Grocery
A word which has become unanimous with a supermarket. Generally, it refers to goods purchased in a store, a grocery store. It ranges from food, dry or wet goods, clothes, toys, and even bookstore items. Grocery can be the item or the place - which makes it a noun. If you add "to do" in front of it, that makes it a verb: doing grocery.
In French, it translates to les courses. Adding faire in front of it, you also have a verb, faire les courses which means the same thing in English, to do grocery.
Going to the supermarket has become the most adventurous activity of my week in this new chapter of life. Not that I haven't done it before. Back Home, it has also been part of my preoccupations. But somehow, I have automated it with my regular working days. Nowadays, it has become more of a conscious act.
Also, a discovery of sorts. I have made more conscious choices or preferences over some brands, some products, some ingredients:
avoiding common allergens
choosing organic/fresh over industrially produced items
buying in bulk (whenever possible or practical) or
refusing the packaging.
Luckily, we have options to buy using our own bags or jars. This has been my new intention, but I have yet to optimize it for my regular purchase. All of these are possible because I have unlocked a wide headspace to do so.
How do you do your shopping? Do you have a list? I do. I think I save time, money, and effort when I carry a list with me instead of trusting my brain to remember everything. During the first few days of lockdown, I devised an even more efficient way to fulfill my shopping. On top of a list, I categorize items in different sections because I understand how the grocery is organized. Plus, whenever I have help or an extra pair of feet, hands, and eyes with me, I can easily delegate items to that person, which ultimately cuts down shopping time into two!
The significant sections I have so far are:
Dry goods (not limited to food but may also include bathroom/kitchen items, sometimes even hardware)
Dairy and dairy products
Wet goods
Perishable items
Frozen goods
I use Google Keep to track to-buy items. What is good about this notes app is I can just as quickly share it with anyone. If I get sick or I get caught up somewhere, I can easily pass on the task, in real-time, to somebody else. Moreover, I could effortlessly jot down items running low in supply as soon as I notice them.
The neat freak in me is proud.