If You Could Get Back 6+ Hours A Month, Would You? I Did. Here's How You Can, Too.

According to a time-use survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (via PewResearch.org), women spend more time in meal prep and grocery shopping than men, with 80% of women with kids saying they prepare the meal. In couples without kids, 75% of women say they prepare the meals.

When it comes to grocery shopping, Pew Research Center shows that 80% of women with kids do the grocery shopping, while 68% without kids report doing so.

So how much time does that amount to you spending grocery shopping?

A recent study by The Ascent (via Nasdaq.com) shows that the average shopper makes 1.6 times per week and spends 41 minutes in the grocery store per shopping trip.

That comes to about 65.6 minutes a week. That's over one hour.

Add to that anywhere between 15-20 minutes of drive time, time spent parking, and walking inside the store, and you have about 1.5 hours a week, 6.5 hours a month or about 78 hours a year!

I repeat...6.5 hours a month or about 78 hours a year!

And, that's excluding holiday shopping!

Oh. Hell. No.

If you ask me, I much rather spend those hours on myself either relaxing, reading, self-care, leisure, hiking, biking, with friends, with my family, my spouse...wouldn't you?

Here's the solution...stop going to the grocery store to shop today. I'm serious.

Shop online grocery for delivery or curbside pick-up.

There are several ways that you can make your online shopping faster, add items to your list with voice commands on Google, Siri, and/or Alexa to shop with the click of one button.

Here's how to use Google, Siri, or Alexa to shop for groceries.

Option #1 | Use Google or Siri Voice Commands

• Start by creating a list of your weekly staples and either save or favorite those in your grocer of choice's shopping website.

• Create a Google Assistant or Siri shopping list.

• Add new items to your shopping list using your Google or Siri voice command.

• Once a week, log in to your grocery store's site and add all of the additional items to your cart.

• Click checkout and order for delivery or pickup!

• Boom! Done!

Since your shopping is will be done using voice commands, you can add items to your list while doing other things such as driving, working on your laptop, helping your kids with their homework, laying in bed, etc. No extra equipment needed. Easy peasy.

Hours spent at the grocery store: ZERO!

Time spent grocery shopping: 10 min or so.

Option #2 | Use Repeat Items & Recurring Reservations Feature On Amazon Fresh

• If you don't already have it, get Amazon Fresh.

• Start by adding your repeat items to your Amazon Fresh list. These are the items you buy every week. Amazon Fresh automatically adds them to your cart on a schedule of your choice. In other words...it does the shopping for you every week!

• You can also set up a recurring reservation so you get your groceries on the same day and time every week! You can modify the schedule at any time.

• Next, if you have an Echo with Alexa, throughout the week you can add more items to your list or cart using the Alexa voice command as you remember them.

• If you don't have an Echo with Alexa, just add the items to your Google Voice or Siri shopping list using Option #1 above.

• When you're ready, go to the Amazon app or Amazon online, move all your items on your list to your cart, and place your order.

• Girl, you are DONE!

Hours spent at the grocery store: ZERO!

Time spent grocery shopping: 0 to 10 min or so. 

• Learn more about ordering with Alexa here.

• Get Amazon Fresh here.

• Learn more about the Repeat Items and Recurring Reservations feature on Amazon here.

I love Option #2 and it's the one I use because everything is already set up for you. All you need to do is add any additional items you may want and hit checkout. However, you do need an Echo in some areas and a Prime subscription to get Amazon Fresh.

In my experience, the Echo more than makes up for it with other uber conveniences such as by serving as a Bluetooth speaker, clock, and home automation assistant with timers, lights, etc.

Hours spent at the grocery store: 0. Time spent grocery shopping: 0 to 10 min or so. 

I use Option #1 for items I cannot get through Amazon Fresh.

Now the only thing you need to do is figure out what you are going to do with your extra hour a week, almost 6 hours a month, and 78 hours a year!

BUT here is the clincher...you have to actually schedule a personal activity or self-care time for an hour.

Book a massage, get your book and head to the coffee shop, go for a bike ride, blow bubbles in the bathtub...whatever. Otherwise, work, housework, or other responsibilities will fill the time.

Give yourself the gift of time on this one.

Deal? Deal!

Now, say it with me...Me-Time here I come!

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Disclosure: The Wellpreneur Life is a proud Amazon Associate. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.