how often do your grocery shop?? and when?

okay so this has been on my mind...i go grocery shopping each week which is starkly different from my mom and one of my best friends.

my mom shops once a month when she receives her paycheck and just stocks up, so when something runs out it's gone for that month until she goes again.

on the other hand, my best friends mom used to shop EVERY single day depending on what she was making for dinner.

so, what do you guys do and is it successful? what are the benefits? i have  a set shopping day, Sundays after church...do you have a set day of the week? 

** skip to bottom if you want the short answer LMAO...

I PLAN to go 2x a week, because of how many fresh fruits & veggies I get.

Well, I added another trip on mondays at lunch, so I can get all my snacks and lunch supplies for work.

then some days I plan to get groceries, and DH calls and we're having people over so I end up buying party stuff.

So I have to go back AGAIN for our food (because I'm too lazy to haul it all upstairs at once)

I have been to publix 5 times in the last 4 days. AND I HAVE TO GO BACK AFTER WORK to get food for dinner because its scout night and what is at the house will take too long to cook!!!

I always have a list though. I prefer to go before I get home b/c once i get home I like to stay there. I don't like going weekends at all.

****So short answer = way too many, supposed to be just twice!

My husband and I do a 'major' shop once a month when he gets paid (teacher).  Then mid month we go again for bead/ milk...that kind of thing.   We live on a produce ranch so we dont buy fruits or veggies.  We used to go weekly, but we found we planned meals a lot less and ended up making poor choices. 

With our major shop we get all the meat for the month, portion it in ziptop bags and freeze it.  We also make 'lunches' and freeze them for him during the week. 

I think it depends on your lifestyle. I am single and live by myself and I am trying to adapt to a healthy lifestyle. I try and plan my meals in advance each week and go the grocery store once a week to get what I need.

Once a week for staples for meals,

but if I'm around shops and see a good deal on something that'll keep, or cheap fresh produce then I'll pick it up in-between.
That typically happens another once or twice a week.

I do a large shopping trip each pay check. So that's twice a month. I then do some short trips depending on if I need something or am making a certain dish.

My mom and dad go almost every day. They both work crazy schedule's and go according to what they want for dinner. My mother calls it the "European" method lol

Too often, lol. We try to plan 2-3 dinners in advance, but it's hard because we are all very busy, and with 2 teenagers in the house and my dad, who has a crazy metabolism, we go through a lot of food. So i'd say usually every few days (at least 3x's a week), sometimes more. We live across the street from Jewel and down the road from TRader Joe's, so it's easy to walk to the store when we need something.

interesting how different everyone is..i like lighthearted posts like this...it keeps me uplifted, not so serious, and beats boredom :) I love the grocery store, i go many times a week actually but only do MAJOR shopping once a week. i went this morning for eggs even though shopping is usually on Sundays.

Im unemployed recently but had been working from home so getting stir crazy, would shop much more than needed - even breaking up grocery trips not to buy too much at once because it was an excuse to get out of the house regularly (<--needs a life).  It was good as a single person to keep produce which isnt easy to stock up on with just myself to eat it before it would start looking  'funny'.

I do my groceries at Walmart but for my produce, I cant beat the prices at the ethnic stores.  At their crazy low prices for fruits and vegs, I have to contain myself not to go to crazy on buying too much.  So funny to leave with so much produce for $2-4.

Chrissy I'm with you on loving the grocery store. I seldom make a list. I just kind of mosy at my own pace getting things on sale and whatever sounds good, and fits the budget of course! I love the organic section, the bakery and the deli area too! I hardly buy those fancy expensive cheeses but it's fun to leark around the cheese monger. Sometimes she'll give you REALLY good samples!

i ♥ the grocery store

i  usually go every other day just for the simple fact that i live alone in an apartment that on the 3rd floor . . . so i can't really have one day a week to go food shopping because i'll be dam'd if i have to make multiple trips up and down those stairs ha ha ha

but definatly food shopping is my favorite "chore" to do :]

I typically go 1x per week and it's usually Monday evenings because the store I like to do my shopping in is closed on Sundays.

