1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:17,759 Speaker 1: Today's tip is about how to save time and be 4 00:00:17,880 --> 00:00:21,160 Speaker 1: more efficient while grocery shopping, so you've got a better 5 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 1: shot at keeping any resolutions to eat healthier Each year. 6 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:30,400 Speaker 1: A great many people make New Year's resolutions to lose weight. Frankly, 7 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:33,360 Speaker 1: I am not a huge fan of this idea because 8 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:37,239 Speaker 1: weight is an outcome goal, not a process goal. The 9 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 1: easiest way to lose weight is to get very sick, 10 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:43,839 Speaker 1: but that is not really the point. Better to focus 11 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:47,640 Speaker 1: on good habits. Eating more vegetables and less junk will 12 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:50,599 Speaker 1: likely lead to weight loss over time, but even if 13 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:53,960 Speaker 1: it doesn't, you'll be much healthier than if you hadn't 14 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:57,960 Speaker 1: made that change. For most people, eating healthier means eating 15 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 1: more at home, and in general, eating healthier meals at 16 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 1: home means making smarter choices in the grocery store, and 17 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:09,679 Speaker 1: here we encounter a major obstacle to keeping this resolution. 18 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:13,759 Speaker 1: Many listeners tell me that grocery shopping is a real 19 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:18,480 Speaker 1: pressure point in their households. After making lists, shopping often 20 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:21,760 Speaker 1: at multiple crowded stores, and then unloading and putting away 21 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: the groceries. People feel like their weekends have been consumed. 22 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:28,400 Speaker 1: No wonder we're attempted to hit take out by Wednesday. 23 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: But I don't think it has to be this way. 24 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:34,600 Speaker 1: Grocery shopping doesn't have to be a time consuming thing 25 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:38,240 Speaker 1: if you're smart about it. One of the easiest ways 26 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 1: to save time shopping is to almost always buy the 27 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:45,080 Speaker 1: same things. We've talked in past episodes of Before Breakfast 28 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 1: about the genius of Taco Tuesday, and the upside of 29 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: having most meals on a regular rotation is that your 30 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 1: grocery list can stay the same week to week. When 31 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 1: it does that, you can seize the time savings of 32 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: one of my favorite innovations, online grocery shopping. Many major 33 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: grocery stores offer online shopping with pick up in the 34 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 1: store parking lot or even delivery to your house. Most 35 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:12,520 Speaker 1: will let you reorder from a saved list, so you 36 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:15,400 Speaker 1: can get bunches of kale and broccoli without needing to 37 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:19,120 Speaker 1: make an active decision. To be so virtuous, you can 38 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:21,400 Speaker 1: put in your order in the five minutes while you're 39 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:24,520 Speaker 1: waiting for a phone call to start. The system isn't 40 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:27,480 Speaker 1: perfect well, you sometimes get seated grapes when you wanted 41 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:31,440 Speaker 1: seed lists. Well probably, but in my experience, grocery orders 42 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:34,920 Speaker 1: are fairly accurate and the downsides are far outweighed by 43 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:37,800 Speaker 1: the savings from not having to walk the aisles where 44 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 1: those seasonal donuts in the bakery start to look really enticing. 45 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:45,480 Speaker 1: If online shopping isn't an option, or you do want 46 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: some variation based on what looks good, that still doesn't 47 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 1: mean that you personally have to spend time in the 48 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:56,120 Speaker 1: grocery store. If your family has an after school sitter, 49 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 1: for instance, perhaps that person could start work ninety minutes 50 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 1: earlier one day a week week and shop off a 51 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:04,400 Speaker 1: list that you give him or her. When people shop 52 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:07,919 Speaker 1: for other people, they tend not to go for impulse buys, 53 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:11,600 Speaker 1: which means that paying someone else might actually save you 54 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:14,520 Speaker 1: money and keep you but from buying those treats that 55 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:18,359 Speaker 1: you probably shouldn't or you could outstarce to family members. 56 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:21,239 Speaker 1: Older teams can be given the use of your car 57 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:24,320 Speaker 1: on a weekend afternoon, with the stipulation that they'll pick 58 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:28,520 Speaker 1: up the groceries while they're out. Everybody wins in this arrangement. 59 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 1: The team gets use of the car and some experience adulting, 60 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:37,000 Speaker 1: and you avoid grocery shopping yourself. Whether you're sending someone 61 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:39,680 Speaker 1: else or working from a list yourself, it helps to 62 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:43,760 Speaker 1: organize the list by store section. The fundamental layout of 63 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:46,320 Speaker 1: your grocery store is not going to change week to week. 64 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:50,120 Speaker 1: You will always hit the produce section before the cereal 65 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:53,920 Speaker 1: and before the milk, so group your list that way. 66 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:57,280 Speaker 1: This saves you time consuming trips back to the other 67 00:03:57,360 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: side of the store when you realize that you didn't 68 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:04,040 Speaker 1: pay up bananas. Some larger grocery store chains even have 69 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:07,000 Speaker 1: apps that give you directions in the store so you 70 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: don't miss anything on the first pass through. I'd also 71 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: suggest shopping as much as possible at one store. In 72 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 1: an earlier stage of my life, I was very much 73 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:20,600 Speaker 1: into frugal grocery shopping, and I knew that the store 74 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:22,760 Speaker 1: closest to my house had a lot of items, but 75 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:26,280 Speaker 1: a place a little further away had cheaper produce, so 76 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:29,359 Speaker 1: I'd spend my Saturday's going to both. And maybe this 77 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:33,920 Speaker 1: made sense then, but it doesn't now. Checking an extra 78 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:36,760 Speaker 1: hour of what could be precious leisure time to save 79 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:40,680 Speaker 1: five dollars amounts to valuing your time at less than 80 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:44,680 Speaker 1: minimum wage. And finally, you can make the whole grocery 81 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:49,279 Speaker 1: shopping experience easier and less painful by shopping at times 82 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:52,919 Speaker 1: when the shelves are stocked but the aisles are empty. 83 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 1: Going to the grocery store on Saturday or Sunday afternoons 84 00:04:57,560 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 1: or on a weekday from five to six pm, it's 85 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:02,839 Speaker 1: pretty much asking to do battle with too many other 86 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:06,400 Speaker 1: carts in narrow aisles. If you've got a twenty four 87 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:09,640 Speaker 1: hour store, try going late at night, or on your 88 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:13,279 Speaker 1: lunch break, or in the early morning. Back when my 89 00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:16,960 Speaker 1: youngest child was waking up at ridiculously early hours, we'd 90 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:21,360 Speaker 1: sometimes go grocery shopping at six am on Saturday. Now 91 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:24,200 Speaker 1: I wasn't happy to be up, but it was pretty 92 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:28,320 Speaker 1: nice to shop in a store with more employees than customers. 93 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:32,839 Speaker 1: We were in and out in a jiffy. How do 94 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:36,080 Speaker 1: you make grocery shopping less painful? You can let me 95 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:40,840 Speaker 1: know at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot com. 96 00:05:40,839 --> 00:05:45,080 Speaker 1: In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and 97 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:54,080 Speaker 1: here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, 98 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:56,400 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me 99 00:05:56,440 --> 00:06:00,120 Speaker 1: your tips, your questions or anything else. Just connect with 100 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:04,520 Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. 101 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:09,560 Speaker 1: That's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D. 102 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast 103 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:16,719 Speaker 1: podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast 104 00:06:16,839 --> 00:06:19,400 Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, 105 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:27,720 Speaker 1: I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is 106 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:31,000 Speaker 1: a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from 107 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:35,000 Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 108 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:37,120 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.