Helpful hints to manage the hassle of the Supermarket
It has been said that "failure to plan is a plan to fail…"
Seems harsh but true. I generally find if I don’t have things planned and prep out that well, things go to pot. This goes for my work life, home life and especially my eating habits.
So how do I prevent planning for failure?
Lead me not into temptation therefore not into the supermarket – unless I have a shopping list that is.
Generally, I try to do one major shop a week and then try and avoid the supermarkets like the plague. Those places are designed to suck you in, never to release from their unearthly grips until you have reached the minimum spend.
To do a weekly shop successfully you do need to menu plan. Write out what you think you will cook for each day. This isn’t a gospel which you must abide too but helps reduced the temptation of “whatsfordinneritis” which can lead to severe complications of pizza ordering.
When writing your menu plan and shopping list feel free to try new recipes but make sure that you have the staples for the old favourites. Tinned tomatoes, canned tuna, pasta and eggs are some simple basics to ensure you always have in the larder, you can whip up quick, nutritious and tasty meal with these.
I will admit that I do have to visit more often than I would like to replenish the stores of usually bread to keep the hungry beasts at bay, but a little trick I use to avoid the marketing and impulse to buy is, if it’s only a few things DON’T get a basket! Carry it in your arms, juggle if you have too (wouldn’t be the first time I have dropped and item or two). This uses the simple trick of - If you can’t carry it you can’t buy it.
If you do have to get a basket put something heavy or large into to take up space and lead you to buying less, the heavier it is the quicker you want to get to the check out. This theory works well for a trolley too. Nothing stops your heart quicker than looking down and seeing you trolley overflowing, thinking “Oh lord how much will all this cost?”
Shop the perimeter. Generally, supermarkets are laid out with all the good stuff (wholefoods) on the outer edge. If you do have to dip down one of the aisles don’t wander aimlessly, know your target, seek your target and then get out! Get out! Get out! The longer you linger the greater the chance of spending more cash and making poor food choices.
Don’t go shopping hungry. Seriously heading into the supermarket ravenous will see you grabbing for the quick and pre-packaged junk which is usually laden with the nasties we want avoid.
Better than going to the supermarket (which honestly kills my soul) shop online.
This allows for not only the convenience of doing the grocery shop in you PJ’s (maybe even with a sneaky wine) and not being judged, but it also reduces the chances of you seeing Tim Tams being advertised at 3 packs for $5.00, and hence you won’t be tempted.
But you still need a plan. You still need to know what you’re are going to buy otherwise you will be stuck in the cyber supermarket wondering the aisle aimlessly. The first time shop may take you longer but it will be quicker the more frequent you do it as the little supermarket robots remembers what you have bought.
Yes, you will have to pay for delivery but this is the price of no, not convenience but my sanity! To me that delivery fee means: not having too find time to get to the supermarket during the week. Then battle for a parking spot. Getting the trolley then remembering I left the bags in the car. Retrieving the bags. Then remembering that the list I spent time crafting is now mocking me from the kitchen bench (yep old school haven’t quite upgraded to technology). Then performing dark magic to conjurer my list from the darkest parts of my mind, while then travelling the length and breadth of the supermarket several times to get the things I've missed (why is it that those two things you miss are on opposing sides of the shop?) Finally, get to the checkout and make polite small talk. Load all the groceries onto the conveyor, then reload them back into the trolley, take them to the car, return my trolley. Go home, unload the car using my super power of trying to do it all in one trip, and then have the pleasure of unpacking it and putting it in the cupboards. To me the delivery fee means to me that someone else has to do all the hard work and I can do all the shopping in my PJ’s – winning!
The Long of the short of it is PLAN. Plan what your going to be eating. Plan your shopping and invest in your sanity 😊
Happy Planning
Allie
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Allison is a qualified Naturopathy and Nutritional & Western Herbal Medicine. As the founder of Fundamental Wellbeing she specialises in gut health and stress related conditions. Allison possesses as strong passion for all things health and wellness, she understands that balance is essential to life, looking for real world solutions to help client’s reach their health goals.
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