Grocery shopping is so exhausting!!!

[SLEEPY101]

I just got back from grocery shopping. I wish I could take a five hour nap. The walking around the store,unloading the cart on the check out and then into the car,then into the house and then into the cuppard it extremly draining. I am laying in bed at the moment don't know how I am going to walk to the kitchen and fine enough energy to make dinner. I think I am going to have to swallow my pride and start using the motorized carts. To bad the shoppinh basket attached to so small. Right now I avoid shopping until the last minute possible,I guess more frequent,smaller trips would be better. I wish I could order my groceries online and have someone deliver them,but they don't do that here. Anybody have any energy saving shopping tips?

[SueAnn]

I try to stock up once a month at Walmart or target.  I made a list of the things that I need to buy for the whole month,  then the other weeks I try to buy meat on sale and just pick up bread and produce at publix.    My husband does help when I am to tired to go or at least goes with me to help with the lifting.

SueAnn

[Bopeep]

hehehe a subject close to my heart.
I HATE GROCERY SHOPPING WITH A PASSION!!!!!
In fact I loathe any sort of shopping at all, simply because I feel the same way as you do sleepy.Even shopping for clothes, you have to dress and undress, by the time i do that once Im ready to go home lol.
Iv said before that my husband is worth his weight in gold, this is one of the reasons why. He does ALL the grocery shopping for this house.
Before I was married I used to shop and just drop the bags at the back door, put the frozens and stuff away, but my girlfriends used to laugh at me for not putting stuff away.
Its all just TOO exhausting.

[SLEEPY101]

I am going to have to start going on my husband's day off. He is away at work for five days and only home for two. It seems impossible to stock up on food with my four kids. The more food I buy the more they eat!! This time I have several items I am going to hide in the garage. I also put several items in the freezer. My oldest daughter has a habit of making things for herself during my nap time. The problem is that there is nothing left for dinner. So hopefully frozen food with solve this problem:)

@Bopeep I love your husband:) My husband has done the shopping a few times,but only bought junk food. I should have kept my nagging to myself because now he doesn't want to help. He figures because he does most of the other chores I could do the shopping. He doesn't realize that is the hardest job!!

[Carebear]

Hi Sleepy101,

I can totally relate!  In the course of the last six months or so, I have been unable to make large shopping trips because I've actually "forgotten" how to do it.  I know it sounds odd, but that is how my cognitive difficulties have manifested themselves.  Actually I know how, I just can't execute the plan.

So I make a few small trips each week.  I only purchase what I can fit in one or two handheld baskets, and I always bring a list.  If I feel myself getting confused by all the lights or I'm having difficulty with making product choices, I just leave.

On the positive side, my grocery expenses are down.

[Gerty]

Hum me as well. I use to love shopping walking up and down the aisle looking for new things to cook for my family and seeing people that I new for a quick chat and hello but now I dread it. I seem like I have to force myself to keep going around and around it seems to never ends. And then just go home and veg out for awhile.

[Madderakka]

By the time I get home, I want to collapse. Putting the groceries away seems like a monumental task.

[ynevar]

I used to love it.... and love to cook etc.  (not that I still don't love to cook it just wears me out!)  My husband is a really big help with the shopping.  I enlist his and the kids help with putting away groceries.  My husband just does it, but I usually have to instruct the kids to get crackin and help put away the groceries. 

As far as being exhausted, we try to get stuff in bulk so I don't have to make lots of trips (which we end up doing anyway LOL).  I also have decided to cook meals in bulk, so for the days during the week I am too tired--I have some already prepared.  I think this will help a lot!  Never hurts to have a frozen lasagna in the freezer when I am just beat. 

I have a great idea and talked to one of my friends about it.  We are each going to make a big meal x 5 on Sundays, then meet up Sunday afternoon and trade meals!  She has psoriatic arthritis and gets beat down pretty hard too.  We all have kids in tons of sports (I have one in football, one in cross country and another in tennis and basketball).  I feel completely exhausted at the end of running to and fro from practice (although my husband is a huge help he takes them too etc) but by the time we get settled to eat it is nearly 8 pm and kids still have to do homework, and not to mention the laundry, dishes after dinner etc.  I do have to say that I am extraordinarily blessed with a great husband in so many regards.  He doesn't fully understand how I have felt physically and mentally/emotionally but he does pull a ton of weight in the house department... I am very thankful. 

