutes before shopping to plan meals for the coming week. And this doesn't just mean dinner; figure out lunch and breakfast, too.

Then assemble a shopping list based on those menus.

This saves time and money because you buy only what you need. And if you have a plan for using the foods you buy, they are less likely to sit in the back of the refrigerator.

3. Know the store layout.

To improve shopping efficiency, know the store layout. But also be aware that the perimeter of the store is designed to slow you.

"The big outside aisle is called 'the racetrack,' "says Ms. Crawford, who studies the way new products are marketed. "That's where the shopper is encouraged to browse," she says, and to buy things like pricey cheeses or imported olives.

If you want to stick to the list, avoid stopping at the islands along the racetrack.

4. Try to avoid crowds.

"Avoid shopping on Saturday or Sunday or even Friday night," when stores are busiest, says Herb Sorensen, president of Sorensen Associates, a marketing research company in Oregon. But stores also tend to stock up for the weekend. Mr. Sorensen suggests shopping on Friday afternoons. By then much of the stocking is done, which means you get fresh food without a crowd.

5. Find out about delivery days.

Ask the store managers when fresh produce arrives, when bread is baked and when seafood is delivered, Ms. Mitchell says. The fresher the produce or baked goods, the longer they will last.

6. Use coupons wisely.

7. Ditch the plastic.

If money is tight, pay with cash, Ms. Crawford says. Unlike using a debit card, using cash emphasizes visually how much you've spent.