Time to confess: Anybody else find yourself abandoning grocery items while you’re unloading the cart? I thought it was just me – ditching that impulsive box of gourmet crackers and offloading the expensive cheese. Sure I feel a bit guilty tucking the rejects between People Magazine and the National Enquirer for some poor stock clerk to sort out later. And then I saw an Associated Press report estimating at least 25 percent of all shoppers are dumping at least one item they had intended to buy.

When times are tough, it’s hard to scale back and adopt new shopping habits. Those manager’s specials and two-for-one deals are so very tempting! By the time I reach the checkout, the buggy is bulging and my budget guilt starts nagging. The longer the line, the more the goods get scrutinized. (To save the most money, perhaps the longest register line is a secret weapon!)

The most mature way to right this wrong, perhaps, is to make detailed weekly menus and grocery lists and then stick to them while I’m in the store. But that takes discipline and isn’t nearly so fun as tossing novelties into my cart. However, starting this week I’m turning over a new leaf: I think I’ll count to 10 before anything I happen to grab gets nabbed. Anybody else out there doing the grocery-ditch dance at the checkout? I’d love to hear your stories and advice for a cure! Join the conversation in the comments section after this post.