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| Mangoes |
Yesterday (Monday), when my daughter texted me her usual good morning, I texted back, "May the Fourth be with you!" She laughed and wished me the same!
Later in the morning, neighbor T called and we chatted for a bit. We have switched our weekly chats from Sunday morning to Monday morning and it seems to work better for us.
I finished sewing the batch of masks I was making for friend S and I called her to let her know. She said she will try to come by, the next day or so, but she couldn't say for sure. I knew that meant she wouldn't come by until she had time to cook something to bring me! My daughter says we tend to talk in code! LOL. So, I offered to drive over and give them to her; I would stay in the car and she could take the package from the trunk of my car. When she wondered if it would be OK for me to be out and about, I told her that I needed to drive the car as it hasn't been driven for a week. She was agreeable to that. So, I drove over; she and her daughter were sitting outside their apartment, keeping an eye out for me. In addition to the masks, I had put her empty food containers in the bag and included a jar of my homemade jam as well (some of you will recall that I don't return food containers, empty). In return, she gave me a bag with two mangoes!
After I came home, I sat down and made my grocery list. This was a stock up list. I had been going back and forth on ordering groceries, debating between eating from what I had on hand and restocking it while I could in order not to deplete it too much. In the end, based on what I was hearing on the news about current and anticipated disruptions in the food supply and distribution network, I decided to go ahead and stock up. I needed some additional pantry staples and a few other items in order to feel better prepared and more secure.
This was the stock up I should have done 7 weeks ago when I last went grocery shopping and didn't. Back then, we weren't under a stay at home/shelter in place order. I was still operating under my usual way of shopping, which was to buy mostly what was on that week's advertised specials and stock up only when things were on sale. Even when the stay at home order was issued, I didn't worry too much about it. It was supposed to be for only two weeks and I knew I had more than enough for two weeks; I had at least enough for two months, and I could make it last for longer, if necessary. However, I felt that now was a good time to restock.
I needed my daughter's help with placing the order, but, she was more than happy to do so. I told her that it could be her Mother's Day gift to me! LOL. She is such a blessing to me! I sent her the list I had made and she did all the actual work of ordering it for me. There were limits on the number of certain items (mostly on packages of a given cut of meat and poultry), but, that was fine with me. In addition to meat, I ordered some dairy, frozen vegetables, and fresh produce. I opted for free curb-side pick up and I was lucky enough to get a slot for this evening (Tuesday evening), so I will still be able to take advantage of a couple of items that were this week's specials!
I received an email reminding me to pick up the groceries this evening. A short while later, I received a text notification that certain items are not available. I requested no substitutions except for the milk (if one gallon was not available, then, two half-gallons, etc.). I will try later and put in a new order for those missing items, I guess.
This is a new way of shopping for me and, for the first time in a long time, I shopped for what I wanted without waiting until it went on sale! It is definitely not the best way to stock up, but, I don't know if certain items will ever go on sale at the old sale prices, again. I opted for store brand where I could as that is usually cheaper.
Today (Tuesday), I called friend R in the morning and told her about the online grocery ordering and free curb-side pick up; she doesn't have a car, but, I told her that, if she wanted to order any supplies this way, I will be happy to pick up her order for her and bring the items to her. I also told her that my daughter was willing to help her if she needs assistance with placing the order, just give me the list to forward it to my daughter or she could email it, directly to her.
Breakfast today was a piece of mango, so, I've already made a change to my meal plan for this week! LOL! Later, I had lunch - rice, the last of the smoked sausages and lentil curry. If I receive the fresh produce I ordered, I might be able to have a salad with my dinner, tonight.
I am grateful for:
- Being able to sew and deliver the face masks to my friends
- Being given fresh mangoes
- My daughter helping me to order groceries online
- Being able to order the groceries
- The car started without any problems, yesterday
My joyful activities have been ordering groceries with my daughter's help and being able to give the fabric face masks to my friend.
Monday's To Do List:
- Change bed sheets - DONE (on Tuesday)
- Load of laundry (bed sheets/towels) - DONE (on Tuesday)
- Dust living room & dining area - DONE
- Sew the rest of the masks for S - DONE
- Deliver them to S - DONE
- Make the grocery shopping list - DONE
- Make a meal plan for the week - DONE
- Sew the rest of the masks for S - DONE
- Deliver them to S - DONE
- Make the grocery shopping list - DONE
- Make a meal plan for the week - DONE
- Clean the fridge - DONE
- Take trash cans to the curb for Tuesday trash pick up - DONE
Tuesday's To Do List:
- Dust family room and my bedroom
- Errands, if any (grocery shopping, etc.)
- Water the garden, front and back
- Water the garden, front and back
- Water the house plants
I haven't done any of Tuesday's tasks, yet, other than bringing in the trash cans! I had better get busy!
