The Dreaded Grocery Store: Tips on Saving Time and Energy While Grocery Shopping

Out of all the areas my illness kills the joy for-grocery shopping is number one on the top ten list! Just the mere thought of grocery shopping makes me want to crawl into bed and declare myself on a fast! I simply cannot stand grocery stores.

The very bright, awful lights hurt my eyes. The sensory overload of colors, smells and deals, deals, deals drive me nuts! And if I start my day with an ounce of energy, you better believe by the time I drag my buns down to aisle 10, I am pooped and pissed.

Let's face it, it takes a good amount of stamina and great vision, as well as biceps which have not been used in the last five years; to get through a grocery store. No, you are not crazy, lazy or stupid- grocery shopping is hard. Think about it:

1. Make a grocery list (concentrated thinking is not an easy task for many of us)

2. Get to the store and find parking.

3. Pull apart the shopping carts (painful with stiff hand and wrists)

4. Then the actual shopping- up and down the aisles, standing in the deli line and weaving in between carts parked dead smack in front of the meat section.(Whew!)

5. Back in line for the checkout.

6. Stretch and bend to get the groceries back out of the cart. (redundancy).

7. Unpack the bags into the car.

8. Now at home, drag bags back out of the car and lug into the house (blessed be the woman with a strong helpful husband and blessed is the man with a wife not afraid to mess up her manicure.)

9. Unpack the bags.

10. And guess what...back on the shelves and into the refrigerator!

There has to be a better way! So after much thought and self talk, I came up with a few tips and tricks that have been helpful to me.

· Don't shop! I do the majority of my grocery shopping on-line. Check your local grocery shops and see if they have shoppers and delivery services. This saves you a lot of time and energy. Peadpod.com is a great delivery service, that I use, but there are others. Check your local store to see of they have online shopping available.

· If you do go shopping, go when your energy is at its best. It's best to do all your tiring and tedious activities when you have the most energy. Find out what works for you. Are you a morning person? Do you have more energy at ngiht after a nap?

· Snatch a shallow shopping cart. Use a shopping cart that is not too deep, making it easier to bend and stretch.

· Breakdown your trips. Section off your shopping list and plan to go to the store for those items only. For example, one week, shop for your meats and deli items. Then the next time, your paper products. It's up to you to create a system that works best, but it may be a strategy you would want to try.

· Take breaks. Most grocery stores now have a luncheon area where you can sit down and have coffee and a snack. When you get tired, pull up a chair and sip on some tea until the next go 'round. make sure you do not start in the frozen food section, or your items will melt.

· Ask for help. Inquire if your grocery bagger can bring your bags to your vehicle and pack them in for you. And when you get home, make arrangements for someone to be there to help you. Or just bring in the perishables first, and go back for the other food later.

· Put away the perishables. Put away the meats and refrigerated items and leave the rest for another time. Help yourself, by packing the groceries with this in mind.

Don't suffer your way through shopping, with some clever thinking and friendly delegation, you could save loads of time and energy.