Grocery Store Boycott

I'm on a mission this week. My goal is to avoid shopping at a grocery store all week. I'm sure you're thinking that it's a fairly simple task but my friends who live here know how daunting a challenge this becomes. Last week I grocery shopped at least 3 times and while I'd like to claim that's unusual, sadly it's the norm. Generally I end up shopping at 3 different stores to find the food I need for the week. And the small refrigerator and freezer make it difficult to stock up on anything perishable. Of course, if I planned meals better, it would help but the odds are still not in my favor.

So, I implemented new procedures this week. I planned my dinners for the week. Then I shopped for groceries online for the first time Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately I wasn't prepared to wait until Tuesday for delivery, so Monday's pantry was a bit bare! My first attempt went well. There were only a few items I couldn't get and everything arrived in good condition. Success!

This morning I went to the wet market after Pilates (this doesn't count as a grocery store). I bought vegetables, fruit and chicken. I was disappointed that they were out of broccoli and didn't have jalapeno peppers this week but we'll survive because...

I can send Delia to the grocery store! She took Elizabeth this afternoon for a quick trip to get the few items I couldn't find elsewhere. I don't mind having her go when it's for a few things but it's not practical to ask her to shop for the bulk of our groceries because 1) I like to pick things out myself and 2) the quantity is too much for her to carry home.

Last week's excitement was that I redeemed my 120 grocery store stickers for a nice grill pan and large stock pot. The grill pan leaves lines on my sandwiches that make me miss my panini maker a little less and I didn't bring my stock pot from home so it was nice to add that piece to the kitchen. Now that the cookware promotion is finished, I wonder what I'll be collecting stickers for next -- knives, maybe? I'll have to visit the store to see what they will tempt me with next time. But that will have to wait for next week because, for now, I'm staying away...