Which family member is more deliberate when shopping?

[LuvOrlando]

Inspired by a funny meme about Costo from gmi3804




It occurs to me that I am not deliberate by any stretch of the imagination. I approach shopping like I am l filling a Girl Scout or MacGyver ready checklist so DH avoiding the chore of shopping costs us a lot of money, a whole lot because I get distracted and inspired but he is a straight doors to item, pay then leave sort of person.

Although, he does not look at prices and will grab the item and pay whether the cost is reasonable or not but still I think his one item overcharge would probably still be way less than all my inspired purchases of this and that, wow, I could use that, and cool knick knacks.

How does it work in your household, is one person quick and the other likes to dilly dally? Which one actually shops?

 

[NannyBeBe]

I make my grocery list aisle by aisle, in order, and go only to the aisles I need to. Meanwhile, my husband is going to the pizza aisle, the ice cream aisle, and the bakery, buying a lot of things we can do without. I go to malls with my daughter but rarely buy anything unless it's a terrific sale and I need the item.

 

[BrianL]

There is only me in my household, but I am pretty judicious when shopping and not very impulsive. I do like to look a littke, but am very particular. If I need something, I will just get it most of the time.

I can say though, that with my parents, my mom going into Costco is a very dangerous thing!

 

[LuvOrlando]

I make my grocery list aisle by aisle, in order, and go only to the aisles I need to. Meanwhile, my husband is going to the pizza aisle, the ice cream aisle, and the bakery, buying a lot of things we can do without. I go to malls with my daughter but rarely buy anything unless it's a terrific sale and I need the item.

See that is where I get into trouble:

Define terrific sale?

 

[LuvOrlando]

There is only me in my household, but I am pretty judicious when shopping and not very impulsive. I do like to look a littke, but am very particular. If I need something, I will just get it most of the time.

I can say though, that with my parents, my mom going into Costco is a very dangerous thing!

I was on a croissant kick for some group get togethers for a while and it kept bringing me into the store annnnd now i have some great ice grippers for shoes noone will wear but me. I thought they are genius and woke up early to get them onto mine & DH's shoes early this morning but he did not love the clickity clack and now I suppose I have a backup pair or have them on standby if there is an ice armageddon because that will be the next time he wears them.

 

[Praying Colonel]

Very early in our marriage we learned it was a terrible experience to shop together. I'm a list-maker and I'm only getting what's on the list. DW is a free spirit and just goes up and down the aisles picking up what strikes her fancy. She drove me nuts and I drove her nuts. Over the years, we've learned to show patience with each other. She appreciates that I make a plan and I appreciate her ability to see things we need that we didn't put down on the list. Between the 2 of us, we're like 1 well-rounded, normal person.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

DH does most of the shopping & only buys what's on the list. If I did the shopping, I'd do the same. We choose groceries based on calorie & fat content more than price. If two items have equal calories, we usually chooses the cheaper one.

 

[citruscurtis]

Very early in our marriage we learned it was a terrible experience to shop together. I'm a list-maker and I'm only getting what's on the list. DW is a free spirit and just goes up and down the aisles picking up what strikes her fancy.

.... our Kroger has a Starbucks cafe... it's been a relationship saver....if I have not exercised...I walk around with a empty cart until I see someone with arms full and surrender the cart and hand them a tiny rubber image of Jesus and say....looks like you need a little Jesus today...so this cart is your blessing

 

[fla4fun]

There is only me these days. For brick and mortar stores, I used to be a big browser, but not a big buyer. I could spend a whole day in a mall going through the stores and leave empty handed. These days I am a list maker who only buys what is on the list. I might refine the list for several days or even weeks before making the purchase.

Online I still browse a lot but very rarely buy anything unless it’s for a birthday or Christmas gift.

 

[slo]

Shopping with my DH is like shopping with a child - constantly.....I want this and I want that. Trying to put stuff in the cart and then I take it out of the cart. It drives me crazy. I'm constantly saying no no no.
I do my best to go shopping when he isn't with me, and when it comes to Sam's Club.....I mobile order it so we can have the needs, not the wants, brought out to the car. There's no going in and there's no impulse buying.
I know I'm NOT painting a rosy picture of both of us right now, but since I do the bills, and I handle the finances, I'm not ashamed to say that I'm a bit controlling with how the money is allocated and spent. He would definitely agree with that statement, and he's actually kinda grateful that I am how I am, even though he doesn't get to go shopping and doesn't get what he wants half the time.

