Buying the Groceries Doesn’t Have to be a Headache

Simplify

Some people love grocery shopping, others despise it and I feel most are somewhere in between. In general, the less rushed and emergent the process is, the more enjoyable and surprisingly easy it becomes. Several things can ease the process for those of us that could do without this particular chore. Three important strategies predominate. The first is to shop as infrequently as possible, aiming for once weekly. Trips to pick up odds and ends are a waste of time and with some thoughtful organization sporadic shopping shouldn’t be necessary on a regular basis. The second strategy is to be sure you have a printable grocery list and that you know exactly what you need so you don’t waste time once you’re in the store (and more importantly spend money on unnecessary purchases). The third, is to consider delegating the chore to someone else, by using one of the online grocery stores or a grocery delivery service.

Grocery List

The simplest and quickest type of list to generate is a printable grocery list. You can either keep a list of all of the things you keep as staples, on your computer and print the list on shopping day or better yet, you can make use of many of the meal planning resources to help you generate your printable grocery list simply and easily. Please refer to my section on meal planning for more information on how to tie these two concepts together. Another approach is to use a magnetic erasable whiteboard that you attach to your fridge. Whenever anything runs out, the person who uses the last spoon of mayo, eats the last yogurt or empties the milk carton writes that item on the board. When shopping day comes, the list of staples is already partially prepared, so all that needs to be added are the specific ingredients needed for the meals that you have planned for the week, and your grocery list is complete.

Grocery Delivery

For those of us who either truly dislike grocery shopping or simply don’t have time for it on a given week, have the option of grocery delivery. It may seem a bit indulgent at first thought, but many grocery stores offer this service. This fact only proves that more of us take advantage of such conveniences than you might think. Check with your supermarket to see if they offer grocery delivery or, alternatively, browse a bit online for stores in your area that do. Click here for information on select delivery services available in Toronto.

Grocery Delivery Services in Toronto