Busy people should not be doing this

In today’s busy world, where most families require two incomes to survive the month. This means that there is often not as much time as you would like to spend with your family. Going to the store for groceries takes away even more of that time when it actually shouldn’t need to.

How often do you do it?

If you are one of those people who are at the store every single day, you are losing precious hours where you could be home with your family.

The drive to the store after work takes a minimum of 10-15 minutes Then you have to find parking, along with everyone else doing after hours shopping. Another 5 minutes is wasted at least.

Emotional Shopping

You have no list, you are tired and hungry. You are probably going to wander up and down a few aisles before finding not what you want but what your emotions tell you to buy.

As in ‘this sounds good’, ‘I can make XYZ for dinner if I buy this’, ‘this is on special’. When you get home you are too tired to cook what you bought. XYZ takes over an hour to cook or you discover that you already have about 5 of the item that was on special!

This emotional shopping has now taken you at least 20 minutes. If it is your local store, you have probably met about 3 people whom you know and have had to stop and have a chat with. In reality you have been shopping for about 30-40 minutes now.

The checkout line may be the only fast thing if the store closes at 6 and it is now 5:55, because the workers are in a rush to get out and their taxis are leaving soon!

Getting your shopping from the store to the car and into the car another 5 minutes. The drive home depending on how close to the store you live is at least 5 -10 minutes.

Home time slog

Using Johannesburg as an example, you work in Sandton and finish at 5 you go to the store on the way to the Germiston Highway (N3) because it’s on route. That is at least 15- 20 minutes,  your 30-50 minutes at the store. Now onto the highway and a 40 minute drive home to Germiston. Instead of 1 hour if you got onto the highway and headed straight home, you will arrive home 1 ½ hours later. Those extra 30 minutes could have been spent doing something else.

Now if you only went to the store once a week, this would be 1 ½ hours out of your whole week instead of 2 ½ hours every week!

Online at night

I do the bulk of my shopping online at night when the family is in bed. It takes about an hour (the first time did take a lot longer) and is delivered to my door. No parking, no traffic. Once a week I buy what can’t be frozen, like fresh fruit and vegetables, it takes me about 30 minutes.

There are no queues, no surly shoppers or checkout people, no looking for parking. I can take my time and look for the best prices, I can wear my pj’s, there is no closing time. Also because I have eaten supper and I am relaxed. I am able to buy what I really need and ignore the items I don’t need. No walking down the sweets and chocolate aisles!

Are you a daily shopper? Do you use a list? Next time you pop into the store for a quick item or two, time yourself. From when you left to when you get to your destination. See if weekly or monthly shopping isn’t better for your sanity or your budget.