Shopping during emergency situations like this coronavirus pandemic needs proper planning. During this time when staying at home is most important and safe, you need to buy wisely, in more quantities for about 10 days so that you do not need to go out to buy things. Try to substitute some things, for example, tomato puree in place of fresh tomatoes, milk powder in place of fresh milk. A lot of such innovative ideas can be used in the kitchen. Let’s see some of these strategies that will help you do the best shopping in a short time. 

Make To-do List: 

To avoid buying more or forgetting something. Check all the cupboards in the kitchen and fridge. Make a list accordingly. First put important things on the list like tea, wheat sugar, etc. Depending on the family, choose a few ready to eat and instant food like noodles, soups, etc. Avoid buying food that will get spoilt soon like dosa batter which will not taste good after a few days. Buy long-lasting pulses, lentils and dals which can be cooked in many different ways. 

Time is money: 

There are rules of social distancing, hygiene etc so it may take about half an hour to enter the store. Many shops are allowed to be open for a short time. So it is better to start early from home. Keep both currency notes and bank cards with you. Also, keep some change. If you are tech-savvy, try to use online payment options like Paytm or GooglePay. 

Be Kind to Others: 

If you know any senior citizen or person with a disability who cannot go out to get groceries, offer to do the shopping for them. During the lockdown, public transport like auto-rickshaw, taxis are not available. Try to use carpooling between the neighbours. But remember not to crowd in the car also. Carpooling will save fuel and time. If there are offers like ‘Buy one get one free’ etc, you can buy things in the offer and divide it with the neighbours who need it. Shops are open for a short time so check the travel time to each shop before you leave. Residents in a society should try and merge (join) their home delivery orders for milk, groceries, water, etc. This way the delivery person will have to come only once or twice and it will also be safe. 

Pharmacy Alerts: 

If you or your family members are taking long term medicines, keep a stock of the medicine for the full period of the lockdown. Many chemists offer home delivery of medicines, so it is good to use the facility. If home delivery is not available, then better to call up and inform the prescription to the chemist so that the chemist keeps the medicine ready and you can go and pick it up immediately. It will take less time. Please remember every time you leave the house to wear face masks and carry hand sanitizer. Once you bring your groceries home, sanitise and wash everything thoroughly before you store them. 

Tags

• Grocery
• Lockdown
• Shopping

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