Grocery Shopping & Meal Planning For One

DMZ_1

This one goes out to the people who live fully alone and manage a household of one.

Shopping for a household of one presents challenges that would be unfamiliar to many who have multi person households. For example, buying a loaf of bread. I have found that a person living alone would have a difficult time eating a loaf of bread before the bread goes stale. So I am known to freeze parts of a loaf of bread to preserve life. I also find myself having to be cognizant of portion sizes when buying perishables (deli meat would be an example).

What are some of the ways in which you, as a household of one, handle grocery shopping? How do you meal plan and store food so as to prevent waste? I think it would be helpful if we shared tips on this common attribute of single life.

poncho33

I eat a ton of eggs, so I buy 2 1/2 dozen and they usually go quick... add to that some sausage and hash browns and you have the breakfast I eat everyday.

Lunch I usually eat out. Sometimes I will get in the groove of making stuff for a week and I'll just eat it everyday of that week... this gets old pretty fast though.

Dinner I typically buy the items I need on my way home and then make it and eat it. If there are leftovers it's lunch for the next day.

kristen6022

Not long ago I was buying for one. I rarely bought bread - I found tortillas lasted longer and were a bit more healthy. I'd plan my evening meals on Sunday and try to use the same veggies in all the recipes (I can't stand making a big batch of anything because after the second day I'm over it). I rarely bought anything frozen and I rarely had things go bad because I anally planned ahead. I think it was easier to buy for 1 than 2.

Buying for 2 brings "different" stuff into the equation. I know what I like and eat on a weekly basis and I know what I have left. The boyfriend has selective "wants" which means he remembers what he wanted when I get BACK from the store. And pretty much, by then, it's too bad. He's learned now that I'm not going to run back and get what he didn't tell me he wanted BEFORE I went to the store. Usually I have him write down things beforehand, but he forgets most of the time, even if I ask him "Do you need OJ?", he'll say no, then 2 days later OJ will go on the list.

I'd rather buy for one!

AnnaPixie

I freeze bread too!

Fruit and Veg I buy for the week. Usually broccoli, carrots, cucumber, spring onions, baby spinach and tomatoes sit in my fridge drawer. I eat either steamed veg or a salad every day so there is little waste.

Fruit, I usually avoid bags of apples and oranges cos I end up throwing them away. Lately I've been buying a melon - eat half for breakfast on two mornings. 2 banana's and tinned pineapple slices!! Basically, I stick to small portions/tins that I will eat either in one or two sittings.

Meat, I either buy in bulk and freeze or on my way home for that evening. I make sure I leave it out to defrost every morning. If I forget, that's when I visit a shop on my way home, usually!

Milk, I tend to buy 2pints per week and drink it.

Eggs, half a dozen per week.

Cold meats - hmmm yeah, I threw too much away last weekend and I regret buying so much. Must get better at this, but its not something I eat every day, just when I fancy.

I also always have frozen vegetables in my freezer for when I run out of veg and can't get to the shop.

Oh, and frozen banana's and grapes!! Grapes are delish frozen and I make a banana 'ice cream' with the banana's :bigsmile:

MissingMinnesota

I tend to buy my food 2-3 times a week. I usually by the 100 calories sandwhich thins for bread when I am wanting sandwhiches so they are usually the perfect amount for 3 or 4 days and don't go stale. Right now there was a great sale on chicken breasts buy 2 get 3 free so my freezer is full of chicken.

RunIntheMud

I know I don't live alone, but there are things I buy for me that the kids won't eat and vice versa.

Bread - I'd recommend the refrigerator vs. freezer. Just seems to maintain the consistency better. We go through bread in spurts in my house. Usually one loaf out and one in the fridge (it will last at least a week if not longer). As a single, I woud recommend taking out half the loaf (or less) and putting it in a ziploc, then leaving the rest in the fridge.

Veggies - I love veggies, the kids are very selective. I usually have fresh mushrooms, onions and carrots. Whatever I don't use of the onions/mushrooms, go into ziplocs. I've found that Trader Joe's sells a lot of veggies in smaller containers or frozen (such as pearl onions).

Milk - I only pick up a quart at a time unless we have longer than a 3 day weeknd. I hate wasting milk.

