How to Simplify Grocery Shopping When You’re Overwhelmed

Sometimes life throws things at us that we don’t expect. In fact, research shows that most people go through a crisis of some sort about every six months. Even if you’re usually really on top of things, a tough season can make even basic things seem really hard. But we have to keep eating, don’t we? While I’m all about frugal tips on the macro and micro level, here’s how to simplify grocery shopping when you’re overwhelmed.

How to Simplify Grocery Shopping When You’re Overwhelmed

Don’t worry so much about saving a dollar or two

Recently our life had been very chaotic, and one Saturday morning I realized we were down to only one roll of toilet paper in the whole house. This doesn’t usually happen, as I try to stay stocked up, but somehow I dropped the ball. Instead of stressing about what store had toilet paper on sale, I grabbed a 30-pack when I went to Costco that afternoon.

Sometimes it’s worth it to spend even more than an extra dollar or two

Your mental health is important, and especially if you get to a point where you’re going to choose between takeout and something from the store, the store will almost always be cheaper. One of our families’ best easy dinner options is a frozen stuffed crust pizza. These are usually about $5.50 and come in a variety of flavors, and we prefer them over the $7 Little Caesar’s Pizza near us. It’s also something we can keep in the deep freezer for crazy days.

Limit decision making

This is where the mental load really starts to take its toll. If you’re the primary person managing your home, you probably don’t even realize how many decisions you’re making each day. You can’t avoid all of the decisions, but you can avoid some. You can ask your kids to make a meal plan or list two snacks they’d like you to get. You can ask your spouse to help you come up with ideas for lunches he can pack. You can also make executive decisions like, “We’re going to eat cereal and fruit for breakfast this week.” Make several decisions that will last you for a while.

Have a place where people can write things you’re out of

There is nothing worse than going to the store and then coming home to realize you’re out of something. Find a way where everyone in your family (above a certain age) can note when something runs out. This could be a whiteboard on the fridge, a pad of paper in the kitchen, or a shared note on your phone. Being out of something important when you’re overwhelmed can make things feel even more overwhelming.

Avoid the trap of “all or nothing”

I went through a phase of making a lot of homemade breakfast options like waffles, muffins, and breakfast sandwiches and freezing them. Then we had a month where it felt like everyone was sick and we went through the whole stockpile. Additionally, I didn’t have time to make any more. So for a few weeks I spent a little more and got Eggo waffles and Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches on sale. It was still more expensive than if I’d made them myself, but buying these for a few weeks gave me the margin to get back into my normal food prep routine. I still made homemade things during that time, but it was a relief to know I had backup options.

Plan to be overwhelmed (even if you’re not right now)

Stock up on things that will help when you’re in survival mode. One example for me is kids’ medicine. That is something we don’t use all the time, but when I am desperate for children’s ibuprofen and we’re out, I have to run to the nearest store (which for us is Dollar General) and usually spend way more than if I had bought the same generic item at Walmart in advance. Other items in this category include disinfecting wipes, bandaids, a thermometer, Pedialyte, ice packs, and lightbulbs.

Use a grocery pickup service or curbside pickup

This isn’t the cheapest option, but if everyone in your family has the stomach bug, it might be worth it to get a free trial of Instacart and have some groceries delivered. You could also just do curbside pickup and pick it up yourself or have someone you know pick it up for you. (Walmart and Kroger both have free pickup!)

Use ChatGPT

I think that ChatGPT is one of the best tools for busy people. There are so many ways you can use it to make your life easier, which is even more important when you’re overwhelmed. You can ask GPT to:

• make a meal plan with parameters (no fish, dairy-free, etc.)
• turn a meal plan into grocery list
• make a weekly repeating kitchen staples grocery list
• tell you pantry staples you should stock up on
• analyze list everything you have in your pantry and make a meal plan from that

For other ideas, see my post on 3 ways to use ChatGPT to meal plan.

Don’t be afraid to make boring meals

Kids being fed is more important than kids being excited about what they’re eating. If you’re someone who usually likes to try new things or mix up what you eat each week, set that aside for now. If any of your kids are older, you can even say something like, “Things are really busy right now, so meals may not be as fun as usual.” They don’t have to like it, but this will let them see you model setting priorities for what’s important.

Have a list of low effort dinners that most people enjoy

Every family is different, but you probably could list really quickly some of the easy meals you make that most of the people in your family like. Here are some of mine:

• quesadillas (plain cheese, or add leftover protein)
• tacos
• pasta with red or alfredo sauce and meatballs or pepperoni stirred in
• frozen chicken and frozen french fries with fruit
• rotisserie chicken and boxed sides
• baked protein and a salad kit
• breakfast for dinner
• sandwiches
• hot dogs and mac and cheese

Do you have any other ideas for how to simplify grocery shopping when you’re overwhelmed? Let us know in the comments!