I’ve never been a big fan of grocery shopping.
It has always been a bit overwhelming for me. There’s just so many decisions to be made in a short amount of time.
Add in a crowd of people and three preschoolers in tow and it can easily be one of the most stressful chores of my entire week.
I have found one very good way to make grocery shopping easier for us.
Most commissaries have a set time for “Early Bird Shopping”. This is usually an hour before the store opens for normal business. In some cases, like at Ft. Campbell where we were before moving to Germany, there is a limit to the number of items you can get during this time (like 20 items or less). Here you can only use the self-check out lane during the early bird shopping period.
I like to get to the commissary, list in hand, and three small preschoolers in tow about mid-way through the early bird shopping hours.
We walk through the grocery store nearly alone and I can shop without too many distractions.
And by the time I’m finished with my shopping, early bird shopping has just ended. We can go through the normal check-out lanes that have just opened for business. And we are usually the first in line.
At the beginning of our school year, I tried changing our shopping to the afternoon after we had completed school for the day and everyone had quiet time. And it just did not work! Shopping became stressful and a hassle. I hated to go and dreaded it so much.
This week it didn’t work out for me to go during the afternoon, so I rearranged this morning’s schedule so we could make early bird shopping this morning. I am so glad I did!
So now I’ll be switching things up one day a week….groceries in the morning during Early Bird hours and school in the afternoon. Because shopping peacefully with three preschoolers in tow WORKS FOR ME!
How about you? Does your grocery store have Early Bird hours? Have you found a way to make your shopping easier? Do you have any tips on shopping with your little ones to share? Please share away in the comments if you do!
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Jennifer Scruggs says
I have until recently, done my shopping on Monday nights AFTER THE KIDS are in bed. Leaving Jerry alone with them. It was tiring, shopping from 8:30-10pm, but WORTH IT. Now that the kids are older, I go in the evening, after dinner, with JUST ONE CHILD. I will pray for you– I did not envy you shopping with three in tow. I’m glad you have a system that is “working for you”. 🙂
Love ya!
Jenn
Just Jennifer says
I only go shopping when my mom takes me or we need food badly. And we usually go to the store down the street. There is never anyone there. xD
.-= Just Jennifer´s last blog ..Another Sims Lover Is Born =-.
Kara @ Home With Purpose says
Great idea! The beauty of homeschooling is that you CAN rearrange your schedule to better fit your needs! I try to plan to shop alone as much as possible, or to take one child at most with me. I either wait until my husband’s day off, dash in and out while the olders are at dance/karate, or leave my oldest in charge and make a quick trip with one of the two littlest with me. I do have an advantage in that my husband works at a grocery store and can easily pick items up for me to fill in between trips, meaning I don’t have to go as often.
homegrownstrawberries says
Its so cool that you have that option!
.-= homegrownstrawberries´s last blog ..A Responsibility Chart Works for me =-.
The Prudent Homemaker says
After I had three small children, I switched to going early in the morning before my husband left to work, and in the evening after the children were in bed. It gave me a better chance to compare prices and items, and also made it work around my husband’s schedule so that he could watch the children and I could use the car (we are a one-car family).
We have five children now, and I still do it the same way, though I often take one child with me at a time now. I try to leave early enough so that I can come back and start school in time.
Some things that help me are having a master shopping list for each store that I can highlight when I’m out of things (rather than writing a list each time). I also try to buy as much as possible each trip so that I don’t have to go as often to the store. If you watch the dates on milk and other items and buy ahead, you can arrange things so that you only have to go twice a month, which is what I used to do before I stopped shopping completely for a very long time.
Now that I’m able to go shopping again, I’m back to early mornings, mostly, because I have more energy then!
Cheryl@SomewhatCrunchy says
Oh, great tip. I have no idea if anyone here offers that service. I’ll have to check it out. If not, there are a few places are open 24 hours so I could just hit them very early.
.-= Cheryl@SomewhatCrunchy´s last blog ..WFMW – Cleaning Stainless Steel Appliances =-.
Erin @ Closing Time says
This is a great idea! I wish we could do that (our supermarket is open 24/7…
I think you are wise to avoid the afternoon grocery shopping! That never goes well for us either! Yet another perk of homeschooling…you can arrange the schedule to meet your family’s needs. So great!!
.-= Erin @ Closing Time´s last blog ..WW: The Best Coffee? =-.
Linda@cookingtipoftheday says
I remember how difficult it was when my son was little…. I always hated grocery shopping… and frankly, I still do…. I plan my meals… and add to the grocery list as I figure out what I need and what I ran out of…. before actually going I group the items by where they are in the store…. list all the dairy together… meats… produce…etc….. helps me zip through
Plan your schedule for when it works best for you… that’s the best part of home schooling… flexibility
.-= Linda@cookingtipoftheday´s last blog ..Recipe: Banana Bars =-.