Grocery Shopping in US

I have been living in US for over decade, drastic changes from my time back in Malaysia. Shopping in Malaysia can be distracting, most of the grocery stores can have multiple departments within the same building. 

There’s whole sections of clothing selection next to pots and pans. This I like as I don’t need to make multiple trips to find pans to fry the fish I just purchased. However, the possibilities of overspending is high. You’ll end up going over budget if you are a compulsive shopper. 

Grocery stores in US sold bigger or more like family portions which means very few small packages goods. If you purchase anything on deli or meat section, it’s wrapped with paper instead of plastic. Food brands are also different, less of Asian ingredients and more diverse ingredients including Hispanic and European foods. 

We also have options to use either paper or plastic, or bring our own bag. 

Things like tortillas shells and spaghetti sauce filled the shelves instead of star anise and soup pouches kits(aka sup bunjut). I ended up going to Asian market to find these items. 

Nowadays, I shopped purposefully since prices of groceries increased dramatically. I’m going for generic brands instead of brand names. I would think ahead what I want to cook for the week than just purchase the items for “just in case I need them”. My thoughts process changes to ensure I don’t overspend.