I purchase lunch meat and fresh veggies a lot of the time so I must go weekly.  I also try to stock up ever other week on meats when they are having good sales (recently I got the deal of a lifetime, 7.5 lbs of 90% lean ground beef for $0.61/lb, AMAZING!)  I split them up into dinner sized portions and freeze them until we are ready to use.  I try to plan meals ahead of time but it doesn't always work out so I may go back to the store occasionally during the week.

Original Post by xohmyx:

i ♥ the grocery store

i  usually go every other day just for the simple fact that i live alone in an apartment that on the 3rd floor . . . so i can't really have one day a week to go food shopping because i'll be dam'd if i have to make multiple trips up and down those stairs ha ha ha

but definatly food shopping is my favorite "chore" to do :]

 xohmyx, I used to live in a 2nd floor condo with the parking lot not accessible to the front door so I definitely can share your pain!  Multiple trips were a pain in the rear especially when I had to carry 30 lb bags of dog food! Oh and the front door of my building could only be opened by key which meant having to drop the whole load to open the door!  I'm so glad that's past me now!

I shop once or twice a week.  One trip is for most items and the second is to a produce store for fresh fruit and vegetables, and sometimes fresh milk, or to Whole Foods or some other specialty store.

I go grocery shopping every 1.5 to 2 weeks... I try to stock up as much as possible and try to finish everything I bought in my previous trip before going on my next one... I also buy some frozen vegetables just in case I really don't feel like going grocery shopping when I need to... my freezer is packed with frozen fish & red meat too for those emergencies as well. Typically though I'll try and save grocery shopping to the weekend when I know I have no plans... or for after a long day because when I shop it's slightly relaxing... until check out of course! ha ha!

*My dad on the other hand goes grocery shopping daily (and I go with him when I am at home)... and I almost get embarassed going every day but I have spoken to some people who work at grocery stores and they tell me that they have people who come in 2x PLUS per day! How nuts! I mean, sure if I forgot something I'd go back, but I wouldn't just go back to do some shopping - get everything in one trip! ha ha!

I shop for groceries usually about once every 2 weeks, but sometimes pick up stuff on my way home from work. 

The bulk of my shopping is done online - which is brilliant for cost control. I can do it from home so if I'm not sure I need something or not I can go check, I never have to worry about shopping while hungry, and I can go through my basket and make sure I got everything I needed and didn't get anything I don't, before I check out.

And then it's delivered straight to my kitchen! I live up a flight of stairs and I really hate lugging groceries up, so I'm quite happy for someone else to do that bit!  

Original Post by starbrow27:

I shop for groceries usually about once every 2 weeks, but sometimes pick up stuff on my way home from work. 

The bulk of my shopping is done online - which is brilliant for cost control. I can do it from home so if I'm not sure I need something or not I can go check, I never have to worry about shopping while hungry, and I can go through my basket and make sure I got everything I needed and didn't get anything I don't, before I check out.

And then it's delivered straight to my kitchen! I live up a flight of stairs and I really hate lugging groceries up, so I'm quite happy for someone else to do that bit!  

 

what websites do you use? i asked a question about online grocery shopping a while back and got no responses...also what things do you purchase online?

Original Post by chrissy1988:

what websites do you use? i asked a question about online grocery shopping a while back and got no responses...also what things do you purchase online?

I'm in the UK, so I don't know how useful this will be to you, but I use the Tescos website. Other grocery stores who are online are ASDA, Sainsburys and Waitrose. 

I can buy online literally everything I need from a grocery store, exactly as if I had gone in and done my shopping. The only things I sometimes avoid purchasing online are fruit and veg, as I feel it's better if I select them myself. 

I'm not sure if the US has grocery stores that do this yet, but if so, it's great and I definitely recommend doing it - it's so much better for staying within budget!

I go shopping everyday on my way home from work.  I get what I need for dinner that night, and anything I might need for breakfast and lunch the next day.  I've found that I eat more fruit and veg this way.  I also save money because I don't buy anything extra.

I'm probably at the store three or four times a week.  I work right next to a bunch of groceries (Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Giant Eagle all within walking distance), so typically what happens is we run out of something, I stick a note in my pocket and go pick it up on my lunch break.  Today was tuna and capers and apples.  Monday will probably half and half.  Oh and I'll probably go to another store after work for milk and yogurt, because I'll be walking by there on my way to catch my carpool ride, and it's easier to pick it up at the store near my pickup spot than to lug it all the way from work ^_^