I have noticed in the past month or so that we haven’t had to make as many trips for grocery shopping. We were doing a once weekly big trip and one during the week to get more milk and produce. Now, we’re doing a bigger more expensive trip every 2 weeks and stocking up on sales which lets us go longer in between the big trips. It was somewhat inadvertent – we did it one week and realized the next week we didn’t need to go do our usual big trip and now it’s just continued on. We still have to make the extra trips for milk and bananas and little things like that during the week, but we are definitely saving money by stocking up more at once and having it last longer.
So, I am curious. How often do you grocery shop? Do you go once a month, one every two weeks, once a week or just every couple days for meals and things as they come up or a combination? Which way have you found saves you more money?
We usually make 1 big grocery shopping trip per week. Mostly to the nearby farmer’s market. Other than that we also have to go to the nearby grocery store to get some milk or bread or snacks once or twice during the week. I’m still working on eliminating those extra trips and making do with whatever we’ve stocked during the week but since me and hubby both are very big on food..it isn’t that easy.
learning the ropes last blog post..Some new money making opportunities
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I wish I could shop less! We shop (big shop) every week. Once in awhile, it might get stretched to 10 days but that would be tops. We actually buy enough milk so that we don’t have to stop mid-week for that.
I can never ‘run in’ anywhere, I always end up with a cart load full…so I guess that does save us money, buying all of the milk we need for the week. We have a 2nd refrigerator in the garage so that is where we keep the beverages…unfortunately the freezer is shot on that fridge, so I am unable to really stockpile alot of frozen goods.
I’ve read about people shopping once a month, they must have a huge freezer or even 2! I’ll be interested to see what comments you receive
Bella
Bella Casas last blog post..And The Winner Of The Pillsbury Savorings Wine Swag Bag Is…
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We go every two weeks. We used to have a membership to Sam’s and went once a month then periodically to the local store for odds and ends, but we found we were spending more that way, so we’ve started going every other week to a local store and it saves us loads.
We have a menu sort of and we probably are due to change a few things up on it, but we typically pick what we’ll be eating and buy according to that and of course the other household items.
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We do what you used to do in the past: a once weekly big trip and one during the week to get more milk and produce.
Vered – MomGrinds last blog post..Am I The Only One Who Thinks This Is Weird?
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Hi, Emily: I plan a two-week menu, check my cupboards to see what I have, then make a grocery list. If my husband requests something special after I’ve shopped, I’ll go to the store for the items (but if I already spent the budget, he waits for it to be included in the next menu). I usually don’t need to go to the store between times. I found this works well for us. Also, I eat or drink before I shop so I’m not so readily swayed by impulse shopping; the more satisfied my tummy is, the more resistance I have to the “I wants!”
I’ve been shopping at Costco and then a lower-priced grocery chain, but I’ve just started shopping at Sprouts (a regional? “farmers market” grocery) for my produce, for the variety. I’ve yet to see if it make a difference in my spending.
Thanks for asking! I’m curious to see if there’s much variety to the answers you receive. ~ Julie
Julies last blog post.."Home"
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once per week, on saturdays. we used to go whenever, but the store is a 5 mile drive for us so we have trimmed the frequency of the trips to save on gas. if i forgot something really indispensable we get it at the co-op, but that tends to be REALLY expensive, so there’s a policy of doing without the forgotten things (we just survived a week with no pepper! hard times!) i don’t think i could do the 1 x per month thing. it’s so much advance planning ! once per week has saved us lots of money over when we used to go whenever we needed something, which always meant we’d pick up ten extra things along the way.
neimanmarxists last blog post..Simplified Cooking
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Once a week, but we’re buying for our family and twelve tiny people. It’s definitely more cost affective to do it all in one fell swoop.
Writer Dads last blog post..Namasté
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We go once every two weeks to buy grocery. This is how it has always been. Don’t have a car. So whatever outside work we need to do is crammed into that one day (we rent car for that day). The only problem with shopping like this is that initially we bought food way more than required and often it went bad. Finally have got the quantity right.
Avani-Mehtas last blog post..Saying No – And Feeling Good About It
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Too often! I do a weekly meal plan and shop for that, but inevitably something changes or comes up and I’m back at the store.
Vintage Mommys last blog post..I Shouldn’t Have Gloated
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About once every 2-3 weeks for freeze/store cupboard items and then once weekly for perishables. The less I set foot in grocery shops – especially the big stores – the happier I am (and so is my purse).
Sharon Js last blog post..Bottle & Can Deposit Schemes
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It really all depends on the grocery sales. I usually go just once a week, but if there are some great sales I can buy a lot (a month long menu plan helps with that a lot) and not have to go back (except for milk) for close to two weeks. Produce won’t last that long, so usually we have our fresh produce in the days right after a grocery trip and then rely on frozen and canned veggies/fruit until my next regularly scheduled trip
Alison @ This Wasn’t In The Plans last blog post..Pulling the Plug to Save Money
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In the summer once a week or every other to the farmer’s market, when that’s over we eat from what I’ve canned. We get raw milk, free-range eggs & meat from a small local farm every Thursday. We buy flour & baking supplies at a small local bulk food store about 3-4 times a year. Since we make everything from scratch we are saving tons compared to what we used to spend when we went to the grocery once a week. We’re saving about $100 a month by shopping locally at the farmer’s market, buying milk locally and making everything at home.
