Too Many Choices

My current favorite grocery stores are Fresh Market and Aldi’s. They are the only ones I go to every week. Both of them, I can go through the whole store in 20-30 minutes. The limited types of products and variety of brands makes for a less chaotic shopping experience. I’m not sure exactly how many months it took to perfect my routine, but now with both of them, I feel like I mostly stick to my list of go-to items and there isn’t a whole lot that goes to waste. I have a list of 5-10 things that I know I need week to week, and then I justify buying fun items (especially non-alcoholic drinks) by telling myself, well I usually only go out for coffee or breakfast once a week, so this is a cheaper way to treat myself.

This is a little embarrassing to admit, but I stopped buying fresh fruits and veggies. They go bad so quickly. It’s truly so upsetting to see them rot and have to throw your money in the trash after sometimes less than a week. So instead, I drink my fruits and veggies through various juices and shakes (that’s what I meant earlier about non-alcoholic drinks, plus I’m a sucker for their cute packaging). The expiration date is much later, and the lack of prep makes it so much more convenient, and often more delicious to consume. It’s so disappointing when fruits and veggies have duller flavor than you expected. I’ve recently enjoyed using frozen stir fry veggies for meal prepping lunches, because I really dread cutting any produce.

I sometimes go to Costco and Walmart, but I only go when there’s stuff I urgently need on my list. There’s too much temptation to buy “fun stuff” that I *might* use. Even with Costco’s relaxed return policy, I hate having to go back to return stuff. It feels awkward and like they are silently judging you (especially if you are returning used stuff, although they will often still give a partial refund).

A caveat to all of this is that I’m not much of a cook. Cooking stresses me out, so I do simple meal prep (which will be a different blog post). So if you are more of a chef or have a family to feed, then it could be better to go to Costco or Walmart on a weekly basis where they have everything, and that way you can cook all different types of meals and try new things. I aspire to eventually get over my anxiety around cooking. But right now, for a two person household, trying to cook new foods often becomes a waste of time (I’m super slow throughout the whole process, including clean up) and money. So, instead I typically go through a rotation of healthier frozen foods and fast casual options. You have to figure out what food to get that won’t waste too much time, money, or calories for your household specifically. Everything in moderation, and the more you can be consistent with it the easier and less stressful grocery shopping and meal planning will be.