Stocking your pantry
Having a running inventory of a well stocked pantry is a huge help while cooking. This is where you keep your nonperishables that can really transform a simple meal. Canned beans, pickled vegetables, dozens of spices, pastas, rice, condiments, and so much more! I could do a whole post on just this, but for now I will share this article, which covers your pantry essentials much better than I can. I will post a more condensed list of pantry essentials soon, but for now Jamie Oliver will keep you going.
Buying your protein
I believe that when buying a nice piece of meat or seafood, it should be as fresh as you can find it. That's why I always buy my protein on the day I plan to cook it. If you know you have everything at home to make a great beef stew, stop by on the store on the way home and pick up the beef. You know what you want, and it's just one ingredient, so it will only take minutes. Besides, keeping meat in the fridge could be potentially unhygienic, or you could forget about it and it spoils.
My only exception to this is chicken, which you can cook in a large batch and freeze. Check out my post on the best way to cook chicken for my way of doing this.
Don't overbuy
Plan your meals on a daily basis. What I mean by this is that you know you have to eat at least three times per day, with a snack or two in between meals. Don't buy a huge bunch of ripe bananas for yourself just because they're on sale. Buy three of four, which will ensure you eat them all before they ripen too much and attract flies. Don't buy tons of produce because you plan to have a salad for the next three nights. You may get a last minute invite from a buddy and while you're out face-deep in saucy wings, your poor salad wilts and stinks up your fridge.
Meal Planning
Remember, you have to eat tonight, tomorrow for breakfast, and lunch at work before you can come home to cook again. Plan a few days worth of meals and make your grocery list on a per-meal basis. If you know that you plan to eat a salad twice per day for the next 2 days, and one tomato per person, per salad is plenty, then buy only enough tomatoes for that many salads. One full head of lettuce will make two decent salads that will fill you up for a few hours or keep you and a friend going while the main dish is in the oven.
Grocery List
If you don't feel like carrying around a pen and pad, your phone has plenty of functions to help you keep an organized grocery list. Besides many apps actually being designed specifically for this, you can simply use your native Reminders app for iOS (I'm certain there's something similar for Android). Having your phone handy allows you to jot down an item you think of, when you think of it. And you should do it right away; don't wait for later, because you'll likely forget. Especially if it's an item you don't shop for often. I usually have a large bottle of oil with which to cook, so I don't buy a new one for at least a month or two. I forget that I'm running low almost every time. It really sucks when you realize you're all prepped and ready to go, but you've got no oil to cook with.
Another tip is to take pictures of your pantry and fridge. You can see what you currently have and what's running low, which helps when you're in the grocery store and see a great sale; remember, don't overbuy!
Explore Local Grocers
If you live in an area with great amenities, explore different stores besides the big box grocers. Check out the produce guy on the corner or the butcher across the street. These merchants often source superior product at great prices, since they have to compete with the convenience of the big guys. They are also very knowledgeable about their products. The kid stocking the asparagus at Sobey's probably doesn't know how long it will last in the fridge or if you should trim the stems. The friendly lady at the small produce store will, and much more.
If you don't live in the city, perhaps you've got great access to farmer's markets sourcing fresh produce daily from local farms. Either way, pick a day of the week, or even once a month, and explore different grocers in your area. Eventually, you may learn a lot more about the food you eat, and your relationship with the small-business owner will always have its benefits.
Make sure to subscribe if you found this article helpful. I post often about the experiences I had while learning to cook. With this blog, I hope I can help you learn from my mistakes.
I'm by no means an amazing cook, just a guy who's experience in learning to cook is fresh enough to remember. 
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