Susys last blog post..The Itsy Bitsy Spider
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Weirdly, I do best when I shop frequently, like every couple of days. I always *try* to do the thing where you make a 2 week meal plan and buy everything at once. But invariably the produce goes before we get to that dish or something spoils, or we run out of a key ingredient at the wrong time… So we don’t end up saving money. Instead, I just buy enough to make a couple of dinners, and that’s it. Usually it’s a big pot of soup or a couple of pans of something casserole-ish, then fruits and vegetables to round it out.
~Angela
Angela (Cottage Magpie)s last blog post..Collected Treasures
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I tried bi-weekly shopping for the first time last week. I got some great deals and it’s nice to have an entire week off. The downfall is that my kitchen is ity bitty. It was really hard to store everything!!!
Rachels last blog post..Featured at Today’s Housewife
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IM not one to gauge by as I go all the time.
) and more as a time killer (chance to learn about healthy foods is what i tell myself 
) with my Toddler Tornado.
less for need (sometimes we just do the free samples
MizFits last blog post..Poetry in Motion.
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I make a big trip to a super store once a month…mostly the inside aisles, for staple like baking supplies, peanut butter, rice, etc. Also, once a week I go to my local grocery store to take advantage of the loss leaders, and whatever meat and fresh produce is on sale. While I’m out, I stop by the local surplus grocery to check their unpredictable super deals. We freeze milk so no “between” shopping. I make my menu plan from what I have in the pantry/freezer instead of buying for the menu plan.
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Thanks for the input, everyone! Hmmm I need to think more about freezing milk. I’ve tried it in the past and maybe it was just a coincidence but one of my kids got sick when I tried it so I didn’t keep doing that. I would love to not be making those extra trips, although we are good and restrained and really do just get milk and bananas (I need to plant a banana tree!).
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I go every few days to Safeway because it’s located directly on my way home from work. That also means I’m usually going late at night (I work 3 evenings per week) when the store is very quiet. The only downside is that sometimes they’re out of something and won’t have it on the shelves again until the next day. I buy most of my regular groceries there, including produce, and all my milk and cream. I get Air Miles on food and prescriptions and there’s a 10% discount on the first Tuesday of the month (something I should remember more often). My daughter’s school also sells Safeway gift cards as a fundraiser and I’m going to start buying them. If I remember correctly, the school gets 8%. At about $100/wk, I could be giving the school just over $400/year without changing my spending at all.
I go to the deli Thursday on my way home from work (I work days Thursday & Friday) and often have to go back again on Friday for something necessary, like challah buns, which they may not have on Thursday afternoon. This is where I get my bread products, meat, cheese, fish and bakery goodies.
Once every couple of weeks I go to Superstore for things that are either only available there or are at a much better price than Safeway. I don’t buy produce here unlesss I’m desperate because it’s usually gross, but they sell the protein drink I have for breakfast $1.10 cheaper per bottle! Since I drink 1/2 a bottle per day, that’s a big savings. I also buy butter, sour cream, a particular type of bread that only they carry, pistachio nuts, some candy, granola bars, and cookies that are unique to them. They’re also good for disposable goods, like Kleenex and foil pans. But they’re a little out of my way (about a 10 minute drive to either of 2 stores) and usually have long lineups, which is why I don’t go that often.
As for freezing milk, when I used to do it there were complaints from the kids about the way the butterfat clumps when it thaws (even after shaking the container). It’s perfectly fine to drink but it bugged my eldest so much that he used to pour his milk through a strainer! To avoid it spoiling, buy milk with the best “sell by” date you can, buy the 1 litre/quart containers, freeze it immediately, thaw it in the fridge if possible (though that sometimes takes forever) and use it fast.
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One superstore trip Saturday morning for everything from paper towels to organic dairy. Saturday is an elaborate or fun meal and Sunday is the big comfort cook and organizing for the week. Then one extra quick trip to the grocers for a few veggies and meat for 2 days (usually on a Tuesday). Fridays are take out.
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Once a month! We fill up the trolley with lots of frozen foods (vegetables and fish), buy up sliced loaves of fresh bread and bung those in the freezer two, and put our fruit in the fridge so that it keeps. Because we get it out the way in one go we aren’t dipping into our food budget throughout the month. We just buy milk.
Miss Thriftys last blog post..FRIDAY BARGAINS: Betty Jackson at Debenhams (again)
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We do a big shopping one day a week- at two stores- Sam’s Club and Shaw’s. Then if we have to stop throughout the week , it’s for perishables or H&B things we run out of that can’t wait until the ened of the week.
ginas last blog post..cheez-y’mores
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[...] How often do you grocery shop? Remodeling This Life wants to know. [...]
