How to save time

Tip 1: Write a shopping list

Tip 1: Write a shopping list

Grocery shopping usually takes longer than expected, and once you get home, you might realise you’ve forgotten to buy eggs. Great, now you need to go back! It’s therefore best to write a shopping list before you leave to make sure you won’t forget things.

A shopping list also makes grocery shopping with your child easier and more fun. It’s a way to agree with yourself and your child that you will only buy what’s on the list.

Tip:

A shopping list can also help you spend less!

Before you head to the store, always check your pantry. Cross everything you still have at home from your list. That way, you won’t end up buying products you don’t need.

Kees, father of Tim (3.5 years old):

I usually go grocery shopping with a list and I only buy what is on that list. I also encourage Tim to look at the list and whenever he grabs something that’s not on our list, I tell him, “Tim, that’s not on the list”. He can’t read yet, but I explain it to him so that he learns that I stick to my agreements both with myself and with him.

Tip 2: Do the shopping once a week

Tip 2: Do the shopping once a week

You will save a lot of time by doing all the shopping at once. Then you only need to walk past every aisle once, you only need to queue at the till once and you only need to think of what you need once a week. Just calculate how much time you can save!

Tip 3: Order your groceries online

Tip 3: Order your groceries online

If you’re short on time, online grocery shopping is a good solution. You can do it when your child is in bed! Jumbo, Albert Heijn and PicNic are three supermarkets that offer online shopping, but you may need to pay for delivery. If you order your groceries ahead for the entire week, delivery is likely to be free of charge!

Tip 4: Meal prep

Tip 4: Meal prep

Preparing meals in advance for several days – so-called ‘meal prepping’ – will save you a lot of time. You may spend some more time in the kitchen, because you might need to chop more vegetables for example, but the following day you’ll find everything ready. Just heat your meal in the microwave and you’re done! Remember that foods you’ve stored in the fridge must be eaten within two days.

Not too keen on eating the same thing two days in a row? Many meals can be frozen, for example pasta, rice, soup and hotchpotch, so you can still eat them many weeks later. You can store them in the freezer for up to three months!

Tip:

Make sure your food has cooled properly before you store it in the fridge or freezer.

To speed up the cooling process, you can put the container or pan in cold water. Never leave foods

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