Our Stress Free Grocery Routine
I would just assume light my hair on fire before grocery shopping w/ small humans in or around the cart…
If you enjoy chewing on tinfoil or biting into ice cream…you might also be one of those psychopaths that randomly walks into grocery stores sans list only to wander around for hours filling your cart with random (unplanned) finds from the end caps of the aisles. If so, this routine probably isn’t for you. I envy your free spirit, you maniac, but mama likes a plan. And that plan doesn’t actually involve entering a grocery store.
So here’s our bimonthly, stress free grocery routine that allows us to avoid the store, stay on budget, and feed our family of snack machines…
1. Charcuterie board. An odd first step of the routine, but it’s honestly the most fun and incredibly practical. The night before grocery day, I throw a board and some random bowls on the counter and then toss open the fridge and pantry. Anything snackable that has yet to expire goes on the board. The kids love board nights and I love not having to cook while simultaneously cleaning out the kitchen in the process.
2. Survey the land. After “dinner” has been consumed I take some inventory of what we are completely out of, what we can carry over into the next month and what needs to get tossed. This is also when I start spouting things off to Alexa. We keep her right next to the fridge and I’ll have her start a shopping list. You can have her recite these lists back to you like a well trained child or pull the list out of your Alexa app when you’re ready to shop.
3. Wipe it down. Doing a quick spray and wipe of shelves and bins in the fridge and pantry between grocery runs helps tremendously. Especially when little ones insist they put their own juice back in the fridge or open the snacks on the bottom shelf of the pantry and leave the crumbs for dead. It takes minutes and makes a big difference…mostly in my sanity.
4. Set your budget. Grocery pickup and delivery apps save marriages. Budgeting is so simple when you can see your total accumulating in your virtual cart. Not only does it help us stay within budget because we can see a physical number, but it also keeps us away from the unplanned temptations that aisle wandering can create. I’ve used Instacart in the past, but the hidden charges weren’t worth it. When we moved, I started using Walmart Pickup and never looked back. We do 2 larger grocery runs each month instead of weekly trips, so I know exactly what my bimonthly number needs to be to stay within budget.
5. Meal plan. Before I actually fill my virtual cart with things like dishwasher cubes and let’s be honest…Diet Coke—I will flip open my laptop and scroll Pinterest or Youtube in search of some new recipes. Schedules change and so does my mind, so I don’t assign days to the meals I plan. I just keep a small dry erase board on the side of the fridge with nearly 2 weeks worth of meal options. It keeps me aware of what options we have, but I don’t get stressed about Meatloaf Mondays and Taco Tuesdays. I typically ask the fam what they are hungry for that morning and cook accordingly in the evening.
6. Scroll not stroll. Avoiding the store is the best part of our routine. By now, I have my Alexa list, plus my ingredient list and sometimes random lists from the notes app on my phone (because lists are my life blood). This step involves…getting into bed. Yup, that’s where I do most of my grocery shopping. If I’ve planned well, it’s just a matter of moving my lists to my cart and ensuring I stay within budget. I always set my pickup time for a window where I know I will have a solid amount of time to unload, organize and prep food immediately after pickup. For me, that’s first thing in the morning.
That’s all she wrote. I follow this process twice a month. My only exceptions are when guests are coming into town. I like to make sure I have my guest’s favorite foods and drinks and often times that requires a smaller grocery pickup. I still love a solo run to Trader Joe’s or speciality grocery stores for items like cheese, wine, flowers or seasonal favorites…but my kids are often replaced by a large latte and I take. my. time. alone. As the good Lord intended…
Any routine I’ve managed to create over the years has been influenced by bits and pieces of How Jen Does It & Rachel Talbott. Both share great meal planning and kitchen prep tips on their channels.
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