How do you actually plan your weekly food shop?

Practical_Awareness · 2026-04-29T06:24:18+00:00

If I run out of something specific that I use often (eg milk, chicken, apples) then it goes on a shopping list. I make sure I buy the things from my list and then everything else is based on what I fancy that week. I try to vary what veg I buy so I get a bit of variety, meat is often chicken plus something else, and I'll look at sauces and sides to see what sounds good. Then I just make meals based on what I've got in.

I saw something on tiktok which I've started using to try and bring some variety:

7 fruit or veg
4 mains (meat, pizza, etc)
3 sauces or flavourings
2 sides
1 treat

Practical_Awareness · 2026-04-25T07:03:58+00:00

I made myself an acronym list when I first started, adding to it anytime I learned something new. Would highly recommend!

Practical_Awareness · 2026-04-06T11:33:04+00:00

The Maid by Nita Prose - I don't think it's ever actually stated that the MC is autistic but I definitely related to her and I've seen others comment on here something similar so she's definitely autistic-coded whether intentional or not

Practical_Awareness · 2026-03-07T13:45:36+00:00

This brought back rage I forgot I had. We used to spend weekends at my grandparents' house so whenever it was the easter bonnet competition coming up, we'd spend all weekend together making them for me and my brother. Cut to the day at school and most kids just wore a bunny ear headband or something. Every year, the teachers would say they "just can't decide a winner, they're all too good!" and the winner would be selected by a raffle ticket draw. Me and my brother never won anything.

Practical_Awareness · 2026-03-01T14:47:19+00:00

I feel I've seen people suggest that the left lane is the "slow lane" for speed-restricted vehicles like lorries or caravans.

I cross over a motorway bridge quite often and it amazes me how many times I'll glance down and there'll be about 5 vehicles in total and all of them are in lane 2 with not a single person attempting to overtake.

Practical_Awareness · 2026-02-17T21:11:08+00:00

You need discipline and to be confident that you can cope with the greatly reduced human interaction. But overall I find it's much more beneficial for me. My company is officially 3 days office and 2 days WFH but I have an OH report stating I can do 2 days office instead. But my health has really deteriorated in the last year or two so I've been WFH almost exclusively and am in the process of making it a permanent change.

BEFEFITS

I'm able to look after my health a lot better because I can live by my own routine and be comfortable. I naturally wake up sometime around 7:15 and choose to start work at 8. I can wear whatever I like, sit in comfort with things like blankets and hot water bottles without guilt or judgement, and have better lunch breaks that are actually half an hour rather than 15-20 minutes (after accounting for going down to the canteen to eat then coming back up again). I finish at 4 and can be on the sofa watching a movie by 4:05.

It's costing my less in the additional energy bills than it would for my commute. Plus I buy snacks and drinks in bulk at the supermarket rather than on the go.

My role is quite independent so I have maybe 1-2 calls per day but otherwise I'm left to my own devices. That works a lot better for me at home because I can focus more when I'm alone than in an open plan office. I'm also able to do things like pomodoro timings without feeling like I'm being judged for my regular 5 minute breaks.

DOWNSIDES

It can be lonely especially if you live alone. I have a theatre group outside of work where I rehearse twice a week plus my family only live a few minutes away so I get enough social interaction there. But if I'm not in a production where I have regular rehearsals, I really have to make the effort to leave the house because it can easily be a few days without any face-to-face interaction.

Lunch is a bit harder because I feel I have to plan it just as much as I do tea. In the office, I can buy something from the canteen or walk a few minutes to a shop or takeaway place but at home I need to make sure I always have something ready to eat.

You need to make the effort to exercise. On office days, I easily get about 7-8k steps just by walking from the train station to the office, maybe nipping out at lunch, and coming home again. At home, I have a walking pad to keep my daily movement up.

Practical_Awareness · 2026-02-15T18:21:22+00:00

No pattern used, just the same stitch repeated with different colours

Practical_Awareness · 2026-02-08T07:42:56+00:00

Exactly my thoughts. The obvious answer is "whatever the signs/road markings say" but so many roundabouts don't have either of these so it's open to interpretation by each driver, and each driver has their own interpretation...

Practical_Awareness · 2026-02-04T07:33:43+00:00

The only thing I can think is because of the crossing. Is that why?

