As I grow a little older and get a little comfortable in my role as wife and working mom, I’ve come to realize that life has to be simple. Prioritized. I can’t do everything, and my time is so precious, I want to spend it doing the things that are important to me and my people.
That 90 minutes it takes to drive to the grocery store, load my cart and check out, drive home, and unload groceries (not to mention meal planning, which I am terrible at) is time I would rather spend playing in the backyard with my kiddo. Or catching up on chores. Or knocking out a work project. Or (gasp) taking a nap. Maybe taking a bubble bath. Heck, even cooking dinner.
I only go to the grocery store about once a month now. Granted, I have an amazing chef husband who runs by the store to pick up random items that pop up at the last minute, and he does ALL the grocery shopping when we host friends (bless him), but the rest of the time, here’s how I automate my shopping (note: I did not receive any compensation for this post – all reviews are purely my own):
I have been using Blue Apron for about six months and it’s glorious. Someone else meal plans for me, and every single ingredient is delivered to my doorstep on Saturday morning. Our family has 2-3 meals a week like this, plus lots of leftovers. The downside: meals rarely repeat, so we aren’t creating family food traditions. The upside: I don’t have to mealplan, the meals are tasty and healthy, and we get a lot less take-out. Plus, I still get to crank the music up in my kitchen and cook healthy meals for my family. It’s kind of relaxing.
God bless Amazon. I don’t know how working moms did it before this life-changing invention. I use Amazon NOW for fresh/cold food items in between our big grocery store runs. It’s great for restocking lunch meat, or apples/bananas, even laundry detergent. They deliver milk, although it’s more expensive, so I reserve that for emergencies only.
Did I mention I love Amazon? I use Pantry for most of our toiletries (we always have at least one back-up of everything on-hand), cereal, granola bars, apple sauce for Wrenn, and household cleaning items. Just about everything on there is comparable to our local grocery store. Delivery is $5.99, but considering it saves me precious time and gas money, it’s well worth it.
Occasionally I can find cleaning supplies or toiletries on “regular” Amazon, and with my Prime subscription, delivery is free. Back before Wrenn was potty trained, it was my go-to for diapers and wipes, and I still use it for house-hold items (Lose a sippy cup? Need batteries? Just pull up my Amazon app and I can place an order without ever having to give it a second thought.)
We have a Braums close to our house, and we use that for milk, bread, basic produce, and meat/dairy. There’s never a line, parking is close, and since it’s so easy, I can buy smaller amounts more frequently, which means less waste. I had never considered Braums until my lovely husband introduced me to it- now I wonder why it took me so long! (PS – their milk is SO cheap!)
And there you go. I free up so much time and brain space by simply pulling up apps on my phone and purchasing items or stocking my cart as I realize a need instead of trying to remember. (Running low on shampoo? let me grab my phone…) And that leaves me with extra time to do fabulous things… like laundry. And cuddling on the couch with my tribe. Even washing my hair.
For more life hacks, check out my post over on the Fort Worth Moms Blog.
And now for a giveaway! I am giving away a FREE MEAL from Blue Apron to TWO of my readers! Comment below with what you could do with the extra time you saved from NOT going to the grocery store, and I’ll randomly draw TWO winners! Deadline to enter is Monday, April 25.