I try to shop once a month for the bulk of our groceries and then bi-weekly to pick up perishables/produce/loss leaders.
Edies last blog post..Let’s talk pumpkin
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We shop for two humans, two large canines, and two small felines plus our kitchen is literally from 1955 so we dont have a lot of food storage. We take a weekly trip to Sam’s Club for animal food and supplies in addition to paper goods (kleenex, TP, etc – hooray for allergies!). We also make a weekly trip to the local grocery for breakfasts, lunches and dinners which are all preplanned before we shop. We rarely take in-between trips unless something comes up in which we need to bring a dish or something.
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Hey there, visiting from Writer Dad.
I shop once a week – and always with a child in tow so I’ve mastered a strategy to get me round that supermarket, paid up and on my way before the first thought about throwing cans out of the trolley enters their bored little head!
I appear to have two children with the World’s Biggest Appetite because they just never stop eating.
Seriously, these today they built a den on my bed and said: “bring us a feast of fruit (I know I know, I should be grateful)” but this was but 10 minutes after the largest Sunday dinner you’ve ever seen and an ice cream Sunday.
I don’t know where they put it. Hollow legs and all that!
Tara@From Dawn Till Rusks last blog post..Things that make me go WOW! #1
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I’m living in the UK, and since I don’t drive, I’ve had groceries delivered weekly since moving out to this village. We used to live across the street from an American sized grocery, and I walked over there almost daily. I could only bring home as much as would fit in the baby’s stroller basket, but it’s surprising how much junk could fit in besides the few items actually needed.
Anyway, since moving, our grocery bill dropped when I went with delivery. I could get back into my old habit of a weekly menu plan and an accumulating list. Plus, various treats and goodies which seemed worthwhile when bought a singly every day, are unreasonable to buy for delivery. One candy bar (daily) didn’t seem so wrong, but adding a package of candy bars to the order DID. So the savings of planning, and the savings of avoiding junk food.
For the first few months, I still walked to our local co-op grocery mid-week for milk and bread. Then, the milkman stopped by one afternoon! I knew milk delivery was still widely available here, but hadn’t thought about getting it. Now, I get fresh milk 3 times a week. I may have to walk up and get bread sometimes but that’s not so bad as there are 3 places in the village to get fresh, local bread. And, I’ve been trying to fit baking back into my schedule. I’ve also considered some of the other items the dairy will deliver: pet food and litter, veg. boxes, and of course, cheese, yogurt, butter. Not my preferred brands, but it may still be worthwhile.
I’ve been trying to stretch the order out into a two-week cycle, because there is a delivery fee. But, given the size of refrigerators here (a really big dorm fridge, and a freezer the same size.) I have to think carefully about what can be stored. Now that the weather is changing, I may be able to simply store fruits and veg in the garage.
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I’ve shopped less and less frequently this year, thanks to putting in a huge garden and getting four laying hens. The one thing we still go to the grocery store for consistently is milk. Everything else we need comes from the garden, the hens, can be gleaned, or can be bought in bulk. I bake all our own bread, and we have an apple tree that is extending our fresh fruit season right now. We have a big chest freezer, and we’re slowly eating our way through half a hog and half a lamb.
We haven’t done any of our previously normal big shopping trips since May. We tend now to either make trips to Trader Joes for bulk items like olive oil and pasta, or hit the farmers’ markets for the few things we need that we aren’t growing ourselves. Only the dairy items are left to still pick up at the store. So every 7-10 days for just a few items. I suspect I’ll be shopping more through the winter as our supplies of homegrown stuff dwindle.
Kate@Living the Frugal Lifes last blog post..Fingerless Gloves – Easy Knitting Project
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I shop every two weeks. I make a list of two weeks worth of meals and buy what I need to make them. Other than what I already have on hand, of course. I also try to stock up on staples at the same time. We live 20 miles from the nearest grocery store, so we have to be prepared! I have been trying to get into the habit of “going without”. I typically would run into the store when I’m in town mid-week if we needed more of something or I had forgotten something. But I have learned that just because I wanted red peppers for our tikka masala doesn’t mean we need them. We use soy milk and buy it in bulk at Costco so thankfully I don’t have to buy that mid-week. The only think we constantly run out of is bananas – I agree with the previous commenter – I need a banana tree as well! Only, I don’t think they would grow very well in three feet of snow in Montana. : )
Kellis last blog post..Ordinary Day
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baby strollers should be strong and sturdy, avoid those baby strollers that are made from plastic`;’
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baby strollers with high traction rollers should be much safer to use compared to those with plastic wheels ,`-
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I also grocery shop every other week..unless a special event occurs at last minute and I need to go stock up for it. We are big milk consumers we are a family of 3 and consume a gallon of milk every week. My trick…I stock up on milk and FREEZE a few gallons in the garage refrigerator. When we are running low on the gallon that is being used in the kitchen refrigerator then I get out a frozen gallon and let it defrost overnight in the kitchen sink. Come morning the milk is completely defrostd and ready to be served.
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