Grocery Store Trips In The Heat (Phoenix, Tempe: mover, how much, house)

[KurtAZ]

Originally Posted by wase4711

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!

Well the car thing is pretty basic...crack the windows to allow air flow, use a windshield screen to block the sun from the dash while parked (AZ sun does horrible things to plastics in direct sunlight) and something my wife and I argue about all the time. When I first get into the car, I make sure the AC is set to pull fresh air since the outside air is typically a few degrees cooler than the air in the cabin. I let that run for about 5 minutes with the windows cracked to try and dispel the hotter air in the cabin and then switch it to recirculate/Max AC and roll the windows up. She seems to just leave it on recirculate which causes a smell after a while and, in my opinion, makes the AC work harder to cool the cabin.

Look into window tinting...nothing crazy but it does help. Know that the best parking spot is not always the one closest to the door. The best parking spot is the most shaded parking spot. I think that is about all I can think about as far as vehicular advice unique to Phoenix...make sure to wash/wax your car...the sun does a number on paint jobs out here. You will see a number of cars with fully oxidized paint rolling around because no one protected them. I'm sure others will chime in.

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by wase4711

lots of good ideas here
I'll be between happy valley road and jomax, about 5 miles west of 17, and so far I have found frys, Safeway, and 2 wal marts within 15 minutes of my house, so you guys are probably right about it not being a big deal

insulated shopping bags and coolers sound like the way to go though

You're overthinking it.

Just get frozen items last and you'll be fine.

[ElleTea]

I do not own a cooler or insulated bags. I do self check and pack all frozen/cold stuff in the same bags and put it in my trunk. I don't always go directly home, either. Sometimes I do another errand or 2. Stuff is still cold when I get home. I think you are really over thinking this. I usually do my shopping before 9 AM on Saturdays to avoid the crowds, which probably helps as well. Never in the late afternoon/hottest part of the day.

Of course I never buy ice cream, so that might be a different story if I did. That is one item that I would want to get home right away just because of the potential mess it could make melted. but even then, i wouldn't bother with a cooler. Just go straight home.

[LillyLillyLilly]

I use cooler bags here in Idaho. I hate to take the ice out of the freezer and it looks like a block of ice because it softened just enough on the way home that it all stuck together bad enough I have to use a hammer to break it apart.

Those bags at the check out do work but not as well as a good fabric insulated bag. Plus the fabric ones last longer. The check out bags develop holes after a year or two.

I bought California Innovations bags probably 6 or 8 years ago and they're still going strong. The 12 gallon ones are big enough for a bag of ice, plus the handles are long enough that I can carry it on my shoulder. I often walk to the store for ice and even carrying it home in 90+ temps for 20 minutes it's still completely frozen.

https://www.amazon.com/California-In...ia+Innovations

[wase4711]

sounds like I might be over thinking just a bit
obviously, going straight home after shopping is the number one thing to keep in mind

do grocery stores open earlier/close later to accommodate shopping before the big bake starts in earnest?

thanks again for all the input

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by wase4711

sounds like I might be over thinking just a bit
obviously, going straight home after shopping is the number one thing to keep in mind

do grocery stores open earlier/close later to accommodate shopping before the big bake starts in earnest?

thanks again for all the input

I don't think grocery stores really have any different hours here than anywhere else. I think the Fry's closest to me is open from like 6AM - MIDNIGHT.

Again, you are REALLY overthinking this. We may have 120 in the forecast but it's not going to be that hot for long. It's not a big deal.

[wase4711]

thanks Elle, we're excited about moving out there, and these discussions are helping us bide the time until we get out there to actually enjoy the great state of Arizona!

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by wase4711

thanks Elle, we're excited about moving out there, and these discussions are helping us bide the time until we get out there to actually enjoy the great state of Arizona!

I get it. I did the same thing! You overthink the little details. It's all part of it! When do you arrive? I hope you'll have access to a pool!

[wase4711]

we close on July 7th, and can move in any time after that..

depending on movers availability, and other things, hope to be in new house by August 1st..I cant imagine the poor movers moving stuff this time of year, but I guess they are young, and used to it!

believe it or not, I am the only swimmer in my house; although 5 of our 8 neighbors on the block have pools, so finding one for me shouldn't be too hard!

[LBTRS]

Originally Posted by wase4711

we close on July 7th, and can move in any time after that..

depending on movers availability, and other things, hope to be in new house by August 1st..I cant imagine the poor movers moving stuff this time of year, but I guess they are young, and used to it!

believe it or not, I am the only swimmer in my house; although 5 of our 8 neighbors on the block have pools, so finding one for me shouldn't be too hard!

You may be surprised that neighbors in Phoenix keep more to themselves than other parts of the country. I find people here are nice and friendly, however, neighbors don't make as much of an effort to get to know each other and just come and go.

I've lived in my house for 9 years and only really know one neighbor. The others I never see.