1. Do you think I ought to cancel the email newsletters that I never actually intend to read? Every time I check my yahoo email account there are newsletters that I mark as read, or quickly open, without ever clicking the links or even glancing over what the emails contain. Examples of this: Creative Homemaking, Gooseberry Patch, Lowe's Home Improvement Creative Ideas, American Shutterbug Photo Tips, Baby Center Bulletins. There's probably lots of wonderful information there that I never really receive because I don't take the time to even look at a large part of my email.
I have, in the past, had this problem with magazines as well. I'd get a magazine, look at it maybe twice, and then add it to the pile in the corner where I would feel guilty about the backlog. Guilty that I wasn't prepared to throw them away, not guilty that I hadn't read them.
2. Why do I so hate to make grocery lists? I put them off and put them off, coming up with all sorts of other things to do than make up a grocery list. There are certain things I already know I need to put on the list, such as toothpaste, coffee, a drain plug for the tub, but the actual list I will not make. Part of this may be because grocery shopping is a monumental task repeated on a regular basis. You who have found your rhythm in this area may no longer have the problems with it that I do.
This is a picture of me trying to plan a shopping trip:
I pull out cookbooks looking for recipes that I think I might be inclined to make. They can't have too many ingredients, can't involve anything unusual like Hoisen Sauce, can't require very much chopping--you get the idea. Very few recipes seem to qualify, and in the process I become distracted, discouraged, disgruntled, etc. I have never made any single recipe enough times to have it's processes mapped out in my head.
Let's assume I've figured out what I want to cook for the week. I then arrange to have the car at a time that isn't Parker's naptime or mealtime, and doesn't interfere our time together as a family. I also prefer to do this at a time when I am unlikely to be accosted in the parking lot by someone selling magazines, or scamming for twenty dollars.
Think about the amount of effort and physical energy needed on an average shopping trip. I noticed this particularly while I was pregnant and energy was even more limited. You battle traffic just to get to the store, park your car, and probably hike to the front door assuming you are shopping at Walmart. You have to wander through the store looking for the items on your list; you bend, stretch and lift in the process of filling your cart. Once you've made it to the front of the store, you still have to unload all of your purchases onto the conveyor belt (I like to group like items as I do this so that the cashier can load the bags more efficiently), then if you are shopping at Walmart you still have to lift all of your groceries from the conveyor belt back into the cart a second time. The you push your purchases to the car to load them again. By the time you make it home, you've already probably handled the same groceries four separate times, and then you get to unload them again, and put them away. This doesn't even include the handling that has to be done once the groceries are home, such as cutting packages of meat into smaller portions to freeze. If you think about it, a simple trip to the grocery store involves a huge amount of effort.
All of this has been recently complicated by the fact that I only have access to the car for a limited amount of time each week. Now that Michael is no longer coming home for lunch each day, that access has become even more limited. This means my home life needs to become even more organized that was previously necessary.
You who do this on a regular basis should congratulate yourselves. This is a very good work that you do.
6 comments:
I have a big problem keeping too many magazines and catalogs. Sometimes I do get some good ideas or tips from them, but the overall impact tends to be negative for me, too--overload of information, paper, clutter. Lightbulb moment: now I know what to fast for Wes's Christmas lent fast (I know it's not technically Wes's fast, but it feels like it is)! I'll fast catalogs and magazines! Thank you, Kelly!
After seeing your list of all the steps involved in grocery shopping, I understand why it feels overwhelming to me so often. Besides getting things for my family, and any random guests Craig may bring home for a short-notice meal, I also have to buy food to feed a crowd of internationals every Thursday night. I don't have to do the whole meal--usually two dishes, in very large proportions--and that adds to the complexity of the shopping process.
How I cope:
1. I go at a time when I can go without the kids. I know it's educational for them, etc., but I only bring them if I can get in and out in a short time, which means only for rare emergency trips for milk or a forgotten ingredient. The added noise, training and discipline, etc. send me over the top. I don't like bright lights or the regular noise of the store in the first place.
2. I stick to meals I don't need a recipe for--I don't like recipes, so I've learned to cook simply without them. Example: chili, spaghetti, lasagna, mexican lasagna, stews, stirfrys, salads, simple oven dinners (chicken or turkey kielbasa and vegetables roasted in the oven) etc.. I have a "cookbook" called How to Cook without a Book, which you can borrow if you want. Most of it was actually fancier than I needed.
3. I'm really working on developing a heart of gratitude: I'm thankful that my cart, sacks, van, and pantry get filled up with food--there's no lack of it. I'm thankful there are so many stores within 7 minutes of my house, some open 24 hours, and they are safe, have very affordable prices, incredible selection, and the food is clean, safe, and healthy (if I choose well, that is). I'm thankful I have strength and vigor to do my work ("her arms are strong for her tasks," Prov 31). I used to avoid manual labor and stand around waiting for Craig to get the stroller out of the van, unload the groceries for me, etc., but now I look forward to doing it because it's good for me--strengthens muscles, weight-bearing exercise prevents osteoporosis, etc.. I park in the same vicinity every time, which creates more of a walk, but then I don't have to remember where I parked. I sometimes "ride" the cart back to the car, which is kind of fun. I hope this doesn't sound too preachy, but if it does, it's because I preach to myself in this area.
Jamey, I don't feel preached to at all. In this area, I need all the help (suggestions, advice, instructions) I can get, and you know I'll only go with those suggestions that make sense for my particular situation. In other words, I like advice, and realize that it is totally up to me whether or not I follow it. I consider you a source of wise counsel.
I would LOVE to borrow the book you mentioned. I actually borrowed that book from the library not long before we moved out of our apartment, and thought that it was exactly the sort of material I'd been looking for.
Melanie has given me some wonderful assistance in the area of food preparation, and the fact that I haven't progressed beyond my current level is entirely do to a lack of implementation by the student. Once I get over this sickness that is going to CHANGE! (And I'm going to start to get some of the remaining boxes out of my dining room.)
Re: grocery list preparation aversion
This is what my mother did (maybe still does), and to the extent that I do this myself, it works well. Keep a pad of paper mounted on the wall in the kitchen (a mini-clipboard with the small 5 x 8 ruled pads that look like mini legal pads). Whoever uses up something, or notices that something is running low writes that item on the pad. Additionally, if someone thinks of something new that you want/need, you put it on the pad at the time you think of it.
In other words, you keep the list as you go, rather than try to come up with it right before it's time to go shopping.
My sister has a recipe collection that includes 4 ingredients or less. It doesn't go into her collection unless it meets that criterion. I'll email you her phone number.
Jim-Can you ask your sister to post a few of the recipes, on this blog, yours, or hers? I'd like to see them, and others might, too!
I've posted a (long) comment on my blog. I'll post recipes next.
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