homeeconomics101 | grocery shopping

I plan out all the meals I'm going to make for a week and then make a comprehensive list from those ingredients (plus snacks), organized by aisle in the store. For me that makes the task easy enough to complete, and prevents me from going over budget, since I'm not wandering the store aimlessly getting everything I need.

On the other hand, I only mildly dislike going to the grocery store, so that might not ameliorate the awfulness for you.

Hmmm, I think part of the problem is that I never know what I'll want to eat in an hour, much less in a day or a week. The idea of choosing things that far in advance actually sounds actively terrible to me.

But thank you for sharing! ;)

I'm somewhat the same way about not knowing what I'll be hungry for. (Complicated the last six months by an utter lack of appetite which has lead me to "Eating *something* is better than eating nothing, which has meant more frequent grocery trips).

Stuff that's helped:
- Shopping places that are reasonably pleasant to shop at. I shop once a week and mostly alternate between Trader Joe's and my local co-op each week, with occasional stops at a mainstream chain grocery for the things that neither one of those carries. Both treat their employees well, the people working there are happy and cheerful but not painfully perky, and the stores are clean, well-lit, and even if crowded, it's pretty easy to get in and out fairly quickly since I know where everything is.

- I think one thing that helps is that both are sort of mid-sized stores: big enough for some variety, but small enough that I don't normally hit choice paralysis. (Except in the cheese section).

- I have a list of things that I will pretty reliably eat. (Cheese. Chocolate. Tomatoes. Avocado. Lemon juice to put in my water. Pasta.)

- I have some stuff that keeps really well that I like reasonably often, and that I keep on hand: if I run low on these, they go on the shopping list. (Marinated artichoke hearts. Capers. Certain soups. Pasta. Some frozen foods.) I don't want them all the time, but often enough that if they're in the house, they're handy (and they won't go bad between when I buy them and when I might want to eat them.)

For example, I pretty much always keep one or two of several Trader Joe's items in the freezer, because if I don't want them this week, I almost certainly will in a week or two, and they're a great filler for days when either that's exactly what I want *or* when I come home from work and don't want to do anything I have to think about much.

- I then have a list of stuff I look at before I go shopping and go "Hmm. Does that sound sorta good this week?" If so, I often get it, or I get something that's reasonably similar. Usually figuring out why I'm craving something helps with this bit, if I am.

- All these lists live on an application on my iPod touch, which comes shopping with me. I deleted all their existing groceries, and only put in the ones I'm likely to actually buy. I can also get a default list for each location, and then delete the items I don't need more of. Bread is one of these, for me - I like baking, so I pretty much only pick up breads I'm not able to bake myself, or if I really don't have time/energy that week.

- While I do get some sudden unpredictable urges, I found that most of mine fall into some general categories where I can either keep some on hand, or I can figure out I might tend that way this week. For example, I pretty much always want cheese, but some weeks I trend towards Swiss, and sometimes fresh mozzarella, and sometimes Stilton, and so on - but if I have cheese in the house, I'll probably eat it by the end of the week, so cheese in general is a safe bet.

Don't know if any of this helps you, but you're definitely not alone in the pre-planning not being the ideal thing.

Complicated the last six months by an utter lack of appetite which has lead me to "Eating *something* is better than eating nothing

I definitely know how that feels, and it's not fun at all.

These are all really good ideas. I'll definitely refer back here before I go shopping next time, to see if they work out for me. Thank you!

I just make it a regular chore with a schedule, exactly like cleaning the litter box or doing laundry. It helps that I take my lunch to work every week as a matter of money-saving, so every week about the same time I need items to make lunch with. So every Saturday morning (I live in a VERY heavily Orthodox Jewish area, though I am not myself Jewish, and on Saturday 90% of the village is at temple and would never THINK of going to the store) I drag myself out of the apartment with my list.

On days when I am particularly "do not WANT" about it, I bribe myself with bagels (there's a Panera less than 2 minutes from my awesome grocery store) or some other kind of treat--but only after the shopping is done!

These are good suggestions! Perhaps I do just need to schedule it firmly so there's no getting out of it.

Unfortunately I work on Sunday mornings, when the majority of my Latin@ neighborhood would be occupied at church. I should try to figure out another time when hardly anyone would be there.

