Grocery shopping like a well-oiled machine
- Michelle Wood: SWCD
- November 16, 2017
- 1145
“Wow, she’s fast,” my mother-in-law said to my husband as she and I returned to the car from the grocery store.
Although I am very thankful that we have money to buy food and that the store has plenty of food to purchase, I don’t like to linger over the process. So my goal concerning grocery shopping is to get in and out of the store as quickly as possible without being rude. To that end, my sons and I have developed a finely tuned system.
A good list is essential. I almost never shop without one. I have a standard list that I review as I construct the current one. We also keep a magnetized notebook on the refrigerator for things family members need. My kids learned very young that if an item isn’t on my list, it’s unlikely it will be purchased.
Usually at least one of our sons goes to the store with me. He is in charge of cart management. While he gets the cart, I gather an arm load of items.
If the store is crowded, we move through the store in the same manner. I move through quickly collecting items while he takes more time to politely move through the crowd with the cart.
Normally I try to catch the store at less popular times. In this case I tell my sons to pick up a certain number of items in one spot while I move on to the next.
Although I stick very closely to my list, I may vary the number of items based on a higher or lower-than-average price. I also may skip items such as produce if they aren’t of sufficient quality.
I stick to the same brand choices so that I don’t have to read labels every time. However, I do review them occasionally, usually at home, to make sure undesirable ingredients haven’t slipped in.
I buy ingredients instead of premade items so I can make various meals from basic staples. I make one exception, however.
Two premade pizzas usually make it into the cart for a very specific reason. By the time we run all our errands and get the groceries home, we’re all hungry. To stave off immediate snacking, we put the pizzas in the oven to cook while we put the groceries away.
I shop in the same store, so I know where to find things. My list is in the order that I come to the items in the store. Needless to say, I really find it annoying when a store moves things from its usual spot.
When we get to the checkout, we unload as quickly as possible. We shop at a store that returns items to a cart for the customer to bag. To save extra packing time, we take the cart directly to the car instead of packing items at the counter in the store. Yes, we do the same even in the rain.
We have cloth bags and a cooler waiting. I pack refrigerator items while the boys pack dry items and cans. Items that will need to go to the refrigerator but that don’t’ need to be in the cooler for the ride home get packed in a separate bag. The presorting saves time when we get home.
Once home, I take the pizzas to the oven while the boys carry everything else into the house, preferably cooler first. I start unloading cold items as the boys stock the pantry. We usually finish about the time the buzzer goes off for the pizza.
Your system may vary, but I suggest having a system and using it every time.
Getting necessities of life out of the way quickly leaves more time for our preferred pursuits.