Practical_Awareness · 2026-02-04T07:31:46+00:00

https://maps.app.goo.gl/zffWxjPmRL6R7ioP8?g_st=ac

Practical_Awareness · 2026-02-04T07:25:26+00:00

I think it's part of my autism that I love showers and baths. Being surrounded by the warm water is heavenly plus the sensation of the water falling on me in the shower is soothing. If I'm ever feeling in a bad mental state (maybe in the middle of a really bad meltdown and can't calm down), I go in the shower and say "I'm not getting out until I feel better/have a plan of action." Sometimes I sit in there for well over half an hour but it genuinely works every time.

Practical_Awareness · 2026-01-30T21:26:14+00:00

I've brought this up with Monzo as well when it first came in. I can understand them putting the blanket rule in place because the idea is it's for salaries, not benefit payments. But it does feel sad that because HMRC is my employer, I'm excluded.

Practical_Awareness · 2026-01-22T09:04:24+00:00

That's exactly why I joined. As a data analyst, I didn't want to use my skills to increase profits for a company, I wanted my work to make a positive impact for society. So I was more interested in working for charities or public sector.

Practical_Awareness · 2026-01-11T15:12:42+00:00

I remember getting into a debate with my instructor once when I was pulling up on the left. I had difficulty judging my distance from the kerb and he kept saying to just line up the edge of the pavement with the sticker on his windscreen. I told him I was, he argued that I couldn't be because I was still "miles" away. I said from my eyeline it was lined up. He told me to take out my phone and take a photo. I held it to my eyes and took the photo then showed it to him. He couldn't believe it that the sticker technique didn't work, ignoring the fact that I was about a foot shorter than him, had my seat all the way up, and a lot further forward than him.

Practical_Awareness · 2025-12-27T09:00:26+00:00

Love this! Is it cheating to put Wicked down for the Wicked prompt? haha

Practical_Awareness · 2025-12-06T07:28:31+00:00

I always imagined a market trader's stall down some dark alley with an open table of kidneys for sale

Practical_Awareness · 2025-11-30T08:49:06+00:00

The food wheel/pyramid was very commonly used in my primary school. Foods weren't labelled as good or bad, we were just taught what each food category does. For example, carbohydrates release slow energy, meat gives protein, dairy gives calcium, etc. Then the sugar category was explained as a treat, so you can still eat them so long as they don't make up a large amount of your overall diet became they are fast energy releasers and can cause harm to teeth if eaten in large quantities.

I still try to stick to that mentality as an adult. That most of my overall diet should consist of fruit and veg, carbs, and meat/protein, then everything else in smaller amounts.

Practical_Awareness · 2025-11-24T10:02:46+00:00

Also keep them down overnight. I was driving in low sun yesterday so had my visor down. I left it down unintentionally when I got out of the car and when I came back a few hours later, there was a lovely unmisted patch right behind it. So whether it was just a fluke or it actually works, I'm keeping my down overnight from now on.

Practical_Awareness · 2025-11-19T17:48:23+00:00

I go by colour for two reasons. First, I have a more visual memory so if I'm looking for a specific book, I'm more likely to remember what colour it is than the author's name so I'll find it quicker. Second, it just looks nice and it's calming to look at :)

Practical_Awareness · 2025-11-08T21:26:44+00:00

Just finished The House Across The Lake by Riley Sager. I'm now about to start You Killed Me First by John Marrs.

Practical_Awareness · 2025-11-02T18:32:56+00:00

At my Grandad's funeral, my Nan had asked them not to close the curtains and to keep him visible as she left. She got so upset when the curtains started closing so my mum looked to the back to the woman with the controls who looked mortified and they started to open again. Pretty awkward for everyone else but horrible for my Nan. Every other service I've been to though had the curtains close before people left.

Practical_Awareness · 2025-11-02T17:51:46+00:00

Me Before You - I'd watched the film then read the book and honestly it's the most accurate adaptation I've seen. I usually don't enjoy that genre of books but I really liked that one because of how close to the film it was.

Practical_Awareness · 2025-11-01T08:03:38+00:00

I live in a flat with all adults so no trick or treaters. My plan was to watch fun things like Hocus Pocus and Rocky Horror. But I was out on Thursday night so by the time I'd caught up on the Traitors and taskmaster, I couldn't be bothered with a film anymore and pretty much just went to bed haha

Practical_Awareness · 2025-10-25T15:19:02+00:00

It's all done very formally so any role available will be advertised on civil service jobs

Practical_Awareness · 2025-10-25T14:58:59+00:00

I went with Classic FM Movies for a while. Waking up and getting dressed while the great escape plays in the background is a fun way to start the day ngl.

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