Friday evenings on the way home from work are often helpful. Failing that, if you're either not a party time type person or if your party time starts later than the average, 6pm-ish on Saturday used to work for me (granted, at that time I lived in a town that was half snooty yuppies and half pain-in-the-ass college kids, and I belonged to both groups at some point during my residence there). So for what that's worth :)

Another thing I do to keep myself from wasting food--and to make sure I shop regularly--is only buy enough food for the week. I keep some things in stock, like pasta and rice and a few cans of soup for emergencies, but my freezer is too small to store a lot of meat/veggies, so I tend to plan out the meals for each week and shop accordingly. (Side benefit: rarely looking at the fridge and going "er, I'm not sure what this science project started life as, but...")

Eating all the stuff in the house before going shopping is GOOD, isn't it? SAves on waste and stuff.

But it's not good when everything in the house is a box of cereal and a bag of rice! I tend to eat way too many carbs, because those are the kinds of staples I buy, and way too much of the same food all day long or day after day.

This comment makes me think that you should also look into meal planning with a cookbook full of delicious things that you want to try making. I always try a recipe twice before I decide if it's worth it/if I like it.

Also, if you're a snacker, try preparing little snack-packs of vegetables or fruit that you can reach for instead of carbs all the time (I am bad for this, my go-to snack is tortillas and/or cheese)

After trying a few recipes you'll sort of get a hang for what kinds of ingredients you can keep on hand. For example, in my fridge I usually have:

- red peppers
- green onions
- baby greens (salad)
- cheese
- apples
- yellow onions
- cilantro
- package of tortillas
- avocados
- bananas

sometime things like mushrooms, beets, etc, but those above are pretty much my staples, because I can make wraps, quesdillas or burritos with a couple of other ingredients.

good items to have in cans:

- fruit salad (if you like that kind of thing), pineapple, etc
- diced tomatoes
- beans (either that, or the dried kind, but these don't need prep)

I am just in the process of overhauling the way I do groceries, what I buy where (I am attempting to transition to the Farmer's Market more often and be really specific about what bread products I buy and why)

AAAAnd I just realized this is probably a post by itself...

Grocery shopping is actually one of the few kinds of shopping that I actually enjoy, but there are still times when I'd rather eat up whatever's left in the house because I just don't want to go out and make the effort.

I get from the other comments that you don't like planning too far in advance, but maybe have just one recipe, a new one or an old favorite, that you can look forward to buying the ingredients for, and build a list around that.

There's also been times I've gone shopping without any list whatsoever and looked at shelves I don't normally look at, and found items I never knew existed, and taken them home and enjoyed them. That can be kind of fun and give you a new perspective on the same-old store.

Giving yourself a treat for getting it done sounds like a good idea, too. Rent a movie or get new library books or call a friend or whatever turns you on!

These are good suggestions. Thank you!

Are you in an area with grocery delivery options? I've used Safeway and Amazon Fresh and been fairly happy with both. The produce through Amazon Fresh, in particular, has been very good.

I just throw something in the online cart whenever I think about something I want, click the order button once a month, and presto--no more wasting precious hours of my time thinking about food. :) You can also create model orders of items you know you're going to need, to save time.

(Since the delivery is coming from the stock at your local grocery store, where you'd be shopping anyway, I don't think the ecological footprint is much worse than shopping in person, if that's something you're into.)

If you're outside everyone's delivery area, I don't have any useful suggestions. :( When I have to go to a physical grocery store, I try to go in around midnight.

I've never tried delivery service. Is it comparable in price?

Item price is comparable; for Safeway, its exactly the same. Some places charge a delivery fee ($5-10 per order, in my experience).

I think shopping online does make it more difficult to compare prices--standing in the aisle, it might be easy to see that the other brand of rice is on sale. I think this does lead to some additional cost, but you could minimize that by being a careful shopper.

It could also be worth seeing if there's a CSA or fruit/vegetable box scheme in your area. There's obviously an element of unpredictability when it comes to the contents of the box, but that can be a plus or a minus, depending on how you function.

It takes away some of the decision-making pressure, and means you've got at least part of your shopping covered.

I second the CSA/veg box suggestion. For us, the unpredictability has been lessened a ton b/c now we live in the UK (we're from the US, & did a CSA there) &... our box scheme, at least, seems to like reliable. Every week: potatoes, carrots, & onions w/o fail, & then a few more varied things. This is good for local & fresh & also it helps w/planning (though I admit I really miss the more varied stuff we used to get at home: what we get now is good, but we never get showstoppers).

