Tips for Easy Grocery Shopping

Tips for Easy Grocery ShoppingGrocery shopping can be a real chore sometimes, but we have to do it if we want to eat! 😉 (Unless we raise/grow everything on our own of course.) I have developed a pretty good system that works for me so I thought I would share it with you. Some people plan out their meals for the week and even do some prep work over the weekend. I have never really done that, except I did try planning out our meals before and that became a chore in itself! So what I do now is just keep a stock of certain things and then I can make just about anything during the week. This has worked just fine when I’m working or not working. I do take a few minutes the night before to take something out of the freezer and think about what sounds good and what we haven’t had in a while. Something usually comes to mind pretty quickly. It does sound nice to have crockpot meals ready to go for the week but I haven’t tried it yet.

With Fibromyalgia symptoms, it can be extra hard to make these shopping trips. We forget things easily, anxiety comes on strong, especially with bright lights and crowds, pain can come on strong, and on and on. Then to have to stop and read labels and decide what to buy… it can be very overwhelming. Here’s what I do to make things easier for myself.

Here are my tips for easy grocery shopping trips:

  • Keep a shopping list going all week long and anytime you are out of something, write it down. I have those pads of lined paper that you can stick on your refrigerator.
  • Take an inventory either the night before or morning of the day you go shopping. I go through my fridge/freezer, cupboards and pantry and see what we might be low on or out of. There are basic items I always have in my head to check for.
  • Organize your shopping list by category and cross off the items as you go through the store. It may be fun for the kids to cross off items for you, if they are at the age to read and use a pencil of course.
  • Go shopping weekly so that you don’t have to get so many items and it won’t take you as long. Plus if you forgot something it would only be another week until you go again. Also, you can get fresh fruit/vegetables each week!
  • Bring something to keep the kid(s) occupied. This could be a book, pad of paper and a pencil, and yes I am guilty of giving them my phone to play with. Really, it’s whatever works so you can get through the shopping trip as stress-free as possible.
  • If you can, go shopping early in the day, or later at night to avoid crowds.
  • To save money, I load my coupons ahead of time and put any printed coupons in my purse. Maybe make a note next to the item on your grocery list if there’s a coupon. That way you can make sure you follow what the coupon says. I also give myself a weekly budget and try to stay within that budget. I haven’t been too strict on it while we have had extra money but when I am home I plan to bring a calculator so I can really make sure I am within budget, as money will be tighter.
  • Switch up your stores. I go to Trader Joe’s one week, Fred Meyer another week (they have a great Simple Truth organic brand), and our Food Co-op another week. That way I can get certain items we like from certain places. They may be cheaper or a better organic selection. For examples of these items, I made a list below. And yes, I actually keep different shopping lists for different stores. :)
  • If you really want to make things easier, you could find out when the store does their stocking and make sure to go on a different day. The organic section of the big grocery stores is usually small and they are always stocking when I go because I go on Fridays right now. It makes it more crowded, harder to get the things I need and be able to take my time and read labels.
  • Don’t shop on an empty stomach. I make this mistake all too often. Then I start piling extra things in the cart because everything looks good and that doesn’t help with trying to save money. Plus I get irritable and feel sick if I don’t eat when I need to. So that doesn’t help things either. Just bring a snack to eat in the car before you go in, or eat before you go.

I am sure there are many more ways to make grocery shopping easier but this is what works for me, as long as I stick to it. I had one week where we didn’t go shopping and I was thrown off for a while. It helps to stay organized and have a routine. Click here for our very first organic shopping trip, which includes tips on changes you can make if you can’t go full-blown organic.

Here are my kids on our first shopping trip to Trader Joe’s (back in February 2013)! Kailey was 7 and Tyler was 3. trader joes

Here are some of the places I like to shop and some of the items I like to purchase:

  • Trader Joe’s – Organic maple syrup (great price), organic ketchup-pictured below (least amount of sugar compared to other organic brands), Fairtrade organic coffee, organic frozen fruit/vegetables, organic pears & apples (they are the perfect size for kids to grab and eat), organic peanut butter-pictured below (it is 1 ingredient – organic peanuts), coconut oil (great price), Kerrygold grass fed butter (better price), and many other items. Not all the items at Trader Joe’s are organic, so you really have to read labels.
  • Olympia Food Co-op – They have a great bulk section! Nuts/seeds, granola, trail mix, beans, rice, noodles of all kinds, different flours and sugars, popcorn kernels, herbs & seasonings, etc. Their produce is fresh from local farms. And many other great items. I have found things there that I couldn’t find anywhere else. Canned organic pineapple is one item.
  • Fred Meyer – They have a Simple Truth organic brand and provide a wide selection of foods. They keep coming out with new items too. It’s a great price, for organic. Of course there are many other organic brands available at Fred Meyer. Compared to other big grocery store chains, I like their organic section the best.
  • Farm Fresh Market – This is where I go if we need anything in-between grocery shopping trips. It’s not too far from our house and they have a little bit of everything. And I love getting their rotisserie chicken! Cooked and ready to go.
  • Olympia Farmers Market – Obviously the Farmers Market is a great place to go for so many reasons. Fresh, organic, local foods. I don’t go here as often as I should. I have found some of the same produce at the Food Co-op and I can get other things there that I can’t at the Farmers Market. But, I will definitely be going to the Farmers Market more often when I am home and can get out more. It will be fun to just go down there, grab some things, eat lunch and play at the park. :)

Here’s a variety of nuts/seeds I put in glass jars that I saved:
IMG_2757

Organic ketchup from Trader Joe’s:
organic ketchup

Organic peanut butter from Trader Joe’s:
organic peanut butter

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