I'm not quite sure why, but I have really detested grocery shopping as of late. Maybe it's the summery, warm(ish) weather: I'd rather spend time at a park with Sam, than basking in the florescent lights of Fred Meyer. Or maybe it's because I don't feel like being creative and planning dinner menus. I'd rather use my creative energy to plan outings or work on my art history lectures.Whatever the reason, my grocery shopping has become rather sporadic lately. I'll quickly dash in a store to buy a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk, but I'll never venture to buy more than a few items. (Which in some ways is rather fun - the small shopping errands make me feel a little European and Brazilian.) I just can't bring myself to stay in the store for longer than a few minutes. J has been a good sport about the whole thing; he has yet to complain that we've been eating way too much pasta from our pantry.
Has anyone else gotten into a similar rut? I almost wanted to look into Amazon Fresh today, just so I could avoid going to the store this morning. Sigh. I should just suck it up and go...
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Um ... I absolutely hate shopping. In all forms. Grocery, clothes, electronics, cars, anything. There is nothing I like about shopping. I loathe being in a mall. It makes me tense and stressed.
I really started to dislike grocery shopping when I moved here because I didn't have a car and had to buy only what I could carry on the metro/bus (then walk four blocks home with it).
I don't hate it as much as I did then now that I can drive to some of the stores, but I still don't love it. It's also frustrating because we don't have Wal-Mart or Target type stores anywhere conveniently located. Matter of fact, I haven't been to one of those stores since moving here. That means there are no stores that carry anything and everything. The grocery stores don't carry mascara (or other make-up products) so you have to go to a CVS or Walgreens, and the CVS and Walgreens don't carry produce so you have to go to a grocery store if you want anything that comes out of the ground.
Blah.
I find we eat fresher, lighter food when we shop more often (I think I'll have to start calling that my Brazillian shopping habit - thank you), but we spend waaay more $$ on meals that way.
I hate dragging to a market or the co-op at the end of the work day, but it's always worth it food-wise. And we keep a few boxes of M&C and frozen things for when I'm just TOO tired to endure all that PLANNING and SHOPPING - UGH!
Portland is a good place for local fresh, though. Numerous farmer's markets and co-ops and CSAs and...it's pretty easy to find a way to healthy food without going to a typical grocers.
My problem is that I can buy more, far less healthy food for my $ at the other kind of grocery store. So when we are budgeting (like, well, always), it's very very annoying to always have to analyze the economics of cheap grocers vs. healthfulness of organic/local.
Stupid inverse ratios of health=money, crap=cheap.
no, just call me up whenever you detest shopping. Or you can just come over and eat at our place-- we can always make more.
but yes, sometimes I get into ruts, and that when I pull out canned chili, blt's, and macaroni and cheese
My smart little daughter got tired of hauling 2 darling but busy boys through the store and hearing, gimmie, gimmie, for an hour of shopping, loading, unloading. She now grocery shops online and has her food delivered, not only to the door but into the house and into her kitchen!!!!
She tried to tip her delivery person and he refused the tip. She does this often for a "big shopping" and makes little trips for odds and ends with the boys. Why didn't I think of that?
Irene in Bellevue
I've always loved grocery shopping because it's what lets me cook (think of all the possibilities!), but I don't really want to be inside these days either. Go to the farmer's market instead. Then you can be outside at a park (generally) AND buy some food.
e: Glad to hear that you detest shopping too! In truth, though, I don't mind clothes shopping and stuff. It's mostly grocery shopping that bothers me. If I had my own way, I would never have to buy or prepare food. What I really need is a live-in gourmet chef who will work for free. (Any volunteers?)
And Rebekah, I totally agree with your comment about the inverse of ratios with healthy food = expensive and junk = cheap. In a way, it seems like it should be the opposite. If junk food has so much preservatives and extra additives (and in that sense requires more labor, I would think), it seems like junk food should cost more than healthy, pure food.
Like you (and ixoj) mentioned, farmer's markets are a good idea, although I haven't found too many Seattle markets with affordable prices. I really want to support local vendors and farmers - but my pocketbook can't support them at present. So far, my visits to the farmer's market have been sporadic.
Irene: I was interested to hear that someone does do the online shopping! It sounds like it works well for your daughter. I might have to try it, one of these days...
Sam and I started getting lazy about grocery shopping and started stopping by Safeway (a few blocks from our house) about five times each week--sometimes twice in a day. I liked the European feel too, and I'm always adamant about eating fresh. But after a couple months of this escalating behavior, I couldn't believe how much our grocery bills had soared when we added up the receipts. It was outrageous, and I didn't see it happening because each visit cost (obviously) less than it would have had I planned out that weeks meals and purchased it all at once. Anyway, recently we switched to shopping at WinCo, which is much further than our backyard Safeway, but much, much cheaper. But on top of being excited about the amazing prices, I actually have to plan what we're going to eat and make shopping lists so we don't venture out there as often. My point!--What motivates me to grocery shop is to pick new, adventurous, or international recipes that I'm excited to try; it makes grocery shopping feel like shopping for art supplies instead of bland food. I love eating well, so if I can get excited about what I'm cooking, I get excited to get the ingredients.
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