Get a Grip at the Grocery Store

I love grocery shopping.  My family makes fun of my dad, because going to Hannaford is like a hobby to him and also the center of his social life, but I have 100% inherited this affinity.  I love to see what’s new, search for deals, and get ideas for future cooking adventures.  At my grocery store on Mission Hill I also get to see amateur adults who have only begun grocery shopping.   Sometimes they loudly make excited realizations (non-dairy milks last much longer than the real stuff!) and sometimes, they are struggling.  I’ve watched people try to figure out how the deli works and end up giving up (there’s a machine you take a number from, then you wait your turn,) valiantly hold back tears in the face of an overwhelming selection of cereal, or frantically calling parents for advice. 

It’s not surprising that so many amateur adults are afraid of the grocery store, it’s a place full of choices, where you have to spend money, and figure out how to sustain and nourish yourself, but there are so many distractions, and again, too many choices, and everything is just THERE and you’re supposed to just know what you need and what to do, but you’re totally overwhelmed.  If that’s not the story of “emerging adulthood” I don’t know what is.  But you can take on the grocery store!

Before you go:

Have a look around your fridge and pantry and think about what you need.  Do not make grand plans.  I allow myself to buy stuff for a totally new recipe once or twice a month, because I know that when I get home from work I want to make dinner in 20 minutes, and I only want one pan to get dirty in the process. 

Rethink meals.  We often think of a meal as having a distinct main portion, and then multiple sides.  These types of meals are time consuming to make, usually require a lot of different ingredients (aka expensive) and are tricky to time.  

Make a list.  I’m sorry, but until you get real good at winging it, you need a list.  Do not put things you just threw out on the list, you obviously didn’t use it.  Alternatively, buy a smaller package.

Have a snack.  Going grocery shopping hungry is a recipe for disaster on par with trying to do your shopping on a Sunday evening. 

Once you’re there:

Get a basket or a little cart.  You’re probably shopping for one.  You know you’re going to fill that huge cart up with $200 worth of stuff and 30% of it will go bad in the back of your fridge. 

Start by walking around the edge of the store.  Unless you shop at one of those weird-shaped anarchy stores like the Start Market in Central, they keep the basics around the edge.  Produce, meat, dairy, breads, etc. 

Be wary of sales. If something perishable is on sale it’s usually because it is nearing its expiration date.  This stuff is fine to buy if you’ll be using it soon, but don’t try to stock up.  Don’t be lured by the fun sales either, and just ignore the stuff on the ends of the aisles. 

Give yourself fewer choices.  My strategy is to pick between the three cheapest things.

Look for good values.  Look not just at the price, but at the price per unit to compare different brands and sizes.  Sometimes the big version will save you a LOT.  This only works if you use it before it goes bad though.  Go ahead and buy the giant peanut butter, but think twice about the value pack of chicken breasts.  Think about how many meals you’ll be able to get out  of a purchase. 

Step away from the fancy cheese section.  Or the gourmet cookies, or whatever pricey treats you keep buying.  It’s totally fine to treat yourself every now and then, but I cannot tell you how many of my broke friends consistently have $8 blocks of cheese in their fridge.  If you simply can’t live without fresh Parmesan that’s fine, but that’s your one thing and you can’t also get the high end version of a bunch of other stuff.  I think people get carried away because yes, you do need to spend money on groceries, but it’s possible that you don’t need to spend nearly as much as you think you do.  Yes you need food, no you do not need prosciutto.  

At Home:

Pay attention to how you cook/eat.  It just takes some time and trial and error to figure out what works for you.  For example, when I don’t feel like cooking I make eggs because they take like 5 minutes.  So I always, always have eggs.  I’ve learned that my veggies almost always go bad, so now I buy them frozen.  I keep cereal and rice on hand at all times because they last forever and then I can still eat when there’s little in my fridge besides condiments.

A sample week, from my actual life, groceries included:

My list:
Eggs
Bag of shredded cheese
Bread
Whatever fruit speaks to me/is a good price
Mixed greens
Whatever fresh veggie speaks to me/is a good price.  This week it was a bell pepper.
Whatever snacks for work speak to me/are on sale
Salsa

My impulse purchases:
Any ice cream that's on sale 2 for $5

The stuff that's already at my house:
Rice
Quinoa
Salad dressing
Peanut butter and jelly
Frozen veggies
Parmesan cheese
Beans
Soy sauce

Sunday:
Breakfast: Cheesy eggs, toast
Lunch: Potluck at church!  Free food is not just for college students.
Dinner: Fried Rice

Monday:
Breakfast: Bagel and coffee on the go at Dunkin
Lunch: Last night's fried rice
Dinner: More cheesy eggs, this time with frozen spinach, ice cream

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal (I have three different flavors stashed at work) and a fruit
Lunch: A salad (also stashed at work) and a work snack
Dinner: The last of that friend rice, possibly ice cream

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal (a new flavor) and a fruit
Lunch: A salad, and I buy some kettle corn at 7/11
Dinner: Quinoa with veggies and parmesan

Thursday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal and fuit, again. I grab candy from the office jar cause I'm feeling sassy
Lunch: The rest of the quinoa, a work snack
Dinner: Bean and cheese dip aka burrito in a bowl aka yum

Friday:
Breakfast: Yeah, oatmeal!
Lunch: A PB&J and Friday is FREE ICE CREAM DAY at work
Dinner: Eat out with friends

Saturday:
Brunch: Breakfast sandwich at home, maybe some ice cream, whatever
Dinner: Takeout!

It's true, I eat a lot of vegetables, leftovers and oatmeal, and don't buy meat.  But whatever, cause veggies, oatmeal, and not-meat are good for you, not eating leftovers is wasteful, and I only spend $30 a week at the grocery store.  You could turn the oatmeal into cereal or bagels, and the quinoa into pasta, and throw chicken into everything if that's what you're into.