A Guide to Creating Mindful Shopping

Here are some options to consider next time you are bored and feel like binge-shopping at the grocery store. Hopefully, they will make your shopping trip more enjoyable.

1. Don’t shop. {Ok, Ok, it’s going to be alright. Probably not an option.}
2. Do shop. But, make a list. Lists have an amazing way of creating organization and structuring our shopping trips, thus, making the completion rate faster. If you want to get really fancy, plan your meals for a week and then write out what you need to complete those meals. Even fancier? Color code those items! If I can do this, you can do it better, I promise.
3. Reaffirm that the only things you are buying are on your list. You will not buy things because they are on sale. You will not buy things in bulk that you will never need unless there is a total wipeout of planet Earth and you need to do laundry in your bunker.
4. Eat before you go! Shopping hungry is a rookie mistake. And it’s always a disaster. You end up hangry-shopping {aka “shangry”}. You grab a huge bag of M&M’s {dang Halloween candy!!} and eat all of it, but keep the bag so you can let the clerk ring it up at the checkout. No shame in that…eh hem. If you are shangry, you also purchase things that are not on your list because you’re so hungry you put the Thanksgiving meal in your cart, thinking, “I’ll just whip this up for dinner tonight! All of it.”
5. Go early if you can. The earlier, the better. This is kind of a no-brainer. The less people, the less apologizing you have to do for taking someone out at the knees with your shopping cart. They won’t understand that you’re shangry shopping, trust me.
6. Go without children, if you can – they can destroy a well-planned shopping trip in two seconds. They know your buttons and will manipulate their way into picking out a toy or playing hide-and-seek in the maxi pads. They know you have the Thanksgiving dinner in your cart anyway and the thought of abandoning all your shopping makes you nauseous.
7. Shop the perimeter of the store and only dart into aisles where you need something. Did you know that the perimeter of most grocery stores contains all you really need? Meat, Dairy, Produce, Wine. Oops, cross that off your list. Not a necessity, unless again, you’re planning for the apocalypse. Then, it’s absolutely ok to purchase the wine. And the Tide. The Tide with Downy, who wants static cling issues as they emerge from their bunker? Come on.
8. Ask, if you need it. If you’re feeling ambiguous {which you shouldn’t because everything should be planned and on your list, but it happens} and can’t decide to buy something or not, stop awkwardly standing in the middle of the aisle staring at it. You are probably doing that because you have not had enough coffee and you’re approaching the shangry phase. Anyway, people will think you’re weird or that you’re about to steal that Butterball turkey. So, instead of questioning yourself, ask yourself {To clarify. Don’t ask a random stranger}: “Does this bring me joy? Will this bring joy to my family dinner table?” Yes; put the item in your cart. If the answer is no, put it back.
9. Do not buy a bunch of fresh produce unless you plan on using it that week. Does loading your cart with fresh produce make you feel proud? You love these little fresh things and have great plans for making meals! Do you still have great pride and joy imagining your produce rotting in your vegetable crisper {why is called that? Has that ever kept anyone’s vegetables crisp? Stop lying to us, refrigerators!}? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Shop for fresh produce weekly, it really shouldn’t be kept that much longer. Stop wasting good produce by over-buying.
10. Don’t stress about coupons. Just don’t. Be sensible, know competitors’ prices on the things that you commonly purchase. Don’t spend your time driving around to every grocery store to save $.50. Don’t shop at a grocery store, just because you’ll save $.10 on every gallon of gas. You do realize that is like$1.00…. just saying.
11. Don’t go with your friend. Even though you love your friend, make yourself a momise {Mom+promise} and just spend the time by yourself. You’ll be annoyed at their choices, you’ll second guess your own dinner plans, you’ll decide it’s time to hook the family up with some bok choy and feel bad for putting Cheeto puffs in your cart {truth: these are amazing}. Keep your friendship fun! Don’t buy groceries together!
12. BONUS ROUND: Online shopping is easy to do and overdo. When I get the binge shopping urge, I go to every store online that I want to purchase from. I load up a shopping cart, considering sales and promotions. I act as if I am really going to purchase these items and I leave it alone. I shut down the computer and go to bed. The next morning, I delete every page because I know that these were wants, not needs and it felt good to fake buy them. It sounds crazy, but try it! It does work!

I’ve run out of ideas! Share your shopping tips, experiences, and must-haves!