Week 2 Survival Tip

 

 

I saw this picture online and it just really fit how I feel.During a deployment you really are just on the road to survival.A lot of things in life actually can be that way.Be it finding a job,loss of a parent,children struggling in school.Anything really.

At the grocery store today I had an interesting conversation with my cashier. She looks over beside me and counts quickly. “Wow four?!Your brave to grocery shop with four!”

“Yeah well its not so much bravery but necessity.” I shortly explained.

When we are simply trying to survive things get broken down in our lives.What is necessary?What can I put off?What do I really need? So anyhow that got me thinking about some tricks I have learned through the previous two deployments and I thought I’d share.

We all must eat.Most of us military families don’t live near our extended families.So how do we get through the grocery store and remain sane? I have found 4 things that really help me!

First do small frequent trips.When the hubby is home we shop for 2-3 weeks worth of groceries at a time.Spending well over an hour at the grocery store.Can you picture me doing that all alone with my 10,7,4 and 2 years old?! HaHaHa! Picturing it actually gives me a good giggle! Now we shop for 1 weeks worth of groceries and are in and out as fast as we possibly can be!

Next thing  is don’t ever take kids grocery shopping on an empty stomach!They will whine for every yummy thing they see!Feed the kiddlets a big snack before shopping or better yet shop right after a meal!

Speaking of WHEN to shop if you can at all avoid it do NOT shop on pay day!Now in the civilian world pay day could be any day of the week.But with us military folk we are ALL paid on the same two days every month!That makes for a mad house at the grocery and believe me it can get ugly!!

My last bit of advice would be to try to grocery shop alone on occasion.Did you watch a buddies kids the other week for a doctors appointment?Call in a favor! Or better yet trade grocery trips with her! I’ll watch yours Tuesday while you shop and you can watch mine Thursday while I shop! Then you get a break,the kids get a break and your fellow soldiers wife gets a break too!

I hope this helps!