Energy Economy - Grocery Shopping and Chronic Illness

When dealing with chronic or disabling illness, preparing the food that goes in our mouths is difficult enough.  Even worse is shopping for the food.  These are suggestions that I and others with chronic illnesses have found helpful.  

Park in a disabled parking space.  If you do not have a disability parking tag then see your doctor about getting one.  

Use an electric cart.  Do not feel guilty or embarrassed about this.  The fact is that those carts are made available specifically for people like you – whether you regularly use a wheelchair or not.

Purchase a mechanical "claw" so you don’t have to stand to reach everything.


Use a wheeled suitcase.  Either bring it into the store with you or leave it in your trunk.  You can load the groceries into it and then wheel them into your house.  (Make sure it's a sturdy case.)

Purchase a "stash" of every day staples with a long shelf life (or freezer life) in case you can't get out for a few weeks.  Buy non-food items in bulk so you can go several months without having to purchase more.

Arrange to go with a friend or acquaintance every month or two weeks when they go shopping for themselves.

Make lists!  You may have noticed I like lists.   I tend to keep all my lists on my phone now because it is usually near me.  But if you don't have a good phone for that try other methods.  Some people make a master list aisle by aisle of what they get.  Then they check off what they need. I liked a few of these suggestions for keeping lists by chronically ill or disabled people.

Accept help.  If a friend offers to pick up something for you at the store, graciously accept.

Have your groceries delivered.  Of course, both physical ability and money may be in very short supply.  So, having food delivered may sound more or less impracticable depending on your situation. But I did a little research and the delivery costs can actually be much less expensive than at first I thought.  So don’t just dismiss this notion.  At any rate, I think this is an idea worth contemplating if you have real trouble getting around or leaving the house or if you would prefer to use that energy for something more important to you.  Call your local grocery store and see if they deliver.  And/or check out these websites for more information:

 6 Good Reasons to Try a Grocery Delivery Service.
 5 Grocery Delivery Services
 50 + Places to Buy Groceries Online
 Schwan's Home Delivery Service

Grocery shopping is not supposed to be so hard.  But, for people dealing with chronic illness it can be difficult, exhausting, or impossible.  These suggestions can make it more feasible.  See also the upcoming post - Energy Economy - Leaving The House - for more suggestions.

You may also be interested in:  Energy Economy - Food Matters Parts 1, 2, 3.
Coping With Chronic Illness - It's OK to Grieve Your Losses 
Coping With Chronic Illness - Cultivate Other Interests 

And Friendship Is A Basic Human Need - Part 1 (The Dilemma), Part 2 - Rethink the Term 'Friend', and Part 3 - How to be a Good Friend While Chronically Ill

Well, I’m sure there are many more suggestions for accomplishing this necessary task.  I would really like to hear them.  Can you share with us?  

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