The Survival Blog for Widowers

12 Tips for Buying Groceries for Widowers

I was married for over forty-three years when my wife died. She did the grocery shopping in our household. Her death forced me to buy groceries. When I first went to the store, it took me over three hours, and I didn’t have what I needed.

As the months have passed, I’ve gotten pretty good at buying groceries. Here are 12 tips I’ve learned for buy-in groceries. The tips can help you avoid a half-day of dread. Here are my lessons learned.

1. Go to the same grocery store.
   • When you go back to the same place week after week over time, you will learn where everything is. 
2. Go to the grocery store on the same day of the week.
   • Avoid busy times of the day. 
3. Use a grocery list.
   • Over time you can organize the shopping list to correspond to the store’s floor plan. 
4. Take a picture with your smartphone of unfamiliar items you need to buy.
   • Match the image with the product.
5. Buy refrigerated items last.
   • This includes items like milk, cheese, ice cream, fresh meat, seafood, and frozen meat.
6. Use a shopping cart instead of a handbasket.
   • The shopping cart will also help you keep your balance if you use a cane. 
7. Avoid impulse buying.
   • Stick to your list as much as possible. 
8. Check the dates on products.
   • Don’t buy something that is about to expire tomorrow.
9. After buying your groceries, go home, and put them up.
   • Do not go to another store or fill the car up with gasoline while the ice cream is melting.
10. Just say no.
    • When you get to the checkout, the checkout aisle will be full of items just waiting for you to impulse buy them. Don’t do it!
11. Guard your wallet.
    • Don’t go flashing money. Don’t mention you are a widower. The bad guys might be watching and listening. This is a matter of personal security and safety.
12. Don’t be afraid to ask your daughter, son or daughter-in-law for suggestions in shopping.
    • They just might have an idea to make your life easier. No one cares for you more than they do!

Do you have any suggestions or tips? If so, leave me a comment. 

Photo Source: Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay