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When do you run errands?
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I’m looking for ideas on finding the best time to run errands (mainly grocery shopping) while homeschooling. We’re on our summer break now, so I’m trying to come up with a schedule that will be easier on me next year.
I have such a hard time finding the time to get to the market each week. Typically, I shop once/week and take my 3 children with me (ages 8, 5, & 1). Since I have a 1 year old who naps in the afternoon, I typically go in the late morning on Wednesdays (our grocery store doubles coupons on Wednesdays & Saturdays only). I find myself exhausted on Wednesdays trying to do a full day of school and go to the grocery store, followed by eating a quick supper, and going to children’s choir & church classes on Wednesday night beginning at 5 p.m. and going until 8:00 p.m.
So I’m wondering when do you go to the grocery store during a full week of homeschooling?
I go the first Tuesday evening of the month, the moment my DH walks in the door. Several stores near us offer 10% off on that day and I buy everything that will last a month or can be frozen.
Then, on two Saturdays during the month I go to pick up perishables. My kids are 6, 4, & 2, and grocery shopping is just far more effective when I do it by myself. Our budget gets out of control when they are along, not because they ask for stuff, but just because I can’t concentrate on price comparisons and finding the deals.
Joanne
I’ve had a hard time with this too, especially when I had infants in the house. One idea is that on grocery day, could you go shopping in the morning, and then do a organize your schedule to do lighter day of school in the afternoon while your little one is napping? (I always thought I wouldn’t like doing school in the afternoon, but have had to by necessity this year and have found I like it better than I thought I would..) I also used to do shopping for two weeks at a time so that we only had to do the exhausting big shopping trip every other week. I’d pick up perishables in between as needed when we were already out and about for other reasons so it didn’t turn into another separate trip.
HTH some,
Jen
No easy answers here. I agree that making your grocery day a lighter school day would help. For us that would mean dropping the basics (writing, spelling, math & such) and only reading books (Bible, poetry, history & such) – in other words, only the fun stuff.
I often go to the grocery store in the evening while one child is in a scouting activity with Dad, so that leaves me with “only” 3 kids at the store with me. Not necessarily easier but we get it done. My husband is amazingly helpful and drops by the store on his way home from work sometimes or goes with us on the weekend.
The most helpful for me was training the kids to help, not only at the store but also at home unloading and putting away. The young ones don’t do much that is “helpful” but at least they know it’s not a good time to make demands of Mommy to make them a snack or something – that always drove me crazy. My husband did most of that training – bless him! – and it runs smoother now. Smoother does not mean perfect, of course.
In all honesty, when I had a toddler (my kids are 10, 8, 6, & 4 now), the best for me was hiring a babysitter to come for an hour or two once a week, while I ran errands. Not helpful on the budget, I know, but it was helpful for me. It was also helpful for my husband, since I wasn’t running out the door as soon as he arrived home.
Joy
I’m lucky because my DH works from home, so I go first thing in the morning as soon as the store opens – 7:00 – while DH can watch the kids.
I get up at 5am on Saturdays to go grocery shopping. It’s a sacrifice of my time/sleep, but this way we can spend all day with daddy and grocery shopping isn’t in the way. If I don’t do it then I have to take all 7 kids with me and with 4 of them age 4 and under we fill the carts with little ones before we ever grab any food. It just takes a lot of food to feed a family of 9, so I try not to take the kids for a full grocery trip unless I have no choice.
For us we school 4 days a week and Fridays are off. So we grocery shop and run around all morning. We are done and home by noon. It’s a long morning but it’s the only way for us. And yes I take all 7 with me. We have tried to leave the 3 older ones home, just this past school year, but I ended up coming home once to a son in tears and fearful, once to total ruckus, and once to just he did that he did this. So they all go.
Tristan – I love your idea, something to really think about for Saturdays.
Yes, that sleep thing is a problem, not that I don’t wake daily at 530, but I’m doing devotions, working out and taking my time on the computer before the heads are all up. But I will pray about it. As it seems like a way to carve out 2 hrs of my time. I’d still be home by 7.I usually try to plan a light day Fridays and go in the afternoon. This year my boys will both be going to Lego at the Library for 1.5 hours on the third Friday of the month, so I will be dropping them off before heading to the grocery store around the corner for my major spree of the month. I’ll pick up parishables at the local market as needed through out the week. We will usually go into town once a week for family swim on Sunday evenings, so I have been getting my groceries after that to save a seperate trip to town. Gas prices are rediculous.
I usually go immediately after lunch ever Wednesday. We do all of our errands that day. Today I have the shopping, the bank, post office, and dropping something off. My children are 4, 6, and almost 8. We have nothing on Wed night so I usually let my youngest skip her nap and go to bed early.
When I had a younger child who needed to nap and couldn’t skip I either went in the morning before nap and did school in the afternoon or went in the evening after dinner. I usually take my children with me but sometimes my husband keeps them in the evening while I go.
When we only had one car I would sometimes wake up early and go before the kids got up and my husband was home. It was nice because I could shop quickly and the shelves were well stocked! I have also gone after the kids go to bed when I was nursing. I’m a night person so this worked better than getting up early. I just shopped at Walmart.
Tara
I, like Misty, school 4 days a week which leaves Friday for errands. We are gone all morning and are home by noon. My husband works nights so he sleeps until 1 in the afternoon. On Fridays when he gets up, I try to have all the errands done so we can hang out with him.
I shop Friday when we get the paycheck. I do light school days in the afternoon – this is usually another Nature Walk and things like Shakepeare or some hands on activity that I wanted to do. I hate the crowds on Saturday. =)
Because we live a bit “out of town,” my DH does all the shopping on Fridays on his way home from work (shorter work days on Fridays). What a time saver that is for me. He is an expert shopper…I get lost in stores. He even goes by the library and picks up our weekly stack of books. And I am so blessed that he picks up our monthly bulk food order as well. I “try” (there is no try) to have a clean house on Fridays before DH gets home with the goods. So, I am spoiled because I would rather be mopping than shopping. I know that doesn’t help with your question…just an opportunity for me to verbally realize I ought not to take my DH for granted. 🙂
When my kids were younger, I’d usually go at bedtime. Hubby would put the kids to bed and I’d run out and shop. I enjoyed the quiet store time:) Gina
I run errands as they come up when I’m taking my dc to a weekly class (3-4 days a week) and do grocery shopping/Walmart some time on Saturdays. I don’t like to take my dc with me as I get distracted by their questions and such so they stay home with dad. I do pick up perishables/milk/bread if necessary on the way to/from the class my dc take at one of the stores that is on the way. I don’t do the bank/post office much (only if I have to buy stamps in bulk/pbs, and we have direct deposit), so that’s not a big errand for me.
Yes, that sleep thing is a problem, not that I don’t wake daily at 530, but I’m doing devotions, working out and taking my time on the computer before the heads are all up. But I will pray about it. As it seems like a way to carve out 2 hrs of my time. I’d still be home by 7.
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