Wednesday, February 4, 2015

New Year, New Plan

This year, I've chosen "My Book of Lists" as our theme. For January, the topic was the grocery store. As always, this year long workshop is story focused. I love all the creative titles that the girls come up with.
 "Dressed to Shop" by Carla M. Journaling:
Vist to Jamie’s Feb. 2013 in Toledo, OH
The girls were playing dress-up and saw no reason to stop even if we were headed to the grocery store.  I started to protest, but Jamie said,”Mom, choose your battles wisely and just have fun.  Wise girl!!!

We had such fun on that visit.  Olivia and Charlotte only see each other once or twice a year but they sure have fun and do not seem to mind sharing Grammie.  They do so love posing for photos for Grammie’s scrapbooks.  

I used the 3 and 5 since that was their ages at this time.
 "Grocery Shopping a week at a time" by Janet. Journaling:
Grocery shopping is a weekly job for me. I go on my way home from work, since I usually don’t go back out once I’ve gotten home. My trips usually include a list which may show just a few items to complete recipes or other times it may be a big stock up list. The list usually only has items for the menu I’m planning plus Ron will also add some of his needed or wished for items. Most of the food staples or extras I pick up aren’t written down, they are just items we normally need such as butter, milk, white bread, chips and soda. I’m also a Marketers dream- If something is on an End Cap &/or on sale, AND WE USE IT, I will pick it up. I would say a short list is my favorite because of the obvious: it takes less time to shop for, less time to put away, at home and finally it takes less time to cook or prepare. At least when I get home Ron does help with the unloading. The store I usually go to is Schnucks, it’s the one I know where everything is located. The hardest list to write is for the occasions when Ron takes on the shopping, chore, every detail has to be written about each item. I have hopes he will move out of the novice category some day. He also prefers going to Dierbergs. 
 "Grocery Getter" by Erin. Journaling:
I became the “Grocery Getter” when I was in middle school. My Mom went back to school and time was precious, so my Dad took over grocery shopping duties. Every two weeks when he would get paid, we would go to Wal-Mart and stock up on all the basics. Since the closest major grocery store was 30 minutes away, we had to make our trip count.  My Mom would give us a list, we would sort the coupons and then off we went. It was a whole afternoon outing. My favorite part was that we always went out to lunch afterwards, usually Taco Bell, sometimes McDonald’s.  Then we would schlep it all home, up the steps and help Mom put it all away.  I think my early training has certainly affected my buying patterns today- stock up at Costco and at Schnucks when there is a sale, and I really only need the perishable items from week to week. Even though I have a nice grocery store 5 minutes away, I just can’t break myself of this pattern!
 "Got Groceries" by Jeanne. Journaling:

 "Going to the Grocery Store" by Nancy. I have to say, I am so impressed with Nancy and her layout. She is brand new to scrapbooking. This is the very first layout she's done by herself!! Journaling:
  Growing up in a family of seven there always seemed to be a need for daily
trips to the grocery store. Being that there was only one car and my father’s
job took him away for several days at a time, trips to “Woodlawn Market”
were not a problem. They delivered! Mama kept a list by the phone and if
there was something you thought of you could add it provided you were going
to prepare it! Mr. and Mrs. Austen owned the market located on Woodlawn
Drive down from Natchez Trace where the Tennessee Central Railroad Tressel
crossed. The Austens lived in a house right behind the market on Westwood
Avenue and they would just walk across the back yard to the market.
       I grew up thinking that all one had to do when paying for your
groceries was sign your ticket pad! I didn’t understand that my Mom had an
account and would pay up at the end of the month. With the passing of time
deliveries were discontinued, however Mom could still call her list in and we
would go and pick it up. Progress and the construction of Interstate 440
caused the Austens to sell the market which was demolished.
     I am a list maker, not that I always stick to it, but I am always forgetting
something if I don’t have one. Technology being what it is, I have learned to
put lists on my phone. Times are really changing!
 "Grocery Cycle" by Pam.
"5 Generations of Grocery Lists" by Karolyn. Karolyn is that one person that you love to hate!!! Who in the world has actual grocery lists going back to her grandmother?? There isn't a single topic I can throw at her where she doesn't come up with the most amazing memorabilia from the past. Incredible and always amazing! I don't really hate her---she's one of my closest friends. I do hate her a little. I'll add her journaling when she sends it.
 "Fill the carts and pay the price" by Susan. Journaling:
When I think about how much time, effort and money is spent grocery shopping and preparing family meals, it is staggering.
 Sooo…..
Using a list and cutting coupons help with the time and money---but the work is still a lot of work. I try to shop the specials at Kroger, Harris Teeter and Publix. My mom did the same when we were kids. Friday night was her shopping time! Armed with her list and coupons, she left the minute my dad got home from work---we only had one car. After having grilled cheese or fish sticks, we would help her carry all the bags in. From the sixties to today, very little has changed---except the prices!!! Just wondering…will we have to grocery shop in HEAVEN?
"The Great Grocery Store Debate" by me. Journaling:

I hate grocery shopping. It’s a necessary evil---from checking recipes to making the list, to sorting coupons, finding a place to park, the actual shopping, hauling home and then putting it all away. There’s no part of it that I like. When Butch retired, I pictured us shopping together as a weekly outing. In the “Norman Rockwell” image of my mind, we would enjoy the process together. All it took was ONE time to realize that would never work. First off, Butch prefers Kroger, I prefer Publix. He swears Kroger’s prices are better. I think in the long run they are about the same. Still, I was willing to compromise and go to Kroger for our first shopping experience together. All was going well until we reached the pickle aisle. We nearly had a “knock down drag out fight!” I wanted the tiny baby dills. The slightly larger ones were on sale. It went something like this---Butch: “What’s wrong with the Kroger brand, they’re on sale?” Me: “I don’t like those---I like the baby dills.” He: “With those you have to have 5 or 6. With these you don’t need as many.” Me: “Come on Butch, we’re doing pretty well, can’t I just get what I want---even if they’re 20 cents more?” He: “Fine, get what you want.” Me: “Never mind, just get the Kroger brand.” He: “No, get what you want.” End of story. That was our first and last time shopping together. These days, he goes more often than I do. I really appreciate that---even if he gets a lot of it wrong. I do not criticize because I don’t want to do it!! I do get pretty worked up when he looks at the list and decides I don’t need the quantity of something. When I’m cooking and looking for the ingredients, he’ll say, “well, I didn’t think you needed that much.” Sheesh! Case in point, just his past Christmas. I brought home 8 lbs. of butter and 8 blocks of cream cheese. Right away, he said, “Oh my gosh! You don’t need this much butter!” To which I replied, “Look, this is not a fun job---planning meals and grocery shopping for the whole family for 5 days. As it is, it takes me two trips to the store. Any time you want to take it over, it’s all yours.” He didn’t say another word!! We’ve never really solved the great grocery store debate. He still goes to Kroger and I mostly go to Publix. Really, for me, it’s whichever is most convenient based on where I’ll be when I need to stop.