I've always enjoyed grocery shopping alone at a quiet, slow pace. Searching for the right ingredients. Scouring produce for perfect fruit and vegetables. Listening to the always dramatic 70s and 80s tunes that float across the aisles while I push my cart.
Shopping in the early morning is especially pleasant; the produce is fresh and the store is near empty. Plus I can be home in time to read the newspaper over coffee with the hubs while the boys are still in their jammies all cozy cute.
I do confess to one problem with my grocery shopping: I can easily stray from my shopping list when I spy something yummy. Also? I've never kept a really strong shopping list and have often come home only to return to the store later in the day because I've forgotten a few key ingredients. Clearly a habit that needed breaking.
Weekly meal planning has helped me change the habit of not buying food on a whim. But a neat, practical kitchen tool has made the real difference on my shopping and meal organization habits.
A few months a go I was at my friend Leslie's house and she had this cute Real Simple grocery shopping note pad on her refrigerator. I picked one up at Target for nine bucks, stuck it on the refrigerator and seriously? I am now an on-task shopper. The notepad is in checklist form with all the essential kitchen items listed (dairy, cheese, the usual veggie and fruit suspects) and open lines for you to jot down specifics.
I've had regular notepads on the refrigerator and have been pretty good about writing down items once they need replacing. But because this Real Simple checklist already is pre-populated with ingredients, it triggers my mind to think about what might be missing from the list. It just makes life a little easier. And I really stick to only buying what's on the list.
Also? My husband doesn't have to complain about my chicken scrawl when does the shopping.
Whatever works.
