Moving to a new home means leaving the comfort zone of your current neighborhood, where you know all of your favorite places to shop and dine. And while the internet makes it easy to find out which stores and restaurants your new town offers, it’s a great idea to go out and discover places yourself.
Find your food: Perhaps the first business you’re going to look for is a supermarket. If there’s more than one in your new town, visit them all, not only to compare prices, but the quality of the foods sold. One might have a terrific seafood department while another sells better fruits and vegetables. If you prefer buying organic and local food, consider what each store offers in those areas. Another option is to look into specialty stores, such as a neighborhood butcher, farm stand or bakery.
Let’s eat out: What about those nights where there’s a special occasion to celebrate? Or maybe you just don’t feel like cooking. Finding out about your area’s restaurants can be a lot of fun. You know what the chains are about so look for fun and interesting local spots. Ask neighbors for their favorite places for pizza, Chinese food, sandwiches, and tacos. For restaurants, look for everything from a local pub for a burger and a beer to a romantic restaurant for date nights.
Dress for success: Look for a variety of places so that you can find the right clothes for the right occasions and for every member of your family. For example, a big chain store may have the casual clothes you’re looking for at a great price, while local boutiques are likely to offer clothing you won’t find in run-of-the-mill shops. If you have kids, you may want to explore stores that specialize in clothes for teens, and then dress shops and men’s clothing stores for more formal outfits.
Find your dry cleaner: In this day and age, you can buy almost anything online, but you still need to leave the house once in a while, such as when your clothes need to be dry cleaned. This is one place to do your research, search online reviews and Facebook pages for comments so that you can be sure your best couture doesn’t get lost or damaged.
And now that you’ve found your new neighborhood’s best shops and stores, you can get down to business and finish your weekly errands.