-Y

[eyeamdry]

My husband has taken over getting groceries and he seems to like it ok.  I think it's because he can buy what he wants, wander around and take his time and to me, it's just fine.  I get overwhelmed getting groceries and if he's not home, especially putting them away after buying them.

He will be having surgery in a few days and unable to life for awhile.  Guess what?  I'll be the one having to do all the shopping, lifting and so forth.  He might be able to put away.  I will make sure I shop every 4 or 5 days so I won't have to buy much at one tme.  That will help, instead of waiting until we're out of everything.  Lucy

[Joe S.]

I tend to shop more often. (every other day) I pick up just a few items on each trip. If your children are old enough they can help. I often take time to rest. When our daughters got old enough they started to cook. If we had stir fry, or were grilling I cooked the main course but someone else did the food prep.

Yesterday I grilled hot dogs and hamburgers.  Jan prepared the hamburgers and glorified rice. Few had salad. For a snack after we had some fresh fruit and nuts.

I believe that every one had fun since they came for dinner and stayed until 10pm. We had a house full.

I did the shopping for this over the previous two weeks.

[deeindiana]

Heck...just walking across the parking lot of WalMart and those other mega stores is enough to wear out a healthy person. Then you have to wander the three-acre store while fighting mobs just to get your groceries.

I don't know if this will help, but I've stopped going to those kind of stores (unless I'm feeling really energetic). I now shop at a couple small, locally owned grocery stores. Yes, the prices are a little higher (although when I compared prices, I was surprised how things seemed to balance out) but I can normally park near the front door, the store is smaller, the crowds are much kinder, and they carry out my groceries to the car.

With four kids to care for and a husband who works away from home (so does mine), it's no wonder you're exhausted. Be kind to yourself!
Best wishes, Deb

[Daisy1234]

In addition to having taken over responsibility for grocery shopping, my husband now does 95% of the housecleaning.   I don't have the juice to do it anymore.  But I will occasionally accompany him for a short grocery run if I'm having one of my better days.

I do make the grocery list though for him and he will call me at home while he's shopping to get clarification ... i.e. the difference between a certain brand of a product or further details about the type of vegetable I was really asking for.  Lol, poor guy he's recently had to learn more about the difference between kalamata olives and other olives that he never even wanted to know!

[puccini914]

Grocery shopping is one of the worst.  That along with floor cleaning.  I did ask my doctor for a handicapped parking decal so at least at Walmart or large grocery stores I don't have to park in Idaho.  Especially during Christmas season.  Anything to save a little energy.  The hardest thing is the bulk of my shopping usually has to be with 3 and 7 year old boys in tow.  The two of them play off each other, get rambunctious, then fight with each other.  I bring a list but still get so distracted by them I always forget something.  It's always frustrating and exhausting.  Somehow my DH seems to think that shopping without them them is some kind of relaxing break, and while it's much better then taking them with me, it surely isn't a trip to the day spa.

[Carebear]

I know this isn't about grocery shopping, but it does relate to general chores around the home.  These ideas may same you some energy overall.

Six months ago I purchased my first Roomba, a very talented automatic vacuum.  This little gal has been a god send for me as I have two hairy dogs who shed constantly.  I give me a task once or twice daily, and she keeps the floors clean as a whistle.  I love her so much I bought her a sister for the basement!

Now I only need to drag the big vacuum out once a month or so to do so fine tuning, which has saved me a huge amount of energy.

I have also been redesigning my yard to make it less maintenance (there is no such things as maintenance free!) especially for spring and fall clean-up.

Every little bit helps us to hang on to one more spoon!

[LizPetillo]

My husband has to do it now.  I tried about a month ago and it wiped me out for hours.  Now, with the progression, I probably couldn't walk through the stores anyways. The good news - the grocery bill is much lower due to the fact that he only buys what is on the list and doesn't add things like I used to.  I'd pick up extra goodies while there, and he doesn't.