When I sprained my ankle and couldn't drive for a few weeks, my husband took me to the grocery. I leaned on the cart and went up and down the aisles getting what was on the list. He was right with me, but getting things that were definitely not on the list. We had adventuresome meals for a few weeks! Do you prefer to shop alone, shop with your spouse, or simply send your spouse to the grocery with a list of essentials and hope for the best?
I could and have, during my recovery from two surgeries in 2013 sent Randy to the grocery store with a list and while our grocery bill did increase during that time, he didn't go realllllllly overboard. And with an increase in women in some grocery store parking lots not far from us being attacked, I don't go by myself anymore....that and the fact that I am really still not comfortable driving the 'land yacht' of a truck Randy picked out last year. Our Kroger just started their "order online and they will deliver to our home" feature so I am really excited about trying it out next month. I really hate to grocery shop but I will miss seeing the gals there who I have known for almost 20 years.
I prefer to send Ian to the shops or, if I have to shop, then I do it alone. He comes home with everything on the list plus a few extras but as he's paying I don't really mind too much.
Grocery shopping.....actually a fun time of the week. I have done the grocery shopping for years and years. I know where everything is and recognize the bargains. A long time ago I made my own grocery forms(printed in batches of 5) and utilize an aisle format to keep time to a minimum. I run two lists, one printed(a list filled out during the week as we run out or are close to running out) and one in my head(visual recognition only). My favorite part of the store is the veggie aisle- the infamous Aisle 20. Just in case you thought it was a misprint....I like to go grocery shopping. Jerry P.S. sending the Mrs. food shopping yields sometimes new good stuff and sometimes mixed results. Bargain is not on the list.
Jerry, are you closely related to my husband? I keep a paper-and-pencil list in the kitchen, adding to it as I run low on things, or think of something we might like to try. While shopping with my husband, I was introduced to the computer printed grocery form, with the aisle format He is a retired engineer, but the "engineer" part of him is still very active! Yes, his method did cut down on shopping time, but I didn't get a chance to chat with my meat man, compare the relative merits of Roma vs. On the Vine tomatoes, nor find out if my checker's daughter was going to the prom. Actually, I think his method helped my ankle heal more quickly (I couldn't wait to get back to strolling the aisles, doubling back, chatting with the clerks, and generally enjoying food shopping). There's more to grocery shopping than food, and I don't mean toilet paper!
Kroger has a habit of rearranging their stores every few years so those computer aisle printouts are not useful around here. I am finally learning the new set up and will soon be able to make my list by aisle from left to right across the store.
I do not like to shop. i like it even less with my dear H along. I have a great daughter who is happy (I think) to get my groceries when needed.
I hate shopping. My wife hates shopping, but my daughter loves shopping. The only problem is that it is at least an hour´s drive to the closest shop that my daughter likes and then its hours hanging around waiting for her to finish shopping. The only exception is the gardening shop, my wife and I love the garden shop.
Toni....it is marketing. Making you see things you wouldn't normally even look at. Shake it up and move it around....oyvey I hate it when they do that just as much as the " GREAT NEW LOOK SAME GREAT TASTE" labels. All come with a higher price tag and a smaller volume of product.
I learned very early on in our relationship not to send DH shopping. For anything. The cart gets filled up quickly with junk food, snacks and canned food. There isn't anything in there to actually make a meal. I have done the shopping for the last 30 years. The store I shop at does 'price match', meaning if you can prove a competitor has a cheaper price on an item they will sell you that item for the sale price. To make this even easier, there is an app for the iphone that allows you to enter your shopping list and it shows you which store has it the cheapest! This feature sure saves a lot of time and money, and now I don't need to carry flyers anymore Has anyone watched that show extreme couponing? That amazes me ... people getting thousands of dollars worth of groceries for only a few dollars after using coupons. Sadly, couponing is different here in Canada ... we can not double up etc, one coupon per item per purchase.
Netty the thing about coupons is that those are not the things we eat. When was the last time you saw a coupon for sugar or flour or a staple of somekind? We don't eat out of the frozen food section, the junkfood section , the prepackaged meal section, prettymuch nothing from the center of the store. coffee and teabags and sometimes a salad dressing, but never do I see coupons for meat, flour, sugar, oatmeal etc. extreme couponing is not for me. I am a "stop shop and roll" girl... no dawdling no meandering... "scoot to the side of the isle if you are just going to read every word on the label... mooooooove outta the center of the isle..... I have things to do even if you don't" is all I can think in my head as I am trying to look as if I am patiently just waiting for clearance to go around them.... but inside I am getting more and more agitated as I encounter these shoppers wherever I am at. eventually I just stop shopping purchase what is in my cart and leave the rest of my list on the shelf.
Carolyn, I empathize with you having to wait, go around, or even go to another aisle while shopping. I am polite, "Please let me through" the first time, then it's "Move it or lose it!" Don't get me started on the mothers who let their children push the grocery cart.
A few months back I'm in the store. and see this (roughly) 4 year old pushing mommy's cart. She's paying no attention to what he's doing. Just as he is starting to round the bend, I yell out 'Whoa young man.' The mother looks up and starts to give me one of those stares. Right before she gets ready to verbally pound me, I say, your wide open pocketbook is about to make a right turn. She turned a beautiful shade of red, and ran off without even a simple thank you.
Ed does all the grocery shopping for us, though I personally do some for just myself, for foods I take to work for lunches. He's efficient and thrifty, and makes lists, checking with me for anything I need or want before he heads out. He does most of the cooking too, and he's an excellent cook! I do most of the other shopping...the Walmart/Target/Big box stores kind...well, except for Costo...we could both spend HOURS in Costco. And when I do go to those other stores, Ed's my chauffeur. He drops me off at the door, finds a shady spot to wait while he reads on his Kindle, and then I text him when I'm done and he swings back by the door and picks me up. I'm a lucky gal! We both do a lot of online shopping too...with Amazon Prime, we can get so many things at a much better deal on Amazon, and with no shipping costs, and in a lot of cases no tax, we save even more money! And with Amazon Now, if we really want something quickly, we can add a tip and get it in a couple hours! Often that's quicker than the time it would take us to drive to the store, shop around, find the item, and bring it back.
