“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces, just good food from fresh ingredients.” -Julia Child
One routine that I do every week that I very much enjoy is our household grocery shopping. I savor the experience of first creating a weekly meal plan and grocery list and then making a trip to my favorite shops to pick the best quality products that I can find and then simply enjoy the meals throughout the week. Dining well is a key component to living well and creating daily pleasure through preparing food that tastes exquisite with their vibrant flavors.
While grocery delivery has become more popular over the years, for me grocery shopping every week is a pleasure not to be missed or outsourced. Like most things in life, I have elevated the experience to one that is not just simply a task that needs to be completed, but to one that is part of the many simple pleasures that I enjoy throughout the week.
If you are looking to elevate your own grocery shopping experience into one that is more pleasing, then here are 9 ideas to incorporate into your grocery shopping routine.
-make a meal plan and shopping list to be prepared
The first step to create more ease around the weekly grocery shopping may sound intuitive, but it can be so easy to think that we “just know” what we need when going grocery shopping only to find out when we are back home that we are missing items that we needed for our meals or that we did not plan enough meals in general. A meal plan and list will help assuage this worry by knowing that you will have everything that is needed for each meal. This elevates the experience by knowing that you are prepared and organized for the week ahead and therefore do not need to expend any extra mental energy to thinking about the meals for the upcoming week.
-go shopping first thing in the morning
When you go grocery shopping first thing in the morning the crowds will be far less than if you wait to later in the day. This is especially true if like me you work a full-time job and typically go grocery shopping on a Saturday or Sunday. I go first thing as the store is opening and not only are the crowds much less than in the afternoon, but all of the groceries and flowers are freshly stocked and organized. With my list in hand, I can move about the store efficiently with ease and enjoy picking the best selections that I can find on display.
-bring along a pair of headphones and enjoy a favorite playlist
The music selection in a store can be quite hit or miss as to whether or not it is enjoyable to listen to while grocery shopping. Everything we surround ourselves with is creating our experience in every given moment, so one element I have incorporated into my grocery shopping to elevate the experience is bringing my air pods with me and listening to my Joie de Vivre playlist on Spotify. This ensures that I enjoy the music every time I grocery shop as well as putting me into the mindset of being at a French market as the songs selected for this particular playlist is very French inspired in tone. Find or create a playlist that you will enjoy too while grocery shopping (I’ll provide mine below) and watch how the experience is elevated to a whole new one of pleasure.
-bring a favorite drink along
Whether you stop at a favorite cafe or make your own at home, bring along a favorite drink to enjoy while you peruse the aisles. I have done both as I may sometimes stop off at Starbucks to purchase a drink to enjoy while grocery shopping or I have also made my own at home to take with me too. I also like to enjoy seasonal drinks too by adding a cold foam on top of my iced flat whites. It’s the little details that can truly elevate the moment and having a favorite drink while I grocery shop is one pleasantry that I have come to incorporate into my weekly shopping routine.
-enjoy discovering seasonal items and recipes
One of the many pleasures of going to the grocery store for me is discovering all of the seasonal items and recipes. Autumn is my favorite season for this simple pleasure, but I love exploring seasonal items year-round. Most grocery stores also provide a small flyer or magazine where they highlight their seasonal offerings as well as recipes to try. My favorite store in general is Trader Joe’s and they have their famous Fearless Flyer that comes out once a month that I always grab and savor at home. It’s a small way to also look forward to the changing seasons and for certain an element of elevating the grocery shopping experience.
-Dress for the occasion
While it may be tempting to put on a pair of yoga pants and a tee shirt to do the grocery shopping, why not instead elevate the experience and dress well? There is an art to dressing casually refined but it is simpler than you think too. Wear a pair of nice denim jeans or trousers (shorts are good for spring and summer), and then pair it with a sweater, a button down, polo or a simple cardigan. Wear a pair of flats, loafers or plain white sneakers and a pair of stud earrings and you have elevated your look far beyond what you may see most people wearing. Grocery shopping is not a physically intense activity, so workout clothes are not necessary. Elevate the experience by knowing that you look your casually best and making the world your runway. Or even pretend you’re a Frech lady going out to the markets, what would she wear? Have fun with your style and always elevate your outfit when going out to do the grocery shopping.
-visit stores with elevated surroundings
Our surroundings are constantly providing a feedback loop as to whether or not the experience we are having is pleasing or not. While one may be able to accomplish the same goal of grocery shopping by going to any store, the experiences may be drastically different depending on which stores they are visiting. Find stores in your area that are clean, organized, in a good part of town and overall has a better-quality environment. I personally shop at Trader Joe’s the most, then Whole Foods and also Harris Teeter. Each store is different in their environments, but each one is elevated in their surroundings which provides a more pleasing space for me to wander through. In turn this creates a self-image that I am a woman who seeks quality and have high standards for herself, even with something as routine as grocery shopping.
-invest in a few favorite reusable bags
Every store nowadays has their own reusable bags that you can purchase, but whether you purchase a few bags from the grocery store or a place like amazon, invest in a few reusable bags that you will enjoy using every week. I have a few from Trader Joe’s that I love using because they are insulated, large and comes in many different pretty colors. This will elevate your experience by first knowing that you are helping cause less waste and landfill with paper or plastic bags, and also by having a sturdier bag for transport as well as needing less trips to the car get your groceries in the house.
-pick up a beautiful bouquet or two
Nearly every grocery store has a flower selection to choose from. Even stores like Aldi and Target have flowers that can be purchased, so why not grab a bouquet or two for the home? It’s probably no surprise that Trader Joe’s is my favorite place to get flowers, but no matter which store I choose to shop at for the week I will always purchase a bouquet of flowers. Most stores also offer a selection of small bouquets too for around $5 or $6. It’s a small investment to be able to visit the beautiful flowers each week and a simple pleasure to pick out the ones that you find to be the most beautiful to bring home. Elevate your grocery shopping experience by making a quick trip to the floral section and delight in all of the beautiful flowers on display each week.
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