22 and Overwhelmed in a Grocery Store

In my 22 years of life, I have never gone grocery shopping for myself.  I've been blessed to live with my parents who supply the food, or live in a dorm on a campus that feeds me for multiple meals a day.  Grocery shopping by myself is entirely new to me, and man, am I horrible at it.

Last night, after a perfect sunset hike overlooking downtown Los Angeles, I went to Ralph's to pick up my groceries for the week, or so I thought. I uncomfortably grabbed a shopping cart and roamed the aisles.  I had a hard time figuring out what I should or shouldn't buy, what I didn't need.  I felt very powerful. I could entirely dictate what I could eat this week! But after my first round through the store, my cart only contained two bottles of lemonade, tea bags, and a bunch of sweet potatoes. I had to go back around.

Calling my parents this soon from departing their nest was definitely not going to happen.  I actually had to think hard about my food choices.  What did I want available to me throughout the week? Sure, I love ice cream, but do I want that in the freezer knowing that I have absolutely no discipline? Yes, I want Nutella, but like, I don't think I need it. Obviously, if I could eat all natural and organic, I would, but this chick is unemployed currently, so I should probably figure out a way to eat clean and cheap.

I roamed Ralphs for just over an hour.  My cart wasn't full at all when I went to check out, but I came out of the store with food that should hopefully supply me for the week. 

To be blunt, I'm bad at grocery shopping.  There are so many options, and I'm easily overwhelmed, and I just didn't know what to pick.  As I get a set schedule and a job in the next few weeks, I'm hoping that should help. I can decide what I do and do not want to eat, and discover new foods for me!

What helps you when you're grocery shopping? Do you meal plan? Do you budget? Do you write down everything you need from the store and stick to that? Help a girl out!