Alfredo Sauce - I like to make my own and most times the kids won't eat it. I use the ziploc twist top containers to keep it fresh longer.

I buy frozen "lean" meal for my lunch or make tuna salad. I also buy smaller containers of Miracle Whip, salad dressing, etc. I never had to worry about those things spoiling before. lol

When I was married, I used to go shopping 1 or 2 times per month. Now I go 1 or 2 times per week.

MikeM53082

As boring as it sounds.. protein shakes, milk, and Greek yogurt constitute most of my meals during the week.

Every morning, I have a protein shake (milk + whey protein).

Lunch is my main meal for the day and I always dine out. Today, my meal was Colombian, tomorrow will likely be Peruvian, and Friday will be Italian. This is the only meal I really enjoy everyday.

By the time I get home from the work and the gym, it's usually 8 PM or so, so I'll usually snack on Greek Yogurt or dried fruit. Then, I'll have a protein shake before bed to meet my high protein requirements.

Grocery shopping is an absolute piece of cake for me.

zachatta

Milk; Rammen; Bread; Peanut Butter; Protein Powder

Cheapest way for a single man to live.

I buy 2 loaves, put one in the freezer.

lniffa

I usually buy my meat in bulk, did it when I was in a LTR and kept doing it. My secret is Vaccum Seal, not the cheap kind I have a really expensive one. I will marinate my meats and label and put them in the deep freeze.

My veggies (when I eat them) are bought every other day, since my gym is right next door to the Supermarket.

Also, I sometimes will make my own bread or I will freeze if I buy at the store.


Edit: to add things

christine24t

I would freeze bread as well, buy small amounts of milk although it would usually go sour before I could drink it all. Eggs I would buy the 6 pack the grocery store has. Spices, I would borrow my roommates. I often made hot dishes or fixings for meals like tacos and eat that through the week. I rarely bought meat as I hate touching raw meat, but I would freeze portions of ground turkey for later.

cheerforsteelers

I stopped eating bread ever since I changed my eating habits...stopped craving it really. I still like it and will have some if I go out, but I don't buy it for myself. At first I thought I could buy food for a month and plan meals, but the veggies would start to go bad and I didn't eat through everything quick enough. So now I mainly do weekly shopping trips for fruits and veggies. I usually buy a carton of eggs and they last me for a while. I do a lot of fruits and veggies (depends on what's on sale too), freeze chicken/fish, don't really drink milk so I avoid that. I don't make shakes. I buy coffee and that lasts a while too. I have started buying whole chickens and cooking it during the weekend to eat hroughout the whole week for meals. It really helped me save on time so I don't have to take out frozen chicken and cook one breast at a time.

cinsuccess

I switched to soy milk because it lasts much longer than regular milk. I keep my bread in the refigerator and that usually gives me about 2-3 weeks before it goes bad. I try to go to the farmer's market every other week for fruits and veggies since most things can last about that long. I'm also lucky that my job provides breakfast and lunch M-F so I don't have to worry about those meals - I just have to focus on dinner and the weekends.

DMZ_1

Some of the other single guys in here have more simple tastes than I do. I need to mix up my meals to keep it interesting. I can't eat the same meal day in, day out.

DMZ_1

I'm also lucky that my job provides breakfast and lunch M-F so I don't have to worry about those meals

What do they provide? Is it nutritious?

kristen6022

Some of the other single guys in here have more simple tastes than I do. I need to mix up my meals to keep it interesting. I can't eat the same meal day in, day out.

I know it's totally girly - but I suggest "Pintrest" food/drink section. I get 95% of my recipes there - 5% from Rachael Ray. She tends to use fresh, healthy ingredients and her stuff is quick so you aren't spending days in the kitchen.

DMZ_1

Some of the other single guys in here have more simple tastes than I do. I need to mix up my meals to keep it interesting. I can't eat the same meal day in, day out.

I know it's totally girly - but I suggest "Pintrest" food/drink section. I get 95% of my recipes there - 5% from Rachael Ray. She tends to use fresh, healthy ingredients and her stuff is quick so you aren't spending days in the kitchen.

