Grocery shopping for the anxious or inexperienced can be very overwhelming. Today I a remarkably efficient and stress-free supermarket experience and I am disproportionately proud of myself so I thought I would share my tips for success.
1. Make a detailed list of what you want and need before leaving the house, the more details you include now, before being presented with a million options the fewer decisions you need to make later. E.g. "Semi-skimmed 1 pint milk" is easier to buy than "milk". "Under £3 fresh juice" is also helpful as it separates fun choices (flavours) from boring and/or stressful ones (price).
2. Walk to the supermarket. This helped because it gave me some thinking time and fresh air meaning I was relaxed, negotiating a busy roundabout and faffing about parking are not calming influences!
3. Remember you can come back. In conjunction with walking as this sets a limit on amount of stuff you can buy, enough to fit in my rucksack, it was nice to think this shop didn't have to satisfy all my shopping needs ever, the corner shop would be open tonight if necessary. This eliminated the nagging "oooo should I be stocking up on pasta" feelings and associated guilt.
4. When encountering a difficult choice, especially if you have "meat" foolishly written on your list (see tip1!), ask if this product is good enough. Or alternatively "is there anything fundamentally terrible about this chicken?" Taking focus away from the relative merits of different options discourages comparison of ALL options.
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