Grocery Shopping

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.

VIFIT0725

i go according to my normal grocery list. now that i'm on a health journey i substitute some of my old items with newer healthier ones. for example, any canned veggies are replaced with fresh or frozen ones, 1% milk replaced with no fat milk, sugar cereals replaced with whole grain and ect ect ect.

Pandorian

Guess it depends where you're coming from, I never bought into the "low-fat / no-fat" options (blech most of the reduced fat options are also reduced taste...33% less fat? OK I'll achieve the same reduction by using 33% less of the "whole" product)
my healthier options include full.... well homogenized what you can get in the store milk, butter, oatmeal / oats vs any processed cereal... lots more dried beans compared to a year ago, way more fresh veggies but the garden helps with that... going this Thursday to pick a bunch of raspberries some will get canned, some will be turned into wine, some will get frozen for later use in smoothies and the like. Way different than loading up the cart with the potato chips and other processed junk it used to be.

britfout

I go to the store almost every day... I am do frazzled all the time I usually forget things ( even if they are on my list). I like going to the grocery store though. I pick up fresh veggies mostly on my trips, then about once a month I'll go on a full shopping trip buying tons of black beans, quinoa, nuts, almond milk and spaghetti sauce. Those are pretty much the only packaged items I'll eat... Besides cashew cookie larabars yummmmmm! They are so good and only contain cashews and dates, i eat them when I'm craving something BAD!

Weebs628

I usually go to the store once a week. I meal plan a week, somtimes two weeks, in advance. It saves us so much money when I know what to buy. If I go in and just buy random things, I end up throwing most of it away.

I sometimes get off work at 11:00 at night and if I don't know what I'm cooking when I get home, then I'm more likely to swing by McDonald's, Wendy's, etc.

suzieqcookie

I make my grocery list off of my dinner menu

pretty much the same, plus basics for wiggle room, cause like some of the other posters, it sounded good when i put it on the list, but not so much later in the week. I do a "big shop" twice a month, but do a "healthy shop" like reload on produce and healthy snacks as needed, usually every 5-7 days

99clmsntgr

1. Plan dinners for the week, knowing that I'll likely have left overs for lunches.
2. Browse the ads, find the good bargains (BOGOs that I can couple with coupons FTW!)
3. Make a list
4. Add the staples we need or anything else we need around the house.
5. Check it twice
6. Hit the store.

Like Pinky and the Brain, my wife and I do the same thing every week. NARF!

femmnoir3

I shop at least twice a week for different things. I usually get the same staples and then rotate protein and produce.

sgoessling

I typically plan 5 meals, and buy enough to make it twice, and stick to relatively the same meats and ingredients. Because I'm a poor college kid, I usually go online to see what winndixis sales are and plan around those. I usually get any buy one get one meat and add what ever veggies are on sale, and also buy a couple of sweet potatoes and I make sure to ALWAYS have a big bag of brown rice at home. Usually I just look up different ways to cook chicken or fish and then air it with grilled or baked sweet potatoes, or some brown rice, and veggies. Try looking up lean body lifestyles. He has really healthy really cheap meals. I also plan on eating the same thing every morning, for anacks, and for lunches to keep cost low. So things I buy every time are lots of frozen veggies, fish or chicken, brown rice, sweet potatoes, old fashion oatmeal, veggie burgers (lunch). Know this was a ramble lol sorry! But make sure to check out Leann body lifestyles!!

EAlexandraB

I generally eat the same things day-to-day, so my shopping list is almost always the same:

Fish (Salmon, Tilapia, Arctic Char, Halibut)
Chicken
Steak (occasionally)
Apples
Berries
Canteloupe, Bananas, etc. if I feel like it
Frozen Spinach
Broccoli
Yams
Milk

Every few weeks I buy eggs, steel cut oats, Almond Milk, coconut oil, and other staples that last longer.

Grocery shopping is quite easy because I know I will have oatmeal and a protein shake at breakfast, an apple with peanut butter and a protein shake at lunch, a snack of fruit, and either chicken or fish (or sometimes steak) with yams and green veggies at dinner every day. I do get a lot of my protein from protein powder due to a stomach condition.

Some people ask me if eating the same things every day gets boring, but I eat to fuel my body and not to entertain myself, so it really doesn't.

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?

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.

That's fair and makes sense. I kind of do things this way, unless I want to try something different for breakfast. Then I'll just buy ingredients at random until I have them all to cook up my meal.