My first big grocery shop since the lockdown

Last week I decided to hit Meijer & Sams for a big grocery shopping trip. We still had enough food (especially meat) to last another week or 2, but I told DH that with the new lockdown date, people might just clear the shelves again. My last big shopping trip was just before chaos ensued at the stores.

So I made my shopping list and headed to the stores on Thursday. I know that Meijer (usually, under normal circumstances) get their trucks on Thursday mornings, so I figured the shelves would be pretty much stocked.

First I stopped at Sams. I figured that whatever I can't find at Sams, I can look for at Meijer (or even Ollies, since it's close by). I get to Sams and there's a 50 meter (approx 150 ft) line outside. What the heck! No way am I gonna wait in that long line. So I headed to Meijer and did my shopping. The store was well stocked and I got everything on my list. People even found t/p (limit 1). I didn't buy any, because we still have more than enough. I'd rather leave it for someone who really needs it.

However, when I got to Meijer, they had NO cart wipes. Ugh, this is so typical of them. This is why I carry a tub of Clorox wipes in my purse. So there I was, handing out Clorox wipes to everyone who grabbed a cart at the same time I did. There was a man with a toddler, wiping the cart down with the spray and paper towel Meijer left out. He was the first person I offered wipes to, because I didn't want his child to pick up any germs. We keep a tub of Clorox wipes in each of our vehicles too, even though I always keep Wet Ones in our cars. We just wipe our hands with the Clorox wipes after grocery shopping, cause I wanted to make sure those germs are killed. Some of you might think I'm nuts, but I'm not taking any chances.

I bought some Italian sausage and smoked sausage at Meijer. My plan was to get chicken and ground turkey at Sams. Meijer had no limits, but I just grabbed 2 packs of each. I don't have too much freezer space anyway.

Then I went back to Sams (hoping that the line would be shorter) and whaddya know. No line at all. I just breezed into the store. I sure am glad I trusted my instincts to hit Meijer first. Hooray, I found chicken breasts. I guess not many people buy the non GMO chicken, cause they had plenty. However, there was a limit of 1. No problemo. We still have some chicken in the freezer. I only saw regular chicken legs. No other kinds of chicken in store. No ground turkey or beef either. We're not big red meat eaters, but I grabbed a package of London broil too. Last time I did that and cook it in the instant pot with peppers & onions and made beef pies (pasties) instead. So I'll do the same again. I also picked up a rotisserie chicken that we had for dinner. Now how is Sams sold out of chicken, but they have tons of cooked rotisserie chicken? Doesn't make sense!

I also found the last pack of broccoli at Sams. I don't know why broccoli is so hard to come by the last few months. I did get 2 bags of the seasoned ones at Meijer, but I prefer the plain ones.

Sams however had no t/p, bleach, bottled water, wipes. DH will pick up eggs and bread at Aldi. I asked him to look for pie crusts too. Aldi has limits, so he's always able to find those things for us. On weekends we support our local restaurants.

Now that we have almost everything we need, I'm staying put for the rest of the month. When I got home from grocery shopping, I went straight to the shower and dumped all my clothes and shoes in the washer. I didn't allow anyone to unpack the groceries, because I wanted to wipe everything down.

The one silver lining to this monthly shopping trips, is that we spend far less on groceries than we normally do. I spent less than half of our normal grocery budget last week. That's also due to me not going to the produce store. Boy do I miss that place! DH agreed that it's too risky to go to, because the place is small and usually crowded. There's no way to do the social distancing thing in that store. Not to mention everyone and their mother touching all the open produce.

I hope everyone's staying safe & healthy and that all your needs are met.

Remember that this too shall pass! We're starting week 4 of quarantine. Hopefully the next 4 weeks will fly by.