I'm open to it. Perhaps if I need inspiration. I have a cookbook that keeps things relatively simple and helps mix it up.

I get tired of planning and slinging meal after meal sometimes though. I'm happy when someone else cooks something for me.

RunIntheMud

Some of the other single guys in here have more simple tastes than I do. I need to mix up my meals to keep it interesting. I can't eat the same meal day in, day out.

I know it's totally girly - but I suggest "Pintrest" food/drink section. I get 95% of my recipes there - 5% from Rachael Ray. She tends to use fresh, healthy ingredients and her stuff is quick so you aren't spending days in the kitchen.

I'm open to it. Perhaps if I need inspiration. I have a cookbook that keeps things relatively simple and helps mix it up.

I get tired of planning and slinging meal after meal sometimes though. I'm happy when someone else cooks something for me.

There are some great posts in Food and Nutrition about Bento Boxes.... awesome ideas for lunches (and even some dinners). You might want to look at some of those.

MissingMinnesota

Some of the other single guys in here have more simple tastes than I do. I need to mix up my meals to keep it interesting. I can't eat the same meal day in, day out.

I know it's totally girly - but I suggest "Pintrest" food/drink section. I get 95% of my recipes there - 5% from Rachael Ray. She tends to use fresh, healthy ingredients and her stuff is quick so you aren't spending days in the kitchen.

I'm open to it. Perhaps if I need inspiration. I have a cookbook that keeps things relatively simple and helps mix it up.

I get tired of planning and slinging meal after meal sometimes though. I'm happy when someone else cooks something for me.

Yeah I have found some great things from pintrest for food. My newest favorite is using a muffin tin and either lining it with either ham or bacon and filling it with egg and any veggies topped with some cheese and bake at 350 for 30 mins. I have 2-3 at a time and they usually can last 3 days in the fridge and easy to reheat.

pa_jorg

Most of my tips are similar to things others have mentioned. I'll add that I only buy organic milk mostly because it has a longer expiration date than the non-organic stuff. It's slightly more expensive, but I never end up dumping it like I used to sometimes before making the switch, so it actually saves me money in the end.

JanieJack

Love all of the above!!

My biggest tip is stretch things out into several meals. It really helps if you can eat the same thing a couple times a week.

For example: last week I bought a roast. Cooked it in the crock pot with some potatoes. Ate some of it, but it was denser than I expected so I sliced some of it to make sandwiches out of, cubed half of it and the next day threw the cubes, the potatoes and all the broth into a pot with carrots celery spices and some veggie base and made a soup that tastes a LOT like the steak soup at SaltGrass. I've often made soup with chicken scraps like this too. Then you mix up the meals. The meat is the same all week (in this case roast beef) but you’ve got soup, regular sandwiches, bbq sandwiches, wrap, beef for salads, and of course the first night of just eating roast and potatoes.

When I can, I buy packs of chicken breast and lean beef and then slide them up, season them, and freeze them. When I come home it's quick and easy to fry them up into a stir-fry or for a sandwich, or throw in some pasta. 20 minutes tops.

Even though I try to use everything up, I still sometimes end up throwing stuff out so I try to buy veggies that can freeze. For example, I didn't use all of my spinach bag after about two weeks. Froze the rest before it went bad. It will stir-fry easily later.

This not only saves money and is healthier, but really takes no longer than going out to restaurants/fast food. If you stop and think about it: Going home and making a quick freezer meal (either with stuff you bought or prepped beforehand) takes no longer than going to a restaurant. When you go out to eat, you have to wait for a table, wait to be served, wait for your check.

It does take longer than a fast food meal though, lol. But I just think of all the calories I save by eating myself and spend some of those calories on something yummy for dessert or with my meal.

Danielle_2013

I love to make big batches of soups (butternut squash, turkey and kale/veggie, chicken etc.), spaghetti sauce and chili that I freeze in individual containers. They are great for lunches (if I don't feel like prepping salad) or quick dinners and I just have some raw veg on the side.

I am always rushed in the morning, so I hardboil eggs on Sunday night and will have a couple at work with a piece of fruit for breakfast.

I don't buy bread or milk when I live on my own and probably shop once or twice a week.