In the first installment of City Mom versus Suburban Mom, we talk the ultimate hot topic: GROCERY SHOPPING.
Image: FreshDirect
#1. Where do you get most of your groceries?
City Mom: FreshDirect. There’s a grocery store three blocks away that’s great and we do pick up things there from time to time. But with three kids, hauling groceries even a few feet can be a challenge. And if I’m alone? I still feel like it’s more trouble than it’s worth—it’s so many bags and there’s no good way to get them all home. I’d rather order online and have everything delivered. I pay for the unlimited delivery, too, so sometimes I order a few times a week versus having one big delivery. I throw a lot less out when I do it that way.
Suburban Mom: I hate to admit—also FreshDirect! I’ve been ordering from FreshDirect for 15 years, so it’s a hard habit to break. Not only that, though, I work full-time in the city. I’m out of the house 12 or 13 hours a day, five days a week. On the weekend the last thing I want to do is grocery shop.
Funny enough, I’ve gotten so out of practice grocery shopping “live” that whenever I go to the store I spend twice as much. It’s so much easier to tally it all up in my FreshDirect cart and go.
I’ve also been using PrimeNow—WholeFoods—a lot. I don’t like it as much, but I can get groceries in an hour. It’s amazing!
Image: Stock photo
#2. What are your staples?
City Mom: Milk, of course—our fridge really can’t hold a gallon, so we wind up buying it throughout the week.
Suburban Mom: The usual—milk, bread, eggs, cheese. Beyond that, though, every snack and LOTS of them. We have a cabinet in the garage dedicated to school snacks, and I always stock up even if we have a good supply. Running out of veggie chips and yogurt sticks is not an option.
Image: Sam’s Club via Tautiana Wright
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#3. What do you never buy, but always want to?
City Mom: ANYTHING in bulk—toilet paper, paper towels, pretzels, milk…I’d take any of it! We have to be space-sensitive, but I dream about a Costco run…
Suburban Mom: I’d love to make my own Indian food. We have zero options for Indian take out or delivery near us, so I keep thinking about trying to whip up some dishes myself. I never do, though. I definitely miss the endless food options in the city!
Image: Stock photo
#4. What’s your go-to weeknight dinner?
City Mom: Takeout. Even my kids know the Seamless password.
Suburban Mom: Instant Pot anything. Toss some chicken, veggies and seasoning in and we’ve got dinner in 15 minutes. Done and done.
Image: Stock photo
#5. If you could change one thing about grocery shopping, what would it be?
City Mom: I wish I had more storage space. I feel like I never have room to stock up, so I always feel like I’m scrambling to pack lunches, make breakfasts and get dinner on the table. We always need more olive oil or we’re out of granola bars or we don’t have eggs. If we had a bigger fridge and more cabinet space, we wouldn’t always be running out. The just-in-time shopping is stressful, sometimes.
Suburban Mom: More FreshDirect delivery times—sometimes I fill my cart only to find out I have to wait three or four days for a delivery time. I also wish we had stores that were easier to shop. Our old Trader Joe’s in the city was small, which was amazing. I could run in and out—it felt so doable, even with kids in tow. Now every grocery store is massive. There’s no quick or easy way to pop in and out.
Image: Stock photo
#6. Last question: what’s your grocery shopping guilty pleasure?
City Mom: Paying extra for the faster PrimeNow delivery—or ordering wine on Delivery.com…
Suburban Mom: Shopping at the gourmet grocer near us. It’s super small so I really can pop in and out. But it’s so much more expensive than the “regular” grocery store. Sometimes, though, the convenience is worth it!
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