26 Comments

I know this is crazy, but I’ve started grocery shopping on Friday evenings. The store isn’t such a cluster at 7pm on a Friday. Less people. Less chaos. No lines. I’m in and out so quick! And then I don’t feel like I’m spending my precious weekend time doing chores!

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I really love that tip, smaaart

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Same except it's Saturday night for me!

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I love these tips and will add my own because I freaking LOVE grocery shopping. Why, it’s my one hour every Sunday that is guaranteed alone time. Saturday nights I meal plan and make my list using a cute meal planning notebook. Then on Sundays I leave the house early, get a fun coffee or pastry while I drive out of my way to TJs. Throw on my audiobook and it’s a dream hour of peace and quiet.

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ok I will say, when it's an audiobook + TJs shopping day I LOVE IT TOO. the cutest cafe (Alta, for locals) is right next door... I get a pastry and a chai, go shop, heaven.

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Such a good idea, I think I need to implement!

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Grocery delivery is my lifesaver right now! My husband and I both work outside of the home, so adding grocery shopping on the weekend feels like too much. We get our meat from Butcher Box and keep in the deep freezer, so the groceries we need are generally produce, lunch items, some random pantry things. I find I spend less than when I’m at the store because I only add the things on my list (no impulse buys!) I also love all of the subs in WTC to help me use up what we have!

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Grocery delivery is definitely saving me right now too! I'm finally actually putting into action meal planning...consistently. I've tried before, and it hasn't worked out. I think part of what is helping is having the groceries delivered! I plan the meals for the week, do my online grocery shopping, and boom, fridge and pantry are ready for the week!

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The last tip is so useful! Seriously subbing things is such a time-saver! WTC recipes have helped me be more confident with subbing things for sure! I absolutely love pretty cookbooks, so I own a lot of them. But WTC has spoiled me with all the subs, so I tend to not make a recipe if I don't have everything, or I make a run to the store, which can be such a waste of time! But I've gotten more used to the subs from the WTC recipes that I know subbing stuff actually works, lol.

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Thank you for all these tips and reminders, so useful with 3 almost-adult sons and their ever changing requirements!

If I ask what they want for dinner, it’s ‘food’

It reminds me of that meme- a man kneeling down on one knee, (proposing) with the caption ‘will you decide what to have for dinner for the rest of my life?’ Aghhh 🤣

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Great job speaking/teaching a neato group of followers. Love the message and content and am happy about becoming a subscriber. Our boys are a little older than yours, but despite the different "season" of raising kids, we love the recipes and advice. Keep up the good work⭐️

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the link to thrive market doesn't work - fix so that you can presumably cash in on their referral program!

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Woops - the links up top work! Thanks xx

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I can’t find the ice cream cake recipe??? 🤷🏻‍♀️🎂

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What to cook is dinner recipes! Anything else you can find on my Instagram! Look through my feed - it's a pic of mattis and calum from the beginning of January

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I found it!!! Thank you so much!!! Making this for my son’s birthday 🥳 🎂

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An enjoyable field trip, if we do it right. An event!

And #4 about shopping the cool stores and outdoor markets is definitely a good starting point. Since everything seems to be research for my foodwriting endeavors lately, I even jot down observations when I’m out.

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I just canceled two of my Substack Cooking subscriptions but for sure, will be keeping yours. I use your recipes every week, and I too love your substitutions. Thank you for today’s tips too!

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This is great advice and I’m always working to make feeding the family easier!! Really looking forward to next weeks pantry staples post 😊

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I’m in the U.K. where grocery delivery is very established - I have a delivery pass from one of the supermarkets and get a delivery every Tuesday or Wednesday (working from home makes this so much easier!). I don’t have a car, so grocery shopping was always a bit of an ordeal before - this has been a life changer. I always have the same staples on the order: bananas, peppers, broccoli, eggs - and then pick one or two meals per week to buy ingredients for. (I live alone and cook for one so cooking once or twice generally provides as much food as I need, in combination with scrambled eggs etc)

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I started doing a grocery pick up order on the weekends when my son was a toddler and we couldn’t get out of the store without a meltdown or a bunch of extra crap thrown in my cart. Saturday morning I sit down with a cup of coffee, and look up recipes in one window and add the ingredients to the order in another window. It saves my frequently purchased items (bananas, the sandwich bread we like, etc.). It’s not perfect and sometimes the substitutions are a little strange, but the combination of being able to meal plan and shop at the same time plus only having to go pick up my stuff takes a huge load off!

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I started grocery pick up during the pandemic and have just continued. I find I spend less, get only what I need, and gain back some of my valuable life minutes to spend with my kids.

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This was the biggest help for me this week! I’ve gotten off track with meal planning, and it’s going to really help to pick out the 7 meals instead having the whole universe to choose from.

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I weirdly love grocery shopping, but seriously all these tips are magic. Checking out Thrive Market right now!

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It's not weird. It is normal to enjoy strolling through the isles of the supermarket 🙌🏻

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Looking forward to the balance of your tips . . . .

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