Maxwell's Grocery Gallivanting!

Wow, I have spent about a month in Amsterdam so far, How exciting!  Of course with all of my studies, I get extremely hungry and as this is a walkable city, the commutes I must take demand steady nutrients too! Luckily, I keep tabs of the places that my tummy and wallet has benefited from! 

To preface, there are some social preparations I endorse to transform your grocery shopping into a more confident and efficient venture for you! 

1. ALREADY HAVE A LIST (Digital Notes/Handwritten whichever is best for you. You will already know what you are looking for and help you discern what you are not there to get to avoid unnecessary spontaneous purchases!) 

2. DO NOT STAND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AISLES. If you fail to notice how the Dutch respond to traffic from cars to foot traffic, if you don’t move out of the way, they will find a way to move you. It won’t always be harsh, but it can be startling. If you are lost and need a moment to gather your next steps in a store, move to an area with less traffic or perhaps where there is an employee to ask any questions/take a breather when necessary! 

3. HAVE A BUDGET. I have managed to accumulate 50 euros worth of groceries that have lasted me for 2 weeks. This included intermediate snacks, Juice, Dairy, Cereal, and more! You can discern how those costs rack up at dirks with a calculator and pay attention to 2-digit numbers by themselves under ingredients! Those are cheap! 

4. LASTLY, MULTI-PURPOSE INGREDIENTS. Try to aim for foods/ingredients you will use or eat more than once. For example, I invest in things like flour, eggs, and milk. Flour can be used as a thickener, for breading, for Pancakes, for homemade Pizzas. Eggs can be used as a required ingredient for baked goods or wash for fried foods. Milk can be used for cereals, creamer, or an alternative beverage as well! Since those are part of my list, it means i can envision multiple functions for it so i don't have to make constant grocery trips and i can spend more time eating! 

I have been to the grocery stores Lidl, Aldi, Dirk Van den Broek, and Albert Heijn. These are popular places mentioned even by local citizens via online forums  when referring to where they shop. Initially, I had visited Albert Heijn because there are many established locations of that store (Actual Grocery and Various Convenience Store Extensions) very near my residence, but the catch with its spatial convenience is that it is expensively convenient as well. I accepted that I would rather increase my commute by 10-minutes than not eat the amount of food equivalent to the money I spent. #BoundarySetting

Lately, I have been venturing more to Lidl as it is a reliable store and they tend to do many bulk deals like Costco back at home! Familiarly Stellar.