Today I learned the easiest way to manage our grocery shopping lists.
I went grocery shopping this morning. It could be that I was thinking about food because I had an upset stomach from the spicy pork ramen I had yesterday out of town. I usually try to slide into the grocery stores very early on Tuesday mornings since it seems quiet, but I couldn’t get away from my desk this week. I shop at Publix1 and Lidl2 weekly and hit Trader Joe’s3 and/or Whole Foods4 about every other month since they’re a 45-minute drive. I think we spend $200 per week and my wife says $300 so I’m sure it’s somewhere between the two. Sources indicate that we’re not exactly on the thrifty side with the average for two coming in at $800 per month in 2022. Since I spent the majority of last week analyzing technical workflows, I just kinda wanted to tune up my grocery get’n game and share how I do it.
Before I left this morning, I asked the better half to do the list. She still keeps a whiteboard and markers on the fridge and in the mud room while I keep a shared running Notes ( Apple )5 document using clickable task lists and sections. You just tap the items you need and they sort themselves so it’s easy to have em up on your phone in the store. Here’s that list from the past couple of months sans household and medicine items:
| Produce | Cooler | Pantry | Freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garlic | Beef | Honey | Pizza |
| Spinach | Shrimp | Coffee | Frozen Bananas |
| Asparagus | Chicken | Tea | Palak paneer |
| Tomatoes | Cheese | Oil | Ice Cream |
| Onion | Vegan Meat | Sunflower Oil | Lasagna |
| Lemons | Yogurt | Olive Oil | Fish |
| Avocados | Butter | Sesame | Burritos |
| Blueberries | Keifer | Mustard | Beyond Sausage |
| Romaine | Beer | Mayo | Tuna Burgers |
| Brussel sprouts | Milk | Dressing | Pinapple |
| Cucumbers | Oat | Pickles | Salmon Burgers |
| Broccoli | Almond | Olives | Paella |
| Oranges | Cow | Artichoke | French fries |
| Peppers | Soy | Pasta Sauce | Calamari |
| Green Onion | Juice | Mac & Cheese | Shrimp |
| Cilantro | Cherry | Pasta | Scallops |
| Lemongrass | Cranberrry | Oatmeal | Pad Thai |
| Basil | Grapefruit | Cereal | Enchilladas |
| Carrots | Biscuits | Peanut butter | Quinoa blend |
| Celery | Cheese | Chocolate | Corn |
| Ginger | Swiss | Crackers | Peas |
| Bean sprouts | Cheddar | Granola Bars | Plantains |
| Sprouts | Parmesan | Bread | Pieriogis |
| Mixed greens | Salsa | Curry | Blueberries |
| Bananas | Fish | Chips | |
| Potatoes | Salmon | Rice | |
| Apples | Cod | Quinoa | |
| Lime | Tuna | Canned Soup | |
| Mushrooms | Haddock | Chili | |
| Green Beans | Orange Roughy | Canned Beans | |
| Carrots | Eggs | Black | |
| Nuts | Sigis | Garbanzo | |
| Cashew | Tofu | Kidney | |
| Almond | Peas | ||
| Sunflower | Canned Fish | ||
| Pistachios |
Not too shabby… you are what you eat. I was at a friends house last weekend out of town who I hadn’t seen in a while and I asked if I could look through his fridge and pantry for exactly this reason. I was at my mom’s last week and complained about her shopping habits as it’s related to health. Aside from sleeping, eating and cooking is coming in right behind work being done to pay for those groceries. I love food and we like to cook, so we rarely dine out. I asked my doctor once why, when I eat healthy and exercise regularly do I seem to gain weight to which he said “because you’re getting old and you probably eat too much” gently explaining portion control.
I’m not a food snob nor a slouch. I like how good food makes me feel. I’m experienced enough to know decent cuisine and lowbrow enough to eat a deer perlo that my drunk neighbor had been simmering for two days. I got my first bag of Hot Takis on the road last week. I liked em. I occasionally drink a glass of wine or beer with dinner. I try to order directly from the vintner or brewer whenever possible and I’ll do the same with my food given the option. I noticed during the height of Covid that we were eating differently mainly because we were not shopping in person or ordering online. If you order in advance or go into the store with a list, you tend to think differently about your food. I’m not so organized that I plan meals or take the instant fun out of haphazardly grocery shopping.
We have an outdoor market in town, but the vendor selection is still rather limited especially out of season. I’ve noticed that some of the products in Lidl are the same as Trader Joes’ and the prices aren’t far off from one another. I’d say that over half of most grocery stores are just plain shite. Corn syrup, puffed, flaked, canned, bagged premade shite. And I’d imagine that at least 80% of them are coming from just about ten companies. For whatever reason, grocery shopping makes me feel like I’m doing something right. Like the basis of all survival is hunting and gathering at my LED-lit big metal building with a vague music selection and lots of folks moving stuff around. Although it’d be nice to imagine the farm to mid-week outdoor market meeting my food needs, it’s not. The American supermarket is an icon of postmodernism… the Warhol soup cans or the ending credits of White Noise6.
- Publix - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publix
- Lidl - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lidl
- Trader Joe’s - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trader_Joe’s
- Whole Foods - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_Foods_Market
- Notes ( Apple ) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notes_(Apple)
- White Noise - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Noise_(2022_film)