i have a confession -- i despise grocery shopping. and that's a real problem when a large part of one's full-time job is feeding a family of five. it does go a bit better when i am more organized with a meal plan going into the week, but even then it's tough. other factors besides an all-too-often disorganized list include being tired, annoying stores and long lines at the checkout, trying to shop healthy in a world of processed and prepackaged food, and of course, the bill!
i need advice, tips, encouragement, anything from you, my readers, to help me better embrace this inevitable part of my responsibilities. actually, a volunteer to be my personal shopper would be fantastic. :)
p.s.--i forgot to mention that tonight my neighbor and i went together, which did help to make it more bearable. love you, janet!
3 comments:
Oh, those groceries! I feel your pain. Three meals a day for 6 people is a challenge! Some grocery stores do internet shopping where you can pre-order your stuff online then pick it up curbside. Haven't tried that one yet. Other folks have recommended a book called something like "How to Cut Your Grocery Bill in half" - it says to keep a price notebook of where/when you found the cheapest price on any given object, per ounce. That way you can easily compare if you're getting a deal or not. But all that takes time AND organization, something I haven't mastered, either. Going without kids is always easier and less stressful, but not always possible. Of course, when they're older, you can send them on mini missions (KidA in charge of 2 gallons of milk, KidB gets 3 lb of apples, KidC go fetch 2 boxes of cereal, meet back at the lobsters in 5 min. GO!!)
The stores by us have a Starbucks inside, so some of the sting is lost in a caffeine dream (they even handed out free hot cocoa "shots" while we waited in long lines over the holidays).
Val,
On Wed night/naptime I figure out a mealplan for the whole week. I go through the grocery ad, my recipes, cookbooks. Then I make my grocery list on that. I only get what I need to make those meals, plus whatever essentials I'm out of. This has totally saved me money (not buying stuff we don't end up eating), and those extra trips to the store (because I need one item for a meal I want to make). It is flexible, so things can be moved around, but at least you know you have everything you need to make those 6 or 7 meals. On Thursday morning we grocery shop. I have a file saved on the computer (thank you, Amy) that is my grocery list. It is by aisle. It starts in the back of the store and ends with the produce. I just fill in what I need. That way I know exactly what I need, where it is, and I know which aisles I can skip altogether. Now I can't imagine going to the store without it!!
Also, I want to get a magnetic clipboard for Elinore. Then I can make (or find) little magnets of some of the foods we usually buy and put a few of them on her board. That way she can participate in our shopping, too.
I just did my grocery shopping today, too, and it was a blessing to have a friend watch my kiddos while I had some time for me. (Yes, I even consider grocery shopping alone time for me!) I shop every 2 weeks and I buy my staples (canned goods, cereal, frozen veggies, flour, etc.) in bulk, so I only have to purchase them every few months and I don't run out of everything at the same time. (You have to remember, we live about an hour from major grocery stores, and the one we have here in town is very pricey! So, I didn't really have a choice when I started doing it this way.) Costco gets most of our grocery budget, but since I have switched to doing it this way, I love it. The only things I pick up in between grocery trips are milk and fresh fruits & veggies, and some of this I even buy in bulk, and believe it or not it keeps pretty well. It takes time to switch to this method unless you want to drop several hundred dollars in one day. I just started by buying a few things at a time in bulk and before I knew it, I had a good routine going and I don't have to shop near as frequently! In addition to that, I usually have almost, if not all, the ingredients on hand that I need for a meal, even if I haven't planned ahead to prepare it.
Also, we do have a company called Azure Standard, which is the internet shopping for this area (with a focus on health food) and they drop off all orders for our small town once a month. I have considered this, but I think the price is quite a bit more than what I've been paying and have ordered very little from them. Good luck! I think we ALL feel your pain when it comes to this!
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