New mindset: What do I HAVE for dinner?
For some, grocery shopping was never fun. For the rest of us, a once enjoyable activity is now fraught with long lines, stress at what will be in stock, and fear at the risk that comes with being around others for a prolonged period of time. Folks have recommended limiting shopping to once a week or two for physical safety, and for a lot of people, limiting grocery shopping also helps mentally by reducing the anxiety that comes with going into a potentially perilous situation. Today, we’ll cover things to help you get in and out of the grocery store fast, and make sure you’re coming home with enough to keep you set for a while:
- Make a list
- Plan your shopping trip
- Be ready to substitute
- Strategize your pantry/fridge/freezer (and sometimes car or closet)
At the end of the article is a shopping list that should keep 1 person relatively healthily fed for 2 or more weeks.
Caveat emptor – while some of these tips will apply to everyone, many of these recommendations assume a certain level of privilege: ability to spend $150+ at a time for groceries, ability to shop at flexible hours, time to cook for yourself and your family, basic cooking knowledge, access to a kitchen stocked with essentials, etc. If this isn’t your situation do the best you can to keep yourself fed and safe, and that is enough.
Make a list
This serves multiple purposes: it helps you start to imagine the types of meals you’ll be able to make with your shopping supplies, it prevents you from forgetting crucial items, and can help you be ready to substitute on the fly based on what is available. Tips for making a good list:
- Plan for breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks
- Plan for a few easy meals in case you get sick or busy – think canned soup, frozen dinners, etc.
- Shop your fridge/freezer/pantry first – see what you have before you start your list
- Include a few treats on your list: Chocolate, beer, wine, popcorn, fancy cheese – whatever makes you happy!
- Don’t forget things like shampoo, deodorant, and face wash
- Check your stock of Ziploc bags, trash bags, Lysol, dish soap, etc.
- Understand how long things will last, and plan to only buy what you can store or use before it goes bad
Plan your shopping trip
Grocery stores stock shelves at night, so shopping in the morning increases your odds of having a fully stocked store to shop. Many stores have dedicated their first 1-2 hours for senior citizens and other at-risk groups, so plan to shop between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. Additionally, most people shop on the weekends, so try to shop Monday through Thursday. If you typically work during those hours, try talking to your boss to see if they will let you take some flex time to shop, or allow you to start you day later and work later.
Plan about 2 hours, plus the time it takes to drive 2 and from the store: This is 1-1.5 hours for shopping and checking out, and about half an hour for putting groceries away. There have been a variety of suggestions for how to sanitize groceries, however, most scientific evidence shows that practicing social distancing while shopping, avoiding touching your face while shopping, limiting the amount you touch and washing your hands as soon as you get home are sufficient. General guidance from professionals is that you do not need to disinfect every item when you get home. If it helps keep you sane, do it, but allow yourself extra time for your shopping. You SHOULD wash your hands when you get home, and again after you unpack your groceries.
Plan your route for going through the store. This will help you limit the amount of time you spend in the store and make sure you don’t forget anything. When you first get in, check for wipes to wipe cart handles, and take one to keep as you touch freezer doors, etc. As you plan your shopping list, group it by sections so you aren’t zig-zagging across the store. Be ready to skip aisles and come back if it looks like folks are crowding in one area. Also, following new CDC guidelines, bring a mask to wear (link includes sew and no-sew options). My path based on my preferred store’s layout is:
- Health & beauty
- Paper goods/cleaning supplies/plastic bags and wraps
- Produce
- Meat/butcher counter
- Dairy & eggs
- Cheese & packaged meat (bacon, deli meat, etc)
- Coffee/beverages
- Baking & spices
- Breakfast aisle
- Beans / rice /canned veg & soups
- Frozen foods
Be ready to substitute
With everyone eating at home and people buying 2-3 weeks worth of food at a time, grocery stores are having a hard time keeping stocked. There will probably be some things you want that aren’t available. Before you go, think out a few different options for essentials you may need in case they aren’t available. Below are some examples of things you may be able to substitute for things you want:
- Frozen, dried, or canned fruit instead of fresh fruit
- Ground turkey or pork instead of ground beef
- Frozen vegetables instead of fresh
- Make your meat dishes interchangeable – be ready to get whatever is available and/or on sale
- Planning Asian style meals but there’s no rice? Get pasta and go for Italian instead
- Check the freezer aisle for frozen meat, frozen fish, or frozen bread dough
- Most oils, while differently flavored, are mostly interchangeable: if there’s no olive oil, buy canola oil
- No eggs? Buy egg whites (a.k.a. egg beaters)
- They don’t have your favorite brand of cereal/yogurt/ice cream/soup/whatever? Try a different brand
- Get shelf-stable almond, oat, or other non-dairy milk in addition to or instead of dairy milk
Strategize your pantry, fridge, and freezer
Now’s the time to start learning how long things last, how to keep your food at it’s peak, and when ‘best by’ dates can be fudged. Except fresh meat, most fresh things are good at least 1 week past their dates, sometimes 2. Dates for dried, frozen, and canned goods are typically geared towards optimal taste, but these are still safe to eat a year or more after they expire – just check for anything indicating rot or insect infestation. Storing dried goods in glass or plastic airtight containers will help extend their life. With the timelines below in mind, as you plan your shopping list, think of things you want to “eat now” for week 1 and things you can buy or freeze to “eat later” for week 2.
