Catholic Husband

Love / Lead / Serve

Grocery Shopping

Our appetite for adventure in life is constantly growing. Once we achieve a new height, we look for the next challenge. It’s natural to seek this progression, but it can cause us to miss some wonderful life experiences. We end up focusing on weeks and months while missing days and minutes. One of those things that can be a joy that is often overlooked is grocery shopping.

When I was living on my own after college, my grocery shopping plan was very simple. I’d wake up early on Saturday morning and I’d be at the store by 7:30am. I’d be in and out quick because there was no one there. My menu was much more bland then. I’d just focus on the things on my list and nothing else. I’ve found that shopping with Alison is a much broader experience. We aren’t there just to grab the things on our list, we’re there to explore.

Shopping for groceries seems to be mundane. It’s something that we must do once a week or more. It feels like a chore because perhaps it used to be one. It’s not going out and spending your hard earned money to purchase toys, it’s something we have to do. Perhaps the worst part is actually getting them home. We have to take all of those bags inside and then put everything away. What a drag!

Grocery shopping doesn’t have to be something you dread. When you pull back the curtain, you might actually find some benefits of this ritual.

  • Grocery shopping is an opportunity for awesome quality time. When you go shopping with your wife, you get to spend a significant period of time together in a new setting. Sure, you have time together to talk at home. Shopping is a new environment. Your conversations are different. It’s almost a new experience. Alison and I so enjoy shopping together that if one of us is working on the weekend and the other has to go alone, it’s a disappointment.
  • Spending money together is fun. Spending money is fun. After working hard and toiling in the fields, to be able to take that money and buy goods and services feels good. Now add your wife into the mix and it gets even better. This is truly harvesting the fruits of your labors.
  • Seeing new ingredients opens up new menu options. When I was a single man, my menu was bland. I under budgeted for food and was eating $1.00 frozen dinners. Yuck. Now that I’ve got Alison, the menu is much more fun. As we shop together, we find new ingredients that inspire creativity. Maybe one week we’ll pick up some extra produce or see something for the next week. If I was doing my tactical grocery shopping, I’d only have eyes for things on my list. Now we’re expanding the scope of our trip to look into the possibilities for the future.

Life is short. Life is busy. Don’t pass on any opportunities to spend time with your wife.