The Savvy Life

I felt such a sense of accomplishment when I got back from the grocery store this morning.  On the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend, I managed to get in and out of Costco, Safeway and Trader Joes in an hour and 20 minutes.  I was so excited at the thought of knocking out the all important grocery shopping errand and not having to worry about leaving the house again over the weekend unless I wanted to - that is until I went to make Paul's birthday cake a few minutes ago and realized that I didn't check how much cocoa was actually contained in the cocoa tin - not even close to enough to make the Chocolate Guinness Cake I promised him.  

Savvy Living isn't just about streamlining your spending.  It's about streamlining your time as well.  Having to make multiple trips to the store chasing after forgotten items is such a waste of time and energy.  Today's lesson has been taken to heart and from now on, I'll be checking the actual contents of the items in my pantry instead of just looking for the jars and boxes. 

As Henry V so famously said, "Once more unto the breach dear friends, once more". 

One of the keystone habits for Savvy Living is getting to the grocery store on a regular basis.  For most people here in the U.S., that means weekly. 

For the past six months, my standing appointment for grocery shopping has been Saturday mornings, immediately after I teach the 8:00 am FFIT class at Fearless Fitness, our family's martial arts school.

My schedule was thrown off a bit by yesterday's speaking engagement for Ameriprise Financial which was so worth it!  Helping people with their day-to-day finances is as fun of a way to spend a Saturday morning as helping people with their physical fitness!

However, because I was unable to fit grocery shopping into yesterday's schedule, that is my number one priority today!  

When there are no groceries in the house you're forced to go out to eat.  I don't want the fact that my cupboards are bare to be the reason I dine out.  

Also, over the years I've realized that when I go to the grocery store on a regular basis, I tend to make better food choices.  When I make better food choices, I have the energy for my schedule which can be intensive at times.

What I have also realized is that when grocery shopping is a weekly habit and you're paying attention to the events of the coming week, that single trip to the grocery store can save you hours in the coming week. 

For example, yesterday, Fearless Fitness hosted a special event that included a potluck.  Because I looked at my calendar while making last week's grocery list, I was able to pick up the ingredients I needed last week for our potluck offering.  If I forgot about it until the last minute, I would have had to make an extra trip to the grocery store adding an extra 30 - 45 minutes to my day - time I didn't have to spare last week.  

You can see from the examples above why getting to the grocery store on a regular basis (I strongly encourage you to go on the same day and time as often as possible) can save you time, money and helps prevent so much of the mental clutter that has a tendency to haunt our days.

• Shopping at thrift and consignment shops isn’t about being cheap.  It’s about finding unique items - although I still protest against the raincoat with big yellow embroidered ducks on it that she bought and wore through the late 1980’s.

• There is more than one solution to a problem.  Often, when I’m struggling with something, I’ll ask myself, “What would Mom do?”  A viable solution almost always comes to mind.

• Before calling in sick, get up, take a shower and then decide whether or not to call in.  When I worked in the corporate world, this technique saved me so many sick days!

• Don’t ever feel you’re being greedy for wanting money. The desire to be financially secure is a good thing and will make such a positive impact on your quality of life!