Things that last a few days to a week (eat, get them cooked, or put in the freezer ASAP)
- Berries
- Stone fruits (cherries, peaches, plums, etc.)
- Avocados
- Pears
- Grapes
- Cucumbers, zucchini, and summer squash
- Fresh peas
- Mushrooms (may make it a bit longer than 1 week)
- Greens (except cabbage)
- Fresh fish (2-3 days)
- Fresh chicken (3-4 days)
- Fresh pork & beef (3-5 days)
- Cabbage, Brussels sprouts
- Cauliflower, Broccoli
- Apples (can make it 3 weeks or more if kept in a well-ventilated, cooler area)
- Citrus (can make it 4 weeks, but will become less juicy but more intensely flavored)
- Carrots (can make it 3 weeks if kept in a bag in the crisper or refreshed with a cold water bath)
- Onions, Garlic, Potatoes (4 weeks+ if kept cool and away from sun)
- Turnips, Parsnips, beets and other root vegetables (can make it longer if stored in a cool place)
- Yogurt (unflavored can be flavored with honey and frozen berries, or used in smoothies)
- Eggs
- Butter (freezes well)
- Bacon
- Salad dressing after opened
- Most cheeses
- Anything frozen, dried, or canned
I live in a 500 sq. ft. apartment so storage space is at a premium. In addition to my fridge, freezer, and pantry space, I have started using the trunk of my car to store excess toilet paper and ‘treat’ beverages like canned sparkling water, beer, and wine. Having these in a separate location also helps me ration them. I’ve been known to drink 3-4 cans of sparkling water a day and would rather make my supply last! If you have closet space, try to clear some out to store paper products, beverages, dry goods, or treats you want to ration.
Sample 2-week+ shopping list for 1 person
This assumes you have salt, pepper, oil, and some spices, most of the health and beauty items you need, as well as basic cooking utensils and skills, but that you may be in a scenario where you will need to restock some things. I’ve arranged this in an order in which I would shop through my preferred store:
- 1 tube of toothpaste
- 1 gallon Ziploc freezer bags
- 8-pack of toilet paper (will probably last longer than 2 weeks)
- Dish soap
- 1 bottle red wine
- 1 bottle white wine
- 6 pack beer
- 1 small package spinach
- 4 potatoes
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 2 heads garlic
- 1 head cauliflower
- 2-lb bag of carrots
- 3 bell peppers
- Berries
- 7 apples
- 7 oranges
- 3 lemons or limes
- 1 whole chicken
- 4-lb pork loin
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 qt half-and-half
- 1 large container Fage 2% yogurt
- 1 dozen eggs
- ½ gallon almond-coconut milk (refrigerator aisle)
- 1 bag shredded cheese
- 2 lbs bacon
- 2 14-oz bags of coffee
- 1 container shelf-stable almond or coconut milk
- 1 box of tea bags
- 2 cases of sparkling water
- 1 box cereal
- 1 large (42 oz) container old fashioned oats
- 5 lb bag flour
- 3 packets yeast (only by flour and yeast if you plan to bake. If not, buy bread and frozen bakery items)
- 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips OR 2 chocolate bars
- 1 bag popcorn kernels
- 4 cans soup
- 4 packets ramen
- 2 cans beans OR 1 bag of dried beans
- 1 bag rice OR 2 boxes minute rice
- 2 jars pasta sauce
- 2 boxes pasta
- 2 pints ice cream
- 2 bags frozen fruit
- 2 bags frozen vegetables
Was this post helpful? What other tips and information would you like? Let me know in the comments!
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