Grocery Shopping

TaintedVampyre

Do you plan all your meals before or just buy a whole bunch of staple ingredients and throw things together as you go with some kind of general idea of what you want to make eventually?

Follow up: How often do you do groceries?

misskerouac

because of intolerances there are only certain foods I can eat anyways so I usually buy the same things but we make different things out of them, but they all usually have the same ingredients.

dzvinka82

I am in the same boat as misskerouac.

Tropical_Turtle

I usually toss in my basket all sorts of stuff I can do many things with. I find if I plan meals ahead, more often than not, I am not wanting it anymore.

imthelobster

I tend to just throw in a bunch of basic ingredients. I agree with the above poster, if I plan meals ahead of time, most of the time I don't feel like it later.

jldunn713

I feel like I save more money if I just go buy staples and things that are cheap that week and then I create interesting meals with whatever I have.

shaynak112

We eat similar things from week to week so we always buy the basics. If I'm going to make something different that week, I add those items to my list. Usually I only need a couple new items anyway though.

sazzyp1973

yeah I get the usuals in and then try and be creative with them! If I decide to make something in particular then I will get the ingredients for that meal if don't have them. I don't often plan too far ahead as I am likely to change my mind!

cramernh

Im an on-the-fly kind of person. I have my usual list of fresh produce, herbs, spices and meats that I purchase but I enjoy my meal planning on a day to day basis.

No different than working in a professional kitchen.. I love it!

norabeth

I make my grocery list off of my dinner menu

SithZombie

I always plan a full week of meals and put it on the fridge then make my grocery list based off of that

AZKristi

My husband and I are on a budget so I plan pretty carefully. I start by perusing the adds to see what's on sale and taking a look to see what I have on hand. Then I use a spreadsheet where i plan Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner for each day and then a few things to have on hand for snacks. Then I figure out what I need to buy to make that happen. My spreadsheet has a column for the different stores we shop (Target, Kroger, Costco & Sprouts) and I note what I need to buy at each store and estimate how much I'll spend on each item. Then, I make sure my estimated total spending is within our budget before I go shopping. Works well for me!

BeyondThePixels

I get the usual and whatever is on sale.

I try to have the essentials stocked all time, spices, can tuna, low calorie munchies, plain popcorn, whole wheat pastas. I wish I could learn to plan my meals, but I don't know what I'm going to eat until I get hungry.

da1128

We eat similar things from week to week so we always buy the basics. If I'm going to make something different that week, I add those items to my list. Usually I only need a couple new items anyway though.

Pretty much the same thing here!

imaginaryplaces

We plan out most of our meals for the week. When we don't do this, we are more likely to make poor food choices (like eating out), since at the end of a work day, neither of us feels like making decisions.

Having said that, when shopping if I see a good deal or something that looks really good, I will change my plans on the fly. That's especially the case now that so much great produce is in season here.

don666car

i hate to shop except on ebay lol

MFPBrandy

Both. I have an agenda in mind -- what large batch(es) am I going to make to freeze? I like to have lots of 2-cup Pyrex bowls of soup or other dishes rich in veggies and beans waiting in the freezer so I can always have something healthy & delicious to take to work for lunch, or if I don't feel like cooking (which is often). I'll also usually have some new Pinterest find I want to make. But I also wait for inspiration to strike at the farmers market or the grocery store.

cathiaflock

I have done both planning and spure of the moment. I like menu planning and would love to try to prepare meals ahead of time. So far if we make a dish the night before we make a lot of it and I take small portions for lunch's throughout the week. I just made a grocery list for this friday. Going to try to put in some spices to begin a spice rack. Bought a low fat/low cholesterol cookbooks because my dr suggested these type of meals.

nataliexxxx

I usually buy the same things every week usually things for a salad and rice

carolebville

I purchase frozen food items from Schwan's Food. It's a little pricey for most; but I'm single and the pre-portioned items with calories, etc. on the package help factor what I can and want to eat each day. I normally stick to the Live Smart options. When I go grocery shopping, I normally pick up fresh fruit, veggies, and almond/coconut milk and organic dry goods to mix into my menus. I don't go down the chip, cookie, frozen pizza aisles, or the deli items (too many preservatives)...gotta watch the ingredients on what you're buying.

lyttlewon

I grocery shop once a week and plan every dinner. I randomly pick which day to cook said meal. I don't make a list of the things I buy every time, like lunch meat, but I have to make a list for dinner ingredients. If I don't do this I am less likely to cook, I hate looking in the fridge and making up dinner, and I am more likely to eat out.

TaintedVampyre

i hate to shop except on ebay lol

You buy your food from ebay?

