For the past several weeks I have been picking one morning of coffee sipping alone time to plan my weekly menu and make my shopping list. What is great is I have turned my adult son and his girlfriend on to this strategy. As an observer of their process I now find myself inspecting and adapting my own methods.
I have been using my Erin Condren Petite Planner. It is perfect for me because it is simple and fits nicely into my favorite Vera Bradley hipster.
And as you can see it lays nicely in the cart for me to check off as I shop. I have three goals.
- Stick to the list.
- Stay within budget.
- Never buy more than what fits in my allotted shopping bags.
Recently I entertained my local store by testing their Scan and Go concept. Twice.
I was trying to understand what might be in it for me. Here is what I learned:
- I was slow (even the second time).
- It stressed me to scan and bag and check off my list.
- I accidentally put an item or two in without scanning (I did catch myself and was worried I would do it again.)
- I missed the check out lane experiences of reading the magazine covers and chatting with people.
- You still have to go to self check out. While there, the system couldn’t find my “scanned items”. It took the help of the employee and trying at more than one check out to finish up and get out of the store.
Honestly, I do not see myself doing that again. It was added stress and it did not save me time. And I just am not okay with taking jobs away. I prefer chatting and getting to know the employees. If I didn’t want to talk to folks and be in line I could just order for delivery.
Have you done this? I don’t mind self check out when I only need a couple of things. I do not like it for my regular weekly shopping.
Okay. I digressed a bit on my rant. I really wanted to share how easy meal planning and grocery shopping is for me when I use the right tools. You can acquire your own Erin Condren products through the link.
Happy Friday and Happy Planning!
She Sips Coffee 