When we settled in our condo unit last May, one task gets added to my list of responsibilities—grocery shopping. It makes perfect sense since I was the one who passes by the supermarket everyday on my way home, that is, when I still have to report for work in our Boni, Mandaluyong office. Now that I’m a work-at-home mom, I find it harder to leave the house after I’m done with my work to buy things we need at home, especially when I have to do the grocery shopping several times a week. I need to come up with a plan, and here’s a list of things that works for me:
1. Do the groceries once a week – Before, I used to do it twice or thrice a week, but I realized it was a waste of time, so I decided just a few weeks ago to start buying groceries once a week only. The time I save here is just about the only time I have for blogging. At least, I manage to find time for this. I do my grocery shopping either on Saturdays or Sundays.
2. Have your grocery list ready and stick to it – I usually prepare a list of things to buy in the supermarket the night before I actually head to the nearest grocery. I check whatever supplies we had left or what needs to be replenished. I start with toiletries: Do we still have soap, shampoo, facial wash, toothpaste? How about laundry soap/detergent powder, toilet cleaner/all-purpose cleaner? Then, I check our kitchen cabinet if we still have enough or no more supply of onions, garlic, ginger, coffee, sugar, creamer, cooking oil, salt, flour, tomato sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, etc.. I then proceed to our refrigerator to check for whatever food items we have left out of the previous week’s grocery shopping. Finally, I do an auditing of my son’s milk, vitamins, and snacks for the entire week. Knowing the specific things I need to buy reduces the time I spend in the supermarket. I don’t need to scout every aisle in the grocery to see if there’s something in it that we need at home, plus, I get to resist the urge to buy on impulse.
3. Ask for help – Since I’ll be buying one week’s supply of things we need at home, I can not carry all the grocery bags on my own, no matter how hard I try. More or less, the entire purchase totals eight to ten kilos. So I need someone bigger than me to carry the heaviest bags. This is where my husband comes in handy. He hates doing the groceries, so I’m usually just the one doing the picking while he looks around for other things to do, like buying DVDs or checking out the latest gadgets in the nearby shops. I text or call him when I’m ready to pay my grocery bill.
Following these simple steps makes my grocery shopping a less time-consuming and a more fun activity. Give this list a try. You might benefit from it, too.
1. Do the groceries once a week – Before, I used to do it twice or thrice a week, but I realized it was a waste of time, so I decided just a few weeks ago to start buying groceries once a week only. The time I save here is just about the only time I have for blogging. At least, I manage to find time for this. I do my grocery shopping either on Saturdays or Sundays.
2. Have your grocery list ready and stick to it – I usually prepare a list of things to buy in the supermarket the night before I actually head to the nearest grocery. I check whatever supplies we had left or what needs to be replenished. I start with toiletries: Do we still have soap, shampoo, facial wash, toothpaste? How about laundry soap/detergent powder, toilet cleaner/all-purpose cleaner? Then, I check our kitchen cabinet if we still have enough or no more supply of onions, garlic, ginger, coffee, sugar, creamer, cooking oil, salt, flour, tomato sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, etc.. I then proceed to our refrigerator to check for whatever food items we have left out of the previous week’s grocery shopping. Finally, I do an auditing of my son’s milk, vitamins, and snacks for the entire week. Knowing the specific things I need to buy reduces the time I spend in the supermarket. I don’t need to scout every aisle in the grocery to see if there’s something in it that we need at home, plus, I get to resist the urge to buy on impulse.
3. Ask for help – Since I’ll be buying one week’s supply of things we need at home, I can not carry all the grocery bags on my own, no matter how hard I try. More or less, the entire purchase totals eight to ten kilos. So I need someone bigger than me to carry the heaviest bags. This is where my husband comes in handy. He hates doing the groceries, so I’m usually just the one doing the picking while he looks around for other things to do, like buying DVDs or checking out the latest gadgets in the nearby shops. I text or call him when I’m ready to pay my grocery bill.
Following these simple steps makes my grocery shopping a less time-consuming and a more fun activity. Give this list a try. You might benefit from it, too.