 

[princesscinderella]

My husband and I also do not shop together as he doesn’t like to browse and go up and down every aisle like I do. I don’t have a list I follow but I don’t like to over buy either. When I get my Costco cash card from going on a Disney cruise all bets are off and I use it for something fun and not just groceries. I had a nice one from our 12 day Mediterranean this past summer and it was a fun shopping spree that lasted 4 shopping trips to Costco and included a laptop for my daughter for Christmas.

It did take me a bit to adjust my grocery shopping when my son went away to college, I didn’t realize how much he ate compared to my daughters and I was buying too much at first. Will have to adjust again in the fall as my middle will be off to college too.

 

[barkley]

How does it work in your household, is one person quick and the other likes to dilly dally? Which one actually shops?

we both dislike shopping so the least time spent doing it the better. I have a pad on the fridge-if anyone wants something at our one big monthly shopping trip then it needs to get written on it (and I do a 'last chance' shout out before I make the online order for curbside pickup). i get 90% of the groceries for the month that way (going into the store for any dairy, frozen, produce, odds and ends I like to choose for myself). there might be a bit of browsing at trader joe's just b/c they get new products I might not be aware of. we don't buy that much at costco but there are some staples we rely on it for. I prefer for dh to go in with me there (he does all the grocery driving for the monthly trip) b/c I like to grab a couple of the prepared and I like his input. the only real 'wandering/browsing' is on me if we go to a particular store nearby (where we go to get items we need to purchase more than once per month due to expiration) b/c they will do unannounced sales on all the end caps. so dh knows that even if I say I'm only going in for one thing he's going to be waiting while I circle around the entire store to see if something is to be had for a good deal (example-i went there today to just get milk with plans to go to another store a few blocks down to get 3-2# bags of shredded cheese that were on sale only to find an unadvertised sale of the identical product for $1 less per bag so my 5 minutes of browsing paid off).

 

[tvguy]

During Covid we got in the habit of getting up at 5 am Sunday morning to be at the grocery store at 6 am when they opened to avoid people, and to hope the shelves had been restocked. We have eased off a bit, get up at 6 am Sunday morning, at Walmart at 7 am, the chain grocery store at 730 am, and foo foo coffee place by 8 and home by 8:15 am. We are both pretty deliberate, buying just what is on the list.
Shopping for anything else, say, shoes, I am more of the mind set of going to find something reasonably close to what I want for a price I think is acceptable. My wife, she wants EXACTLY what she wants, and go multiple places before conceding that it does not exist. If by chance she finds what she wants, and it is more expensive than she is comfortable with, we will burn up a lot of gas trying to find a lower price.

 

[unrequited23]

DH is a great shopper with a specific list. For example, the exact brand and type of bread (that we've been purchasing for over 10 years) must be listed not just "bread" or else there is a text with a picture making sure it's the right loaf. I am much more likely to go 'off list' because I notice the red 50% off stickers at Aldi or kids sweatpants on sale at Costco and know which kid will need what size for next year.

 

[clh2]

I leave Costco with exactly what I went in for. Never an additional item.

My husband on the other hand, will go through many aisles at Costco, and will always “find” something he NEEDS.

 

[georgina]

I hate that stereotype that women are big spenders! I go in, get what I need, and get out as quickly as possible. I do not enjoy browsing, which is why I never go to places like thrift stores or resale shops.

 

[RangerPooh]

I'm the conscientious shopper. When I take DH to Costco I'll easily spend WAY more than I would have otherwise.

 

[Living42Day]

I have been doing a lot of grocery order pick up, which has saved a lot of money IMO. I am only getting what is on my list.

I used to love shopping, but the stores seem to be overwhelming as of late with the bright lights/loud music/people in general and I am usually in a crunch for time so that adds to it. Order pickup is the way to go for me!

 

[Suger Mag]

My husband is a very deliberate shopper.... for himself. He has all these lists of music, book, and comics that he wants to buy and will shop off the lists.

I do all of the household shopping. I have become a lot more deliberate, especially as I have switched to mostly online for the non food items and needs.

The Covid pandemic and a job switch has changed my shopping habits to being much more deliberate I often used to have a few hours to kill mid day between teaching classes and would go "mall walk" which translated to grazing the stores and allowing things to "catch my eye".