Grocery shopping, just like cooking, is something that’s therapeutic to me. Don’t ask me why, it just is. I LOVE it. I’ll admit, it’s not always sunshine and peaches when I head to the grocery store. The not-so-nice times I’ve had in the grocery store mostly deals with other folks walking around aimlessly. When I grocery shop, I’m on a mission. I’m there to get my necessities and get out. My husband, on the other hand, wanders with no plan in site; it drives me crazy.
Are you someone who doesn’t enjoy grocery shopping? Trust me, I understand. Most of the time there are tons of people walking around, sometimes there’s unhelpful staff and missing products. I get it. That’s why, when I grocery shop, I choose stores where I’ve had great experiences in customer services and where I find a variety of ingredients and products. Stores like Earth Fare are some of my favorite stores to shop.
Earth Fare is an organic market with a wide variety of goodies. From beautiful organic produce, to made to order pizzas and sandwiches, Earth Fare has it all. Oh and let’s not forget the beer and wine selection. Because I love grocery shopping and Earth Fare so much, at the end of this post, I’m giving away $25 gift card so you too can have the Earth Fare experience.
Would you like to fall back in love with the idea of shopping for groceries? Here are a few helpful tips.
Make the most of your grocery store visit
If visiting your local grocer overwhelms you, find a store that’s less cluttered and more organized (this helps me A LOT). Stores that are too chaotic with product blocking the way of your experience, will not make shopping enjoyable. It’s exhausting and maddening.
Make a list. Seems obvious but wandering around a store, without a care in mind isn’t helpful. In fact, you’ll spend more time walking down the aisles aimlessly instead of picking up the items you actually need.
Try to stock up on basic ingredients. What does that mean? I always keep certain items like chicken stock and rice in my kitchen. When I make my scheduled visit to the store, I focus on specific recipes and not a complete overhaul of trying to stock my entire kitchen.
This last tip is one I don’t do often but it’s great if you lack a sense of focus. Divide your grocery list into sections. Produce, meat, snacks, etc. This way, you can tackle your list, one department at a time. It keeps you focused and will allow you to get in and out in no time.
Giveaway time!
Giveaway closed. I’m excited to give away a $25 gift card to Earth Fare and Chattanoogans, a new location just opened in Hixson (5414 Hixson Pike). TO ENTER: leave a comment below telling us why you love (or hate) grocery shopping (please include your email address) and you’ll be entered to win.
FINE PRINT: Giveaway ends on Wednesday, November 9th, 11:59pm EST. Giveaway is open to residents of the US only. Gift card will not be mailed to P.O. boxes. Winner will be chosen using Random.org and notified via email on Thursday, November 10th. Winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. Entries without an email address will not be considered. Good luck!
I love grocery shopping because I get to pick out healthy, fresh foods for my family. I enjoy planning out menus and buying fresh ingredients to ensure that I won’t get in a fast food rut when trying to figure out what to make for dinner after a long day at the office. My daughters are growing fast and seem to always be hungry so having healthy snack options on hand is a must for us as well. Lots of fresh fruits and veggies, washed cut and ready to munch on are their favorite snacks and mine too. 🙂
I love planning out our menu too! One of the highlights of my week. 🙂
I find that if I plan out my grocery list and recipes for the week, grocery shopping really doesn’t bother me. However, if I just head to the store without a plan, I overspend–money AND time.
So true!
I think my biggest problems with grocery shopping are 1) not having a complete list when I shop, and 2) store layouts changing. When Bi-Lo switched to Food City, I couldn’t find anything, and when I did find the right section, the selection had changed. I like to walk in, have like items in the same section, and have enough choices to feel good about my selection!
Totally understand. When the stores started selling wine, the layouts changed too (not that I’m complaining about the wine addition) 🙂
Not really a fan of grocery shopping, mostly because it’s not just the shopping, it’s the planning, the driving (I live in the boondocks), the paying/budgeting, the shlepping and then putting it all away. But I like eating healthy, home prepared meals 🙂
Grocery budgeting is something I need to work on more!
I wrost part about grocery shopping is putting up the groceries!
Definitely!
When it comes to grocery shopping I always get so overwhelmed. I have never made a grocery list, which could possibly be my reasoning for disliking grocery shopping so much. I’m not sure if it’s the unpreparedness and all the options combined with my indecisiveness, however, I cringe to the thought of going to the store.
Haha! Lists can be very helpful at the grocery store – my husband disagrees though.
Both my parents worked at Safeway grocery for over 20 years so I grew up in a grocery store and I love it, list or no list, day or night. I have fond memories of going to help my mom on the weekends early in the morning for a few hours, stocking/front facing shelves and riding the handicap cart up and down empty aisles. I love the new Earth Fare and have already been 2xs in 2 days. They have both been quick trips but I would love to win this gc to peruse the aisles (while staying out of yalls way ?)
I shopped at Safeway in college in Northern Virginia – loved Safeway!
I love grocery shopping because I love to cook. I love seeing what’s new in the shelves and getting inspired for what I can make next. I’m a meal planner and write my list according to the layout of the store. With that being said, I go off list if something strikes me.