Groceries are such an important part of our chores and livelihood. We all do grocery shopping in person or online these days to obtain our necessities. Some of us enjoy doing it, while for others, it is not even remotely exciting. We all have shopped for groceries for ourselves, friends, neighbors, and maybe for strangers, in order to help. Though groceries may not be the most exciting thing to do; we do it for our survival.
We all have our own ways of grocery shopping but ever since the pandemic hit, our lives, our ways of shopping, especially grocery shopping, have changed. Previously, grocery shopping over the weekends would mean a small family outing which probably ended with ice cream or chocolate shake, but now people in most families prefer to leave their children at home to limit their exposure to unwanted germs. People mostly opt for online grocery delivery which seems to be more convenient and time saving.
You may or may not like grocery shopping, but here are a few survival tips which can help you to shop with ease.
1. Planning
Nobody has the time to shop for hours at a grocery store. Make a list of the items you need to purchase. Keep a notebook in one of the kitchen drawers and every time you realize you need an item, write it down. Okay, you find writing it down is old school, never mind. Use your phone to make your list. There are lots of apps which make it super simple as long as you know how to find that list. Many people still find writing it down to be more useful. This of course, is your choice.
2. Avoid buying in bulk
Unless you have a big family or you are running a community kitchen, try not to make bulk purchases. There could be some items in your grocery cart which you might get bored of eating after a day or two, or perhaps a week. If you buy in small quantities, and you like any dish or item, chances are greater you will head back to the store to buy it again.
3. Coupons
Coupons are a great way to get discounts on the items in your cart. Look for a weekly deal or any deal of the day to save on items. You may not get big discounts, but coupons will still be useful to trim down the final bill.
4.Meal planning
This helps a lot when you buy your vegetables or meat. A meal planner gives you a better idea to buy the required ingredients for the daily lunch and dinner menu. That way you know exactly what to buy and it stops you from buying unnecessary items.
5. Eat
Exactly! If possible, eat your meal before you go grocery shopping. Walking through the store makes you feel hungry, and you may end up buying too many snacks. A full tummy will be less tempting to buy those snacks and occupy your pantry space. Instead, buy a banana or a fruit bar which will be pocket friendly and satiate your hunger.
Grocery shopping will be less time-consuming and more efficient if you can use these tips.
Happy shopping folks!