How was your day? Have you ordered groceries online before? Were you able to get all what you ordered?
I haven't done any of Tuesday's tasks, yet, other than bringing in the trash cans! I had better get busy!
How was your day? Have you ordered groceries online before? Were you able to get all what you ordered?
Since I hate to shop in person, I got pretty good at the online grocery orders, but recently my daughter-in-law convinced me to try Instacart where they do your shopping, texting you if your store is out of an item and then they bring it right to your front door!
ReplyDeleteNo personal contact, just convenience. I was telling my husband that if I could get them to go to the fabric store for me, I might not enter a store for the rest of my days!
Hi Jan, I actually enjoy grocery shopping, so, I liked going to the stores! But, I think I can get used to having someone bring the groceries to the car for me! LOL. Thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. :)
DeleteYou are so kind to help your friend with groceries. I've not managed to get a "click&collect" order yet. A lady from church sent Bob a food basket as a thank you gift at the weekend - it was full of lovely treats, including a mango and a melon, figs and dates. And a jar of pickled walnuts - we'd never had those before!
ReplyDeleteI am just trying to be of help where I can, Angela, especially right now. I feel that this is actually an opportunity we have been given to really practice the teachings of our religions: to be kind and giving. :)
DeleteI don't think I've ever had pickled walnuts! Did you like them?
I'm not a big fan of online shopping but it's a valuable service when required. Lily has a limited diet, so substitutions of products are not very useful to me.
ReplyDeleteI completed the weekly shop yesterday. Thankfully the only restrictions are on soap and hand sanitizer, neither of which I needed. But with Lily's birthday coming up I will need to keep on top of my sugar and flour stocks so I can bake her cake. X
I, too, have resisted online shopping, preferring to shop in person. However, during this time of sheltering at home, online shopping has been a blessing! Oh, yes, you must stock up on the supplies you need for that birthday cake! I remember how you gave out sunflower seeds, at her last birthday. I'm looking forward to seeing how you'll celebrate this birthday. :)
DeleteI have been ordering supermarket deliveries (to home) for some years now. It started back in 2006 when Ced could no longer manage a shopping trip and arranging the delivery made it easier for me.
ReplyDeleteNow, I usually order the bulk once a month and in normal times I shop as I need to for the fresh fruit and veg. Since the lockdown there have been missing items but it is getting better. I don't allow substitutions for any of the food items because of allergies so Julie will shop for whatever is missing if I can't manage without it. The only downside to online shopping is that I can't look for yellow stickered products (i.e. food nearing the sell by date) which is how I have been buying my meat.
This was my first time for a pick-up and next week, I will get my first delivery of groceries and some household items! I could almost get used to this, but, as you mentioned, there is no opportunity to find those discounted bargains. On the other hand, with limits being put on the amount of meat and certain other items one can buy at one time, I doubt very much if there are as many bargains as before.
DeleteI'm glad you were able to get such a quick slot for your pickup.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping we will hear all about the things you got.
Our stores suspended the curbside pickup when all of this started. I think the stores became overwhelemed with the requests.
It is such a good option to have and I'm glad you were able to shop that way and get the things you needed.
Thank you; I was happy, too, to be able to pick up the items the very next day. The whole experience went very smoothly. I'll be happy to do it again, if necessary.
DeleteI buy a box of vegetables and fruits online, every other week. But I can’t pick what I want. It depends on what they have at that time. I look forward to seeing what I receive. It’s kind of fun.
ReplyDeleteMaybe one day I’ll try curbside pickup.
My daughter used to do something similar to get imperfect produce delivered. She could indicate which produce she'd like to receive if they had them and they would deliver what they could. I think a group of her co-workers got together and did it; their individual orders were shipped to their office and because there were several of them ordering to one place of delivery, they didn't have to pay a delivery fee. She was never quite sure what she'd get, but, that was fine with her.
DeleteI really enjoyed my curbside pickup, yesterday. It was very convenient. :)
I received another grocery delivery yesterday afternoon. This time I concentrated on replenishing my pantry reserves which I have been slowly decimating. I was completely out of evaporated milk, tuna, cans of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. It is a nice feeling to know that you have items in the pantry you can get by on; but such a feeling of panic when they are used up. I am going to order more frequent shopping deliveries in the coming weeks.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you received another grocery delivery, Susan, and you are able to stock up on your pantry supplies, again. I was going to just eat from my pantry and freezer and then, replenish once things got better. But, then, I thought that that wouldn't be such a wise thing to do, either, because, what if there is another emergency, like an earthquake, before I can replenish my stocks? Plus, most probably, prices will keep increasing, too, so, it will be more and more expensive to stock up, later. So, I am now trying to replenish what I used and stay stocked up! Like you, I will probably order groceries more frequently, in order not to let the pantry get too bare!
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