Overall, logistics are more complicated here —there isn’t one-stop shopping like Walmart or Target. And on top of having to make multiple trips, use my iPhone to feverishly translate things so I can figure out what I'm buying, keep the babies happy, and then curse myself for not remembering to bring the reusable grocery bags, it can be a bit much.
Most people drive the 20 minutes to Germany once a month where food is 50 percent cheaper. We've followed suit.
Ben goes alone (except for one miserable trip as a family on my birthday that we will never talk about again because it ended in tears for four out of five family members) to Aldi or Lidl in Perl, Germany on Saturday mornings to stock up on things so we can limit our trips to the grocery stores here in town to things like bread, fruits, and vegetables.
Otto and Aksel have requested things like goldfish and fruit snacks only a handful of times and I've been able to pacify them with things like gummy bears (found at Aldi), crackers and cookies.
In general, we've been able to find or get anything we want or need with the exception of hand sanitizer, liquid tide, clorox wipes, and some dairy. Fresh milk is expensive and hard to find, as is fresh whipping cream, cream cheese, and salted butter.
I transitioned the boys exclusively to almond milk months ago, so the fresh milk really isn't an issue for them; just Ben. Interestingly, almond milk is our most expensive grocery item. Glade candles come in second. Ahem.
There are less choices here, which makes things simpler.
Oh, the yogurt. The yogurt! So good. We eat a kilo of yogurt every day as a family. It's so rich and creamy. I've never had such good yogurt.
The breakfast cereals were and are an adjustment. We've found a similar frosted mini wheat and cluster-type cereal that the boys will eat.
Once we google translated a few basic cooking items like baking soda and powder into both french and german and then located them at the store, we've been able to cook and bake as much as we did at home. We are only limited by our cooking supplies as our full shipment of belongings hasn't arrived yet.
I miss the American model of everything and anything for pretty much a reasonable price (however, nuts are much cheaper here, for obvious logistical reasons). And I miss the familiarity of knowing where things will be located at the store.
Figuring out what is sold at which grocery and what is sold at pharmacies and what stores are open at what time (unless they're closed for an unannounced reason), and what store takes amex versus cash, and which stores require a coin for a cart or a separate counter for checkout has nearly pushed me over the edge, but that's what good husband's are for. Ben is really good about texting me on his way home from work and will happily stop by a store for something I need (as well as a dr pepper and a chocolate bar for himself).
The berries are sweeter, the meat is hormone free, and bread is fresh and plentiful.
Most people drive the 20 minutes to Germany once a month where food is 50 percent cheaper. We've followed suit.
Ben goes alone (except for one miserable trip as a family on my birthday that we will never talk about again because it ended in tears for four out of five family members) to Aldi or Lidl in Perl, Germany on Saturday mornings to stock up on things so we can limit our trips to the grocery stores here in town to things like bread, fruits, and vegetables.
Otto and Aksel have requested things like goldfish and fruit snacks only a handful of times and I've been able to pacify them with things like gummy bears (found at Aldi), crackers and cookies.
In general, we've been able to find or get anything we want or need with the exception of hand sanitizer, liquid tide, clorox wipes, and some dairy. Fresh milk is expensive and hard to find, as is fresh whipping cream, cream cheese, and salted butter.
I transitioned the boys exclusively to almond milk months ago, so the fresh milk really isn't an issue for them; just Ben. Interestingly, almond milk is our most expensive grocery item. Glade candles come in second. Ahem.
There are less choices here, which makes things simpler.
Oh, the yogurt. The yogurt! So good. We eat a kilo of yogurt every day as a family. It's so rich and creamy. I've never had such good yogurt.
The breakfast cereals were and are an adjustment. We've found a similar frosted mini wheat and cluster-type cereal that the boys will eat.
Once we google translated a few basic cooking items like baking soda and powder into both french and german and then located them at the store, we've been able to cook and bake as much as we did at home. We are only limited by our cooking supplies as our full shipment of belongings hasn't arrived yet.
I miss the American model of everything and anything for pretty much a reasonable price (however, nuts are much cheaper here, for obvious logistical reasons). And I miss the familiarity of knowing where things will be located at the store.
Figuring out what is sold at which grocery and what is sold at pharmacies and what stores are open at what time (unless they're closed for an unannounced reason), and what store takes amex versus cash, and which stores require a coin for a cart or a separate counter for checkout has nearly pushed me over the edge, but that's what good husband's are for. Ben is really good about texting me on his way home from work and will happily stop by a store for something I need (as well as a dr pepper and a chocolate bar for himself).
The berries are sweeter, the meat is hormone free, and bread is fresh and plentiful.
Sounds yum! So good you transitioned to almond milk, one less hard thing for aksel. This is random, but let me know some goodies I can ship in time for Halloween... Goldfish fruit snacks (or are thoseconsidered liquid when shipping?) etc. Also, Ben you're a rock star dad and hubs!
ReplyDeleteHow awesome is the Yogurt?! What are they doing? Why isn't everyone else? AND how have they not put every other yogurt out of business... Try the raspberry and dark chocolate musli for breakfast with fresh milk. You will thank me. Especially with fresh milk. So many reasons I love Europe wrapped up in this blog. I'm glad you are having a chance to experience it. I'm glad you are documenting it. I'm glad I get to read it. It makes me homesick. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jake, even though I didn't live there, it makes me miss the time I spent there. So many things I love about Europe that you are getting to experience. I'm sure it's been really hard especially with the three littles but it will be such an amazing experience to look back on. I'm a little jealous ;)
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