Also, if you are worried about not eating produce before it goes bad, perhaps depending on what kind of produce you get (& available space) you could freeze some of it? When we were drowning in fresh corn on the cob w/our CSA a few years ago I froze the kernels in baggies; I've also frozen carrots etc. etc. etc.

I also order groceries online (Giant via Peapod) and have them delivered to my house. This is especially good since I don't have a car, which makes carrying anything more than just a few items home really annoying. So I make one huge grocery order each month (there's an $8 delivery fee) and get all my staples and stuff that will keep. Then about once a week I stop by the store on my way home from work and get some fresh produce or bakery items that won't keep. This does mean I generally buy from one store and don't shop around. But it's really easy on the website to compare between brands of an item - they show the ingredients and nutritional info, they show the price, they also break it down into price per ounce or whatever so you can tell whether the larger item is cheaper than the small item or not. And they do run sales.

CSAs are also great. I'm living by myself and so don't have one now, but I've done it in the past. It can be more expensive, and you don't get to control what you receive, but it's exciting in its way.

Seriously. Getting food delivered = so much win. If you hate leaving the house for groceries do look into whether you can get them delivered.

Grocery shopping online with delivery is LOVE. I still tend to get my produce by wandering over to the local greengrocers, because I live on Vancouver Island and local means local and it tastes better (I am very bad at being Morally Obligated to shop local, because I am Contrary, but the Rootceller's produce is just BETTER, and cheaper), but for the "grocery" part - cereals, milk, eggs, butter, juices, meats, etc, online shopping with delivery is my saviour.

My store-with-delivery requires a 50$ order with a small delivery fee, but as I do not own a care, the delivery fee is pretty much comparable to what I'd be paying for a taxi, and by the time I do groceries it's always over 50$, so.

This is a little dorky, but I like going grocery shopping with somebody else more than going alone.

Not dorky at all! I feel the same.

I do this too--it's not always feasible, and sometimes more expensive, but when I shop by myself I tend to circle the store aimlessly for 45 minutes and end up at the checkout with a toothbrush and a loaf of bread, having decided I didn't need anything else on my list today. Someone else keeps me focused and motivated.

This.

Well, since it sounds like planning is your issue, don't plan. Like others have said, have stuff you eat reliably. I don't buy much produce, but I always have some frozen veggies on hand. I tend to keep stuff like pasta, rice, etc. around so I don't need to shop for them specifically. Having staples generally means less grocery shopping, like I always have a few grains, canned beans, spices, eggs, garlic, flour, etc lying around. I also always have one sweet and one savory snack on hand in case a craving hits.

I hate shopping because of the crowds-so I go late in the evening (the place I go is open 24 hours and I have a very flexible schedule). Or if I have to brave the hoards, I bring my iPod with me and listen to some upbeat music (something that makes me want to move fast like you'd work-out to) and I'm usually done before I know it.

Hope this helps :D

Ooh, iPod is a good idea! Thanks.

I love grocery shopping, so I'm probably not the best one for this. However, I'm the only one in the family who does, so these are the tricks we've figured out over the years.

*Break it into manageable chunks. If you need to go to say, Costco, Safeway, and Fred Meyer, do the shopping in parts. Either do it on multiple days, or grab lunch in between stores.
*Set a time limit. You don't want to be there, so make certain you aren't there any longer than you have to be.
*Don't just make a grocery list, make it organized so that you don't have to double back while shopping.
*Give yourself an incentive--buy your favorite soda while you're there, or pick up a chocolate bar. Alternatively, treat yourself to a movie when you get home. (Or something similar. Playing a wii game is the common treat in our family.)

There are probably other tips that we use, but I started writing this three hours ago...

For me it's all about mood and how much energy I have. Some days I'll happily hit three different stores (my local co-op, Trader Joe's and Safeway) and putter around planning meals as I find stuff that looks interesting or is on sale. Other days, I just want to get in and get out with the things on my list. And still other days, I just can't bring myself to do it.

For me what helps on the days when shopping just isn't going to happen is always having certain things in the freezer and cupboards (my bare minimum is: frozen chicken pieces, frozen veggies, tuna, rice and pasta) and so that I can put together something even if I haven't been shopping in a while.

Also, on days when the cupboard has gotten bare and I know I'm going to have to drag my ass out to the store and I'm all mentally whiny about it, I try to come up with some kind of reward, even if it's something small like getting a mocha or a smoothie somewhere.

How to make yourself shop? Figure out that one item that you will miss enough to go out for and always buy just enough for the week, even if it's on sale. In my house it is chocolate soy milk- if we are out of that my kids give me grief until I get off my duff and do the shopping.

