Adventures in Food Shopping
Shopping for food has gone from drudgery to sheer adventure!
Each time I head into the grocery store, I pray before I go in, "Lord, what would you have me buy today." That simple prayer has transformed my life, food budget and ability to buy the quality of food I want more than any single thing.
I still head in with a crisp list in hand, items needed and generally on sale all grouped in neat writing, separated into the area and store that I will find them in.
I head out with a full stomach. Absolutely NO shopping hungry - we all know that rule. Violating it can cost some serious cash!
Once inside the store, a grocery cart in hand, I head out like a targeted missile strike. I stick to the goal, get in, grab what I want, and get out. No dilly dallying. No shopping and spending extra. No allowing my eyes to see things, and the cycle of wanting to buy creeping up. No going down certain aisles.
I focus on the list, knowing that an insanely good deal can haunt me. That I can stall out, get distracted, start piling things into the basket. This is especially mission critical in big box stores, rife with temptation of all good things, and of course, all good things I want/need/desire!
Stick to the task. Be proactive on savings and cravings.
At our lowest part financially, I thought I was pretty smart. Organized, with a precise list and a menu, coupons if they applied, a savvy money saving mama out to do some serious grocery shopping.
But something changed. I realized the Lord had put amazing deals in front of me, fabulous prices on food that I was rushing past, in my targeted, heat seeking missile strike attitude, with that crisp, dogmatic, systematic list.
I had my plans, but what were HIS?
Each time I head into the grocery store, I pray before I go in, "Lord, what would you have me buy today." That simply prayer has transformed my life, food budget and ability to buy the quality of food I want more than any single thing.
That simple prayer has changed everything about the way I shop.
The one thing I have learned through His gentle teaching, that my BEST BARGAINS, hands down, are the ones that He provides. I may think I am getting a great deal with a coupon and a sale and jump through all sorts of hoops. Sitting an aisle away, often I will find HIS bargain, a huge package of organic meat, for less than the "good coupon" deal.
Keep an open mind when you shop.
Pray and ask for His eyes and heart BEFORE you head into that store.
Pray while you shop.
Shop with a list and a menu, but leave yourself open for His best. Plan space into your budget for His deals. Be mindful and prayerful as you shop, what DOES He want your family to eat this week? Are there bargains in the store, that only He can provide, and you might miss if you are too stringent? Is He providing a bargain today for the future?