I love the grocery store. I can walk up and down literally every single aisle just to check and see if they have a new spice or ingredient that I can try. I also am always scouting for sales because I’m super frugal. However, I don’t enjoy crowds at all or long lines and messiness. I am also afforded the luxury of not having to go to the store on the weekends or after 3 p.m. I base my errands around traffic so that it is less likely to be crowded and I shop with the senior crowd. Seniors don’t tend to stock their carts to the max so the lines usually aren’t that long. They don’t litter, they have their lists, they shop in the produce sections (so I can spy on them and see what they’re buying) and they have manners. If they bump me with their cart, they’ve already apologized before I’ve even realized that I’ve been bumped.
I keep a preprinted notepad (knock knock is the best source for lists) on my refrigerator and highlight items needed as they run out. I also have another notepad for what I’m going to eat for each day of the week. I write down the ingredients needed for the meal prep list so that I can stay focused and not buy things that I don’t need. I take pictures of the most delicious food so that I can have a visual of what I’d like to make again. If I’m at a restaurant that I like, I’ll grab a takeout menu or take pictures of the menu for inspiration. I can tweak things to my liking because I love garlic, paprika, smoked sea salt and spicy foods. Fortunately, I wasn’t born with a sweet tooth. When I taste sweets, it tastes too artificial to me. However, I love the natural sweetness of fruit and honey, so I’ll recreate dishes using those ingredients.
When going to the grocery store, I typically overspend by about $30 if I’m hungry. I want to buy and make everything, especially if I don’t have my list. The produce sections are where I spend the majority of my time, followed by the frozen aisles which I stop at last to keep the items colder. I also pack all of my frozen items together for transporting home. While in produce I make sure to stock up on fruit, such as berries, to be used in pancakes, as a side, in oatmeal, or just for a snack. The richer the color of fruit the better it is for you. I love cotton candy grapes and cherries but they are seasonal so when it’s late summer, I can never get enough of them.
I shop at produce markets that are typically in ethnically diverse neighborhoods, which allows me to try new items that I didn’t eat growing up. I’ve learned that I hate bitter melon and I only like red dragon fruit from South America. All dragon fruit is expensive and the Asian white one isn’t sweet at all. I wasted $5 on one trying to recreate the most delicious beverage that I’ve tasted while hiking mountains in Guatemala but it was at least worth a try. Dark green veggies are the best. I’m often experimenting in how many items I can sneak them into without anyone noticing. For example, my infamous blackberry margaritas with fresh lime, frozen berries, agave nectar, and tequila even have spinach in them! Spinach is also in chili and corn, jalapeños in cornbread, and it never stops.
Success at the grocery store is found like success anywhere else– with preparation. Keeping personal staples well stocked is like having an established wardrobe. Most things complement each other. With these steps, your grocery store blues can turn into smooth jazz.