How do you grocery shop?

[WanderingJuniper]

Planning is my life saver. I make a detailed menu, make a shopping list, order my shopping list roughly by store layout and shop the same 2 or 3 stores every week. Aldi is a quick shop because its always in the same place, there aren't 60 different kinds of pasta. I fill in with the local store.

I also don't shop for 2 weeks at a time. I can't. I have tried. We run out of ingredients, I forget things, I cringe about the totals and can't find the storage space when I get the food home.

[Chaos Coordinator]

No I keep a grocery list organized by store and department as well. Otherwise I get to the popcorn and realize I forgot the peanut butter and have to trek back to the beginning with three little boys and a heavy cart, sometimes two carts. Noooo thanks.

---------- Post added at 10:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:35 AM ----------

Yeah i try to always start with Aldi, then natural grocers and then i fill in with Walmart. Aldi has the best prices by far, and a lot of our gluten free stuff comes from NG

[mommychem]

Lately, DH does a lot of grocery shopping after work. Otherwise it is an all day event. No matter how I time it, we end up eating out even though we only go to two stores. The stores are at least twenty minutes away. One or more children inevitably falls asleep on the way there or back. It's madness. So I text DH a list and he does pretty well. We have a Super One that is close but I don't like their meat and their shelf items are much more expensive. We stop there to refill on produce if necessary. Oh, we also go to a local butcher for ground beef.

[ValiantJoy07]

Originally Posted by mommylove

Can you do it at night when DH or MIL can stay home with the kids?

This is what I do. I haven't shopped with the kids in a couple of years...Maybe under dire circumstances like a giant storm is coming and we have no food in the house. Or when I've lost my mind and decided we'd just swing into grab a few things a couple days before thanksgiving.

I write up a menu for the week for all the meals, and then go after they're in bed (or write a detailed list for DH and have him go, it took him about a year to learn, but he has gotten really good at shopping, he's not one to impulse buy though and he is a healthier eater than I am...) or in the evening when DH is home...Often lately, I go late Sunday afternoon to bring home dinner (rotisserie chicken).
I only shop at 1 store. I might be able to save a bit by driving around, but the hours of shopping wouldn't be worth the maybe $15 I'd save a month (and I'd use more than that a month in gas because the shops aren't close together). That said, I know that I've really lucked out with an awesome whole foods type store (Wegmans) with amazing prices down the street from my house. If that wasn't available I'd probably buy a lot of stuff of amazon prime every month. And get my produce at 2 of the local groceries.

---------- Post added at 12:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:05 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Elspeth

I thought I was the only one who did that! Yay, I'm not totally weird.

I do this too. I don't know the aisles but the store is set up in zones. I start in produce...swing to the side to grab Meats...Then over to Natures Market (all our oils/fats, GF baking items)...Dairy (eggs and coconut milk)...Dry goods....checkout.

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by Elspeth

I thought I was the only one who did that! Yay, I'm not totally weird.

It makes it easier. Actually, how's this for embarrassing? A customer was asking a newish person at the store where something was and he didn't know so I showed him! A manager saw and asked if I wanted a job (in jest, it's union so they just can't do that)

---------- Post added at 09:31 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:28 AM ----------

I find it hard to send DH with exact detail. Once I put on the list fruit. He asked what and I said whatever looks good, enough for the week. We usually start with berries and eat apples by Friday. And he brings FOUR BANANAS. So our fruit intake for the week is a banana each!

[milkmommy]

were are not a heavy processed foods but were not as whole foods as many here are either. For better or worse I gave up long ago trying to be food creative although I love to cook. I have all ultra picky eaters it is just plain pointless trying..
We have little storage space as well so I pretty much stick to just what we consistently use.

Pantry staples if I see I'll only have a "spare" left after its use it will always get onto the list.

they include
Apple sauce (snacking baking, cooking)
barbecue sauce (can make easily but its a convenience we like)
beans both dried and canned
broths/stock again can be home made but I still like to have the boxed kind on hand for ease plus I dont buy enough meat to always have my own..
rice (brown/white)
canned tomato products and tomato paste (tubes)

"pantry staples"
baking soda
baking powder
bread crumbs
coco powder
cooking oil/ spray
cornmeal
pasta
cornstarch
flour
yeast
cream of tarter
hot sauce
jam
ketchup
mustard
mayo
worcestershire sauce
lentils
syrup (not always maple)
sugar brown white
powder sugar
stevia
vinagers (white cider and red wine)
low sodium soy

spices/ extracts
Almond
vanillia
bay leaves
dried spices
minced garlic
minced ginger


"convience"
cream soup starters
canned tomatoes products
tuna
cold cereal
crackers
dried fruits (raisins cranberries apricots
nuts
chocolate chips
olives
oatmeal
peanut butter and almond butter
popcorn
pancake mix
box Mac N cheese
canned fruit (peaches mandarin orange and pears)
water bottles
tea/coffee
few ready made soups mostly for DH work

long term produce storage
carrots
apples
onions
lemons/limes
potatoes

Freezer staples
frozen veggies (peas green beans corn spinach onions peppers soybeans)

meat here its usually chicken thighs ground beef, pork chops and stew meats other stuff comes in depending on sales.. I'll buy between 8-10 packs of something each package at around 1-2lbs each

frozen waffles cause frankly they keep family peace
we ussually have some type of icecream

Fridge contents we almost always have
any the above that will eventually need refrigeration
other produce than already listed oranges spinach kale salad greens broccoli tomatoes peppers berries etc
milk
orange juice
sandwich meat
bread
eggs I always have hard boiled eggs ready for snacking in the fridge as well
cheese (string cheese is a staple go to stack here)
yogurt
pudding

basic convenience stuff that always seems to end in the cart but if often gone fast and I don't just replace at will...
Chips
frozen pizza
juice boxes (intended for on the go lunches)

My list pretty much stays the same.. and if you break it down doesn't really contain all that much. A lot of these I only have to get a few times a year. Even less if we had better storage space.

