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Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Grocery Shopping 101 - could do better


Just when I think I have it all together,


I am reminded of my failings.

I pride myself on my shopping abilities,

acquired gradually over twenty years.

I have a menu plan

(well ... a rough menu plan....)

I tick the items I need on my 

word document form, printed in aisle order.

I don't shop when I am hungry.

I shop before the supermarket gets busy.

I take my shopping bags ...

.... but if we are running out of bags for the bin

I purposely take fewer cloth bags

so I can collect a few plastic bags.

I shop carefully for our three diets

(normal, failsafe/GF/DF, and vegetarian)

looking for bargains and comparing prices.

I load the items on the conveyor belt

in the correct order so that everything

has a chance of being packed in the right order.

I visit the butcher on my way out

and pack my car boot carefully

and unpack at home and bring it inside.

Sometimes I even remember to log

the docket amounts on my home budget app.

But ....

it seems I'm lacking on 

the follow-through.

Once I've gotten the cold things in the fridge,

the rest might take hours to make it to the (already full) pantry

or the fruitbowl or the crisper.

Or not.

It depends on the day.

This morning,

I discovered in one of our fancy little drawers

in our new fridge

a bag of meat I bought last Tuesday.

A week ago.

It never made it to the freezer.

And now I have to throw it away.

 $20 or more.

I've been beating myself up about it all morning.

When I got home from shopping just now,

I was determined to get this week's meat 

straight into the freezer this time.

But where is the meat???

Seems I left it on the counter 

at the butchers.

Too busy getting my frequent shoppers card stamped

and organising my change and docket.

I phoned the butcher, 

and he's got the meat in the cool room,

I'll have to go back later today and collect it.

* * *

So ... it seems a few more systems might be in order for Fiona.

That or we all become vegetarians ....

* * *

Any tips for quick and painless packing away of groceries??

3 comments:

Hill upon Hill said...

Shopping; something to be thankful for but also a big job: I always find it amusing that we load the groceries into the trolley, then onto the conveyor belt, back into trolley, into car, into house and then away.

Lots of exercise.

I deal with it as soon as I get home.

I felt for you regarding the meat.
Buying bacon in bulk is my most tedious as you have to divide, bag and freeze a.s.a.p.

Fiona @ Brave New Vintage said...

Umm tips. No sorry! But I am so impressed with the rest of your system. I can relate to most, and only aspire to the rest. Well done. Don't chide yourself as you are well ahead of most in the organisation/efficiency category. And going veg I reckon takes even more organisation (was full veg for 5 years), but well worth it for health and budget!

Lea said...

Well you sound super organised to me so I reckon it's probably just been one of those days :)We all have them!