Article by Andre Barbarona
Have you done your groceries for the week yet? If yes, good for you! If no, anuna fam?
The idea of doing the weekly groceries can be tedious and sometimes seemingly endless, even though we would all be starving if we didn’t do them. The list of things to buy grows ever larger, and it’s becoming more and more of a hassle to lug around a heavy pushcart. That doesn’t even consider the budget concerns of the average consumer: prices increase, old things become unusable, and need replacing, and so on. Because of all of these things, going to the supermarket can be a real test of patience and endurance.
What if I told you the act of buying groceries can actually be fun, though? It sounds weird, but hear me out: there are ways to spice up this routine. Here are 6 tips that may make your grocery trips more than just a way to tick off your checklist.
6 Things You Can Do to Make Your Shopping Experience Way More Fun
6. Listen to music on your phone.
This tip is overrated and overstated for good reason. A pair of earphones and a well-made playlist can go a long way in relieving the humdrum of a supermarket stroll. Music can help you tune out unnecessary noise and focus on the task at hand, after all. Besides, who wouldn’t want to walk across aisles of biscuits with the Imperial March blaring from their headset? No? Just me?
5. Do groceries with a friend.
This is another one of those tips that people hear often, but you just can’t go wrong with having a friend with you during difficult or tedious tasks. Whether it’s a cooperative effort to clear out a massive grocery list or just two pals trying to get through their own lists together, two (or more) is better than one – even when it comes to shopping.
4. Make your list extra pretty!
When making a grocery list, many of us simply write down the things we need to buy on a piece of paper or on our phone’s notepad and stop there.It’s easy and requires little effort, but it can also end up looking very stale when we look at it while shopping. Why don’t we shake things up a little bit by using colorful pens to design our lists or making our lists with apps like BigOven or Cozi Family Organizer? Switch up your routine by adding a bit of color and spice to an otherwise regular pushcart-time.
3. Trace a path to finish your checklist faster.
Supermarkets can sometimes be compared to labyrinths – with various aisles that form borders in an otherwise empty but enclosed space, and many avenues and corners that can make people feel lost. To counteract this, you can trace a path around the supermarket if you know it well. Not only will it streamline the process, but it will also be a fun drawing exercise if that’s your fancy. Think of it as one of those maze activities they give out at birthday parties and unleash your inner child again!
2. Try coming up with a mnemonic for your grocery items!
Do you remember trying to memorize the names of the planets or the order of operations during elementary school? I can recall chanting “My Very Educated Mother Cannot Just Serve Us Nine Pizzas”and “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” over and over to drill the names and concepts into my head. Good news: you can also try making silly mnemonics for your grocery items! Take their first letters and write wacky expressions that will help you remember them.
For example, if you want to buy garlic, butter, pasta, white sauce, and salami for a night of carbonara, I can write the mnemonic “George bakes pizza while Sandy sleeps”, or any other permutation of phrases that have G, B, P, W, S, S as starting letters for the words. Give it a go and see what phrases you can make!
1. Buy something not on your list.
You finish buying all the items on your list (hopefully, by following any of the tips outlined here), and you still have time to spare before you line up at the counter. You can always buy anything that’s not on your list. Go ahead and surprise yourself (responsibly, of course)!
While you’re at it, you can do your shopping at SM Cherry Shaw. It offers nearly half of its lower ground floor for its wide range of supermarket selections, while the Food Arena dining strip is a great place to grab a bite after a long hour of looking for the best raw boneless bangus. Various other stores provide services that you might enjoy. Why not rest your tired body at the Organail Organic Nail Lounge & Spa while you get your phone repaired by the technicians at the Oppo store? The possibilities are endless!
With these tips in mind, I hope that your shopping experiences will be more pleasant and exciting. If you’re in Muntinlupa and are looking for a place where you can enjoy shopping and coffee, When In Manila’s got you covered. What would you do to make your grocery trips more fun? Tell us in the comments section below!