[SamRose]

Just a few months ago I transitioned to going big grocery shopping at one place every Monday, and then once or twice/month hitting up Whole Foods whenever it fits into my schedule. Every once and a while I run into Aldi's if Im driving past to see what organics they have in stock, but my nearest one isn't great for produce.

Years ago I did the whole 3 or 4 diff stores to get the best prices thing, but I have too many kids and too many commitments now for that to even make sense. The small savings that would reflect in the receipts are nothing compared to the literal hours I'd loose each month if I still tried that.

And I honestly don't need to do it anymore, as I've found our current grocer to have the best prices & selection on almost everything, other than the items I can get cheaper at Whole Foods through their brand.

[Elspeth]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

It makes it easier. Actually, how's this for embarrassing? A customer was asking a newish person at the store where something was and he didn't know so I showed him!

Lol, I've had that happen too

[Chaos Coordinator]

Originally Posted by ValiantJoy07

This is what I do. I haven't shopped with the kids in a couple of years...Maybe under dire circumstances like a giant storm is coming and we have no food in the house. Or when I've lost my mind and decided we'd just swing into grab a few things a couple days before thanksgiving.

I write up a menu for the week for all the meals, and then go after they're in bed (or write a detailed list for DH and have him go, it took him about a year to learn, but he has gotten really good at shopping, he's not one to impulse buy though and he is a healthier eater than I am...) or in the evening when DH is home...Often lately, I go late Sunday afternoon to bring home dinner (rotisserie chicken).
I only shop at 1 store. I might be able to save a bit by driving around, but the hours of shopping wouldn't be worth the maybe $15 I'd save a month (and I'd use more than that a month in gas because the shops aren't close together). That said, I know that I've really lucked out with an awesome whole foods type store (Wegmans) with amazing prices down the street from my house. If that wasn't available I'd probably buy a lot of stuff of amazon prime every month. And get my produce at 2 of the local groceries.

---------- Post added at 12:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:05 PM ----------


I do this too. I don't know the aisles but the store is set up in zones. I start in produce...swing to the side to grab Meats...Then over to Natures Market (all our oils/fats, GF baking items)...Dairy (eggs and coconut milk)...Dry goods....checkout.

See I always get dry goods before cold stuff so it can stay cold a lil longer, then produce last so it doesn't get squashed.

---------- Post added at 02:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:14 PM ----------

Sparrow, my husband is the top dog at his store and he has actually called me while on the sales floor with a customer to ask ME their grocery question because he had no idea.

[mamaKristin]

I used to do one big shop a week, with a smaller one at the other store In town. With kids in tow, I would olan it all out and sort it by department to go as fast as possible (then our store reorganized the aisles )

Now, I do one bigger shop a week, at one of three stores. I will often pick up some other things midweek too, as our fridge here is smaller and can't hold a weeks + worth of produce and dairy.

So. Generally 2 shops a week, one small, one bigger, sometimes that's at costco.

And here is where I duck tomatoes. I mostly go solo, on my way home from work at 1:30-2pm, and the stores (aside from Costco) are quiet and empty. I can do almost a weeks shop in 30 minutes start to finish.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by mamaKristin

.

And here is where I duck tomatoes. I mostly go solo, on my way home from work at 1:30-2pm, and the stores (aside from Costco) are quiet and empty. I can do almost a weeks shop in 30 minutes start to finish.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Before I had to do pickup I'd go to Costco at 2 ish. My mom tipped me to that. All the sahms are preparing to pick up their kids

[ViolaMum]

I hate grocery shopping. It just takes too long.

We made a 4 column Master Shopping List a few years ago listing - by category - what we buy at which stores. (Plus blanks in each category.)

DH and I split it up. He does the Costco run on Friday night after dinner or Saturday morning and he usually takes at least one kid with him. I do the main run on Monday or Tuesday and take all four. Every 4-6 weeks I go to a Trader Joe's for a stock up run and one of us hits up Whole Foods as needed.

[RiverRock]

Costco is also quiet on Monday evenings. I can drop my son off at his music lesson, drive to Costco (10 minutes one way), do a quick full shop, and be back within an hour to pick up my son. If I have a set amount of time and shop with a list (in order of where the items are in the store), I can be incredibly efficient! If I have an hour and a half to browse and contemplate I will run out of time.

[SamRose]

Why duck tomatoes for shopping alone? Isn't that what almost everyone prefers? I've totally shopped alone forever, even when I just had one child. Late night, quiet shopping.

Now I have to go in the afternoon, but it's still after dropping kids at their respective locations, so the store being more busy isn't too bad.

I loathe weekend shopping and anybody who regularly has to do it has my sympathy.

[Housekat]

I don't live in America, so I genuinely don't know: do you have online shopping or at least an order and pack service? Order online, pick up in store?