You’re part of an active and busy family and that’s one of the reasons you bought one of our San Joaquin Valley homes. You want a home that’s designed for modern life with an easy layout, 21st-century construction, and the best technology. Your structure is just one component on getting the most out of your day. The other is when you divide the hours of your day and the seasons of your year. Here are the best times to perform your life’s chores.

Grocery Shopping

If you’re after the best sale products, go at the start of your grocery’s sales week. The day will vary by chain, although Wednesday is typical with the discounts lasting all week. It’s best to ask the store manager when their sale week starts. If you’re after the freshest produce, go around mid-morning when groceries typically stock perishables.

The best times during the weekday to go, according to Wise Bread, is after dinner, starting at 7 PM. Most shoppers will have settled in for the night after the evening meal. If you can only shop on the weekends, go early in the morning when everyone else is asleep. The worst time to go is right after work on weekdays when harried commuters are trying to pick up ingredients for dinner.

Healthcare

The best time to see the doctor is from 8 to 9 AM because you’ll have no appointments before you that can back up to cause delays. If you need to take a lab test that requires fasting, having the test at that time prevents you from going hungry throughout the day. Another good time is the first hour after lunch from 1 to 2 PM.

However, be careful about seeing doctors who perform surgery, such as a gynecologist or orthopedist. Avoid getting an appointment after his or her surgical time. An operation can take longer than usual, which means every appointment after the procedure gets delayed.

Picking Produce

The San Joaquin Valley reigns as the most productive growing region in the world with over 250 different crops, says Visit Stockton. Although apples, almonds, and walnuts are generally available year-round, most fruits and vegetables have specific growing periods, which is the best time to buy them. Here’s the short list of when your favorite edibles peak:

•Spring: asparagus, strawberries, cherries, peaches, apricots, nectarines.

•Summer: tomatoes, melons, grapes, figs, summer squash.

•Fall: pomegranates, pears.

•Winter: winter squash.

HVAC

Have your furnace or air-conditioner inspected at least once a year to ensure that it stays in good working order when you need it. The worst times to check your air-conditioner is in the summer and your furnace is in the winter. Everyone calls for service at those times to deal with problems during bad weather, so you can expect delays of weeks before you’re slotted in for an appointment.

It’s better to get all your HVAC done in the fall. It’s late enough after summer that you won’t need your air-conditioner and early enough before winter that you won’t be using your heater. The season is also a slow time for HVAC service, so you can get a technician at your home right away.

Exercise

Doing your workout in the morning has several advantages, says Dr. Oz. An Appalachian State University study found that morning exercise helps you sleep better at night and reduces your blood pressure throughout the day. In addition, you’re more likely to stick with regular exercise, if it’s the first thing you do because nothing can come before it.



However, different people function at different times of the day, so the exact workout time isn’t much of an issue. The best time is really when you can fit it in consistently, even if it’s during your lunch hour or at night.