I hate grocery shopping!!!

You can tell it's the second or fourth Tuesday of the month by looking in my fridge.  There's nothing but salad dressings and a bag of nuts in there.  Maybe a container of leftover beans and rice from last night's dinner, when we also had no food in the house.

I dread grocery shopping.  I put it off as long as possible and go only twice a month.  Every other Wednesday you'll find me wild eyed, zooming down the aisles of Costco and Sunflower Farmer's market, yelling "No!  We can't get that!  Get out from in front of the cart!  Let's move it, people!"

Because of my hatred, I have done some things to make it as quick and easy as possible:

1.  White board on hand.  I have a great big white board calendar with a section for groceries.  As soon as I run out of something or think of something I need, it goes right on the board.  If I try to think of everything we need on shopping day, I'm doomed.

2.  Detailed list.  I write my two week's menus down (more on this in a later blog post) and divide my list into sections:  Produce, Dairy/Deli, Frozen, Grain, Dry/Can, Non-Food, and a section for "To Do".  I'm well acquianted with my store enough to know the routine, and can generally write things down in the order of the aisles.  I've heard of some people that have maps of the store and write down things aisle by aisle, section by section.  But my method works for me. Don't buy anything that's not on the list unless it's a true must-have that you simply over looked.

3. Running list.  I have a document on my computer of things we need in the following time frames:  bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly, six months, year.  A biweekly item would be produce, tortilla chips, etc.  Our monthly items include soy milk, bread (I buy a lot and freeze it), cereal.  Diapers and wipes occur quarterly.  Every six months I buy items we put in food storage, like whole cases of canned tomatoes or beans, and 25 lb. bags of flour.   And yearly I get our gigantic bottles of hand soap, shampoo and conditioner, and the like.  When I have a running list of the things I buy, I can easily pick and choose the things that I need, and be prepared for those really big shopping days.

4. Bulk up.  I buy humongous containers of things so I don't have to buy them very often, and the price is often much better.  For example, a 5 lb. bag of shredded cheese is much less expensive than 5 one-pound bags of shredded cheese.  It freezes surprisingly well.  So when I get home, I divide the cheese into 5 bags and put four of them in the freezer.  A gallon bottle of olive oil lives in the pantry and refills the 16 oz. bottle near the stove.  Invest in some 5 gallon buckets with buckets with screw-on lids to store big bags of flour, sugar, beans, rice, oats, and other things you eat a lot of.

4.  Be prepared.  I write out the list the night before so I can get out the door on time in the morning.  I'll pack the car with reusable grocery bags and some snacks for the kids the night before, as well.  I clean out my purse of all old receipts, and hang a bag with "return items", if there are any, next to my purse.

5.  Time frame: Set a goal.  "I'm going to be gone 2 hours."  If I go right when Costco opens at 10 am, it's WAY less busy than trying to go any time after 12 noon.  I try not to frantically rush myself, but I certainly don't want to be wandering around the store all day.

6.  Clear your schedule.  Since shopping wears me out, I don't plan other major activities on the same day.  When the fridge is super empty the day before I go, I like to give it a quick wipe-out before I restock it.  Returning home from shopping is a chore in itself!  I'm lucky to have my handsome hubby to help me unload when I get home, and we set right to work putting everything in it's place, removing excess packaging, bagging and freezing bulk items like lunch meat or shredded cheese, and clearing out the trash.   Doing it right away gives you more time to lay on the couch with your arm over your face.

Even though I hate shopping, I try to keep a good attitude.  I'll often make short lists for the kids and let them pick out the color of grapes they want, or the kind of cheese.  I dance in the aisles when a good song comes on, and I reward myself handsomely afterward with a good helping of my favorite chips and salsa.