On the produce issue- the best way to make sure you eat all the fresh veggies/fruits you buy is to do the prep work on them right after you get back from the store- wash and cut it all so that eating or cooking it requires no effort. Then they will be just as easy to eat as prepared foods or snacks.

Oooh, the produce prep advice is brilliant! I need to do this the next time I go shopping.

I get enthused about food purchasing by buying from small, locally owned shops. I find it more satisfying, bizarrely, to go to the Asian supermarket for rice noodles and tofu and spring roll wrappers and then go to the greengrocers for my veges and fruit. In the last place I lived, there were three small shopping centres nearby (5 - 15 min by car, or 15 - 45 minutes walk) with many different specialty shops. It took longer, but it was nice, and I got to know the people and what they offered. And then, depending on what I bought, I would go home and think about the next week's dinners and whatever. Ooooh, and Farmer's Markets.

But, if food shopping just doesn't spin your propellor, you may find that this depresses you even more. If so, then my advice is to buy frozen veges. They lose hardly any nutritional value so long as they are snap frozen and don't rot. They're not as tasty as fresh, but they are sooo convenient.

It's just been two month or so since I decided to make it a habit to only shop with a grocery list. It's working out well; I spend less money and I'm not throwing away lots of uneaten produce anymore.

Here's what I do
- During the day, if I use something up or notice it is running down, I jot it down on a piece of paper.
- Then, before I go shopping, usually the evening before, I sit down and add anything else I think I need. I then order the list according to store layout. I do this for every store I plan to visit. (It usually fits on the same piece of paper).

This doesn't take me long, since it's just me and the rabbits.

Because I have no car, and have to carry my groceries home, I do go grocery shopping two times a week. This allows me to be somewhat flexible in terms of meal-planning. Especially when it comes to produce. Maybe you could schedule a second, shorter trip to the store during the week? This way, the pressure to make the "right" decisions regarding every meal for a whole week could be lowered.

Once I'm in the store, this is my one basic rule:
- I don't buy anything that isn't on the list except if I clearly remember thinking about putting it on the list but forgot.

As I said, it works for me.

Good luck!

Most of the stuff I do has already been suggested! This comm is really full of helpful people!

I keep a shopping list pinned to my fridge. When I notice I'm (almost) out of something it gets added. When I actually manage to plan meals (I don't like this either) ingredients go on the list, too. Since I can't get everything at one store, I printed out some lists which are already divided by store.

I have a shopping trip in my schedule for the week (not always the same day), and then I only have to grab the relevant list and my ipod and am done really quickly.

I stock up on staples (there is no need for me to go shopping for rice on a weekly basis) and store them in sturdy, airtight, moisture-proof containers if their original packaging doesn't suit.

Then I also go shopping regularly, just a 10-minute stop to get perishable stuff that I don't pick up on a run that's for staples or at the farmers' market. It is perfectly OK to drop in at the grocery store on the way home from somewhere else and pick up two apples, a head of lettuce, and a loaf of bread.

I also suffer from not knowing what I am going to want to eat, and/or just plain not wanting to eat even when I am hungry. I have a small box of fairly bland but unobjectionable meal bars (I went with Luna bars) and a container of protein powder that I can eat completely without enthusiasm if I need to get something into me but nothing sounds good. I try to avoid resorting to those, but they are there if I have to have them.

I actually like shopping, so I don't know that my response will be as helpful - but I love to freeze things. (I bought a chest freezer when we moved here so I'd have more freezer space.) Keeping enough veggies around is easier when a lot of them are frozen (I usually get those pre-frozen), but you can also make ahead entrees and freeze those. Pop them out, bake them, eat - so you can go with the craving of the moment but not have to get ingredients together and do all the prep work right then.

Of course, I say that on a day when my husband and I tried a couple tastes of an experimental veggie bake and dumped it in the trash. *shudders* The tried and true recipes have been pretty decent, though. It's when I experiment beyond my cooking skills that life gets interesting.

Are there fruits and veggies that you're happy to eat in preserved form? I fill in the gap between when the fresh stuff is gone and when it's convenient to go shopping by keeping supplies of

* canned mandarin oranges, in pear juice; one can contains a half to two-thirds of the recommended daily vitamin C

* frozen spinach; I cream it or eat it raw with lemon and feta

* frozen cooked, pureed squash

* frozen mixed berries.

grocery shopping

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