Grocery Store Trips In The Heat (Phoenix: movers, new house, shop)

[wase4711]

Originally Posted by WilmaWildcat

When I lived in AZ, some people had coolers in their trunks for food shopping; but I never did. If I had to go during the day, it usually worked out ok since I lived in town; but my strategy for pretty much everything in the hot season was to go at night. Desert summer nights are fantastic anyway.

I had an air conditioned office I clung to during the day, and that made lunch a nice time to go out and warm up for a while, haha. I admit I did love the heat, so "experiences may vary." :-)

my wife does the same thing now, that is, leave her office to go outside to warm up at lunch time!

problem is, its so damn humid now here, that its really uncomfortable to be out for more than a few minutes after sitting in AC all day

nightime shopping, with a cooler in the car just in case, seems like the best idea at this point

[Colt AZ]

Originally Posted by wase4711

my wife does the same thing now, that is, leave her office to go outside to warm up at lunch time!

problem is, its so damn humid now here, that its really uncomfortable to be out for more than a few minutes after sitting in AC all day

nightime shopping, with a cooler in the car just in case, seems like the best idea at this point

For midday or longer trips, a cooler is always great, but instead of ice I'll pull out a couple of frozen 50-oz bottles of water from the freezer and place them at the bottom of the cooler. Items always stay fresh & cool.

[wase4711]

ive got several of those blue blocks that you freeze to put in your cooler, and also, some loose plastic "ice cubes" that freeze as well, and work pretty good

on this same subject, what do you guys keep in the car for "emergency" water in case of a breakdown or other driving emergency? I have several Yeti stainless steel mugs that keep stuff cold for hours, but was wondering if anyone carries any sort of small 12volt plug in cooler with bottles of water in it for emergencies, or something similar to that, or is that just silly?

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by wase4711

on this same subject, what do you guys keep in the car for "emergency" water in case of a breakdown or other driving emergency? I have several Yeti stainless steel mugs that keep stuff cold for hours, but was wondering if anyone carries any sort of small 12volt plug in cooler with bottles of water in it for emergencies, or something similar to that, or is that just silly?

While cold water may be more refreshing, warm water will do just as well in terms of keeping you hydrated in an emergency. We keep several metal canteens full of water in the car but do not worry about keeping them chilled.

[wase4711]

Originally Posted by exit2lef

While cold water may be more refreshing, warm water will do just as well in terms of keeping you hydrated in an emergency. We keep several metal canteens full of water in the car but do not worry about keeping them chilled.

dont they get dangerously hot enough to burn your mouth if they are left in there so long?
I guess you can keep them under the seats and out of the sun

I like the idea though

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by wase4711

dont they get dangerously hot enough to burn your mouth if they are left in there so long?
I guess you can keep them under the seats and out of the sun

I like the idea though

Under the seats, in the trunk, in a cargo compartment -- any of those places will do to keep the metal from being exposed to direct sun. As for the water inside, H20 doesn't change temperature as fast as air. That why the water in a backyard pool in Phoenix with full sun exposure will often be a comfortable 90 degrees even if the air temperature is 110.

[KurtAZ]

Never had a problem. We just don't stop anywhere on the way home from the grocery store.

[KurtAZ]

Originally Posted by exit2lef

While cold water may be more refreshing, warm water will do just as well in terms of keeping you hydrated in an emergency. We keep several metal canteens full of water in the car but do not worry about keeping them chilled.

Actually...warm water metabolizes faster than cold water. Of course people prefer cold water for the cooling effect.

OP...look into the Yeti tumblers as well. Those things are AMAZING for keeping drinks cold in the summer.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by PhxBarb

No biggie. Just go right home after shopping. You will be fine.

Agreed! I never cease to be amazed by the concerns of prospective residents over scorpions and how we cope with the heat. But even more surprising are often those of residents already here. Insulated bags and coolers? I have been here most of my ancient life and all of my grocery shopping life and have never shopped with a cooler or an insulated bag. The food is not going to thaw or spoil on a short trip home from the store. That's just nuts. Keep all the frozen and cool stuff together as you check out and it ends up in the same bags. The thermal mass of the collected frozen items will take a good deal longer to warm than a 20 minute trip home. When you get home deal with the cold stuff bags first. Then go sit under the ceiling fan with the curtains closed, listen to the sound of the AC burning through your savings, and enjoy the Arizona retirement lifestyle.

[wase4711]

Originally Posted by KurtAZ

Actually...warm water metabolizes faster than cold water. Of course people prefer cold water for the cooling effect.

OP...look into the Yeti tumblers as well. Those things are AMAZING for keeping drinks cold in the summer.

yep, we have several of those, and I know they will get good useage in Phoenix!

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Agreed! I never cease to be amazed by the concerns of prospective residents over scorpions and how we cope with the heat. But even more surprising are often those of residents already here. Insulated bags and coolers? I have been here most of my ancient life and all of my grocery shopping life and have never shopped with a cooler or an insulated bag. The food is not going to thaw or spoil on a short trip home from the store. That's just nuts. Keep all the frozen and cool stuff together as you check out and it ends up in the same bags. The thermal mass of the collected frozen items will take a good deal longer to warm than a 20 minute trip home. When you get home deal with the cold stuff bags first. Then go sit under the ceiling fan with the curtains closed, listen to the sound of the AC burning through your savings, and enjoy the Arizona retirement lifestyle.

LOL@scorpions; not concerned at all about that, and, frankly, I have been a hunter/fisherman/outdoors person for many years, so I have a good idea about what will work in extreme weather, and what doesn't.
I've never had to bring groceries home in temps of 120, with car temps of 150+ so the great thing about this forum is that so many of you have lots of great ideas/tips/short cuts on what has worked for you over the last 1-30 years living here..
Just like I would be happy to help someone who has never experienced 60 below wind chills/ 2 feet of snow/ice storms, moving from Phoenix to Chicago, Its nice to see how many of you are willing to share your great ideas with me, doing the reverse move!