TaintedVampyre

I purchase frozen food items from Schwan's Food. It's a little pricey for most; but I'm single and the pre-portioned items with calories, etc. on the package help factor what I can and want to eat each day. I normally stick to the Live Smart options. When I go grocery shopping, I normally pick up fresh fruit, veggies, and almond/coconut milk and organic dry goods to mix into my menus. I don't go down the chip, cookie, frozen pizza aisles, or the deli items (too many preservatives)...gotta watch the ingredients on what you're buying.

Aren't you worried about the sodium content and the preservatives that are put in those premade foods?

TaintedVampyre

I grocery shop once a week and plan every dinner. I randomly pick which day to cook said meal. I don't make a list of the things I buy every time, like lunch meat, but I have to make a list for dinner ingredients. If I don't do this I am less likely to cook, I hate looking in the fridge and making up dinner, and I am more likely to eat out.

So you primarily plan your dinner meals and then pick up what ever other things you need?

lyttlewon

I grocery shop once a week and plan every dinner. I randomly pick which day to cook said meal. I don't make a list of the things I buy every time, like lunch meat, but I have to make a list for dinner ingredients. If I don't do this I am less likely to cook, I hate looking in the fridge and making up dinner, and I am more likely to eat out.

So you primarily plan your dinner meals and then pick up what ever other things you need?

Yep. I eat the same things every day for breakfast and lunch. The thing that varies is my dinners. I find it easier that way.

dward2011

I plan our meals one month at a time, and make weekly changes if needed. I shop once a week for our groceries (mainly to keep fresh veggies and fruits in the house to supplement the monthly menu items). I buy on sale and with coupons, and use a large standing freezer for extra purchases (I do not shop at a club store or warehouse.) I cook three times a week, but double the recipe to make it last extra days. I find it cheaper and easier to double a recipe rather than make new ones each day.


ETA: My husband is active duty military and we get his schedule on a monthly basis, so I plan cooking around this. We have no children.

tabulator32

I generally buy foods with a vague intention but I do sometimes plan a specific meal. That is to say, I know pretty much how each item will be used in conjunction with other ingredients but rarely know the specific time it will be used.

Pandorian

I buy set staples depending on what we've been eating, then the others depend on what's on sale AND that we'll use it, won't buy stuff we won't use just because it's on sale though it's been a way to try something new from time to time.

Fresh stuff we usually buy some fruit and veggies for the week but way too frequently the stuff is going in the compost pile before it goes in the pan for cooking, so we buy enough fresh for 3 or 4 days at a time, SO works in the same building as the grocers so it's no hardship to stop in on the way home. Wouldn't do it that way if that wasn't the case though. Not as much need for veggies from the grocery anyway with the garden putting out so nicely.

If there's a case-lot sale on something we'll use I'll buy a case... 12 cans of soup at 50 cents a can bought at once is a lot better than paying the $1.29 a can buying them singly on an "as needed only" basis $6 instead of $15.48, gives me more money when they aren't on sale and I try to buy enough to get to the next sale cycle. Buying extra of the things we know we'll use... tomato sauce in a can that will do us for 2 meals... at least until the tomato's in the garden start to ripen up then we'll be back to making our own, much better sauces.

MelisRunning

I make a list and stick to it! I do not have my menu planned exactly but know pretty much ahead of time what we will be eating and shop accordingly. I end up spending less and have healthier meals because of it. I have to shop every two weeks so lost of frozen veggies and chicken~1001 ways to make chicken!

SailAweigh

I'd say I buy 85-90% staples when I shop, but since I like to try at least one new recipe every week I'll add on the things I need for that recipe. And even "staples" can vary. Since I'm single and live alone, it can be hard to use up everything quickly, so by the time I do I can be pretty bored with it. So one shopping trip I might pick up broccoli as my main veggie accompaniment and the next time zucchini and the time after that asparagus. If I buy them all in the same trip, it's: a) expensive and b) going to go to waste before I can eat it all. Especially since I shop once a week. I found the thing that works the best for me is to keep a running list on my refrigerator door. When I'm out, or close to out of something that I consider a staple, it gets written down. Things for new recipes that aren't already on my list of staples get written down. Then when I shop I stick to my list. It saves me money and helps me eat healthier.

AzhureSnow

If we've been craving some specific meal with specific ingredients (such as lasagna, with its special noodles), then we buy things in advance. Otherwise, I stock up on a ton of fresh produce and the pantry basics and just run with it. Because of the amount of fresh produce we eat in my house, I have to shop once a week. Any longer between grocery stores and the food tends to go bad. Buying and eating within about 5 days tends to be the best.