Grocery Shopping Poll/Question

[-Shannon-]

So I feel like I have to go to the grocery store too often, most of the time for meat. There's only two of us but still I'm wondering if I should buy a lot at once (which can be expensive) or just get it when I need it (making too many trips within a week to the store). I tend to buy at least one package of all the meat I want when shopping. For instance, I'll typically buy a big thing of ground meat, a package of chicken breasts, pork chops and or turkey. I don't normally use that all in a weeks worth of time but still seems to go faster than I expect it too.My question is what do you do? Buy a lot at once so you don't have to worry about it for a couple weeks or do you go to the store more than once or twice a week to pick up stuff like that? This is probaby one of the stupidist questions ever asked but I'm curious what you all do.Thanks! 

[relznik6]

I actually do a little of all (except the "blech" part)!I buy lots if there is a great sale and stock up in the freezer.  Otherwise, I try to plan out menus and go to the grocery store once a week!  However, I've been known to do the every couple of days thing too.....when I'm not feeling inspired or motivated mostly! 

[MamaK321]

i selected planning my meals out but I also buy enough for 2 weeks worth. Then I only have to make a run to the market if I happen to need more milk or bread or to pick up any items that I missed. my mom hardly ever plans her meals out ahead of time and that drives me crazy! I can't just wander into the kitchen at meal time and try to decide what to make, I have a menu on the fridge of what we have in the kitchen so it's easier to keep track and decide.here's my handy-dandy homemade menu & shopping list made using a digi template 

I go to the store once a week for my big shopping . .  milk, cereal, meat (I stock up when it's on sale), things I know I need.  I tend to stop a time or two during the week on my way home to get something.  Like if I decide in the morning to fix something that I might need something for, or milk or bread if we've run out.

[-Shannon-]

Melissa, that's how I feel sometimes. Not motivated to come up with some I actually have in the freezer/fridge. I've been wanting to find more recipes that don't require any meat but we both like having that in our meal so its hard some times.I'm fairly new to the cooking and housewife thingy so I feel completely lost. LOL I like being the cook and all I think my problem is since cooking is still so new to me I'm always wanting to dry something new and therefore have to constantly go to the store to buy the ingredients. I imagine I won't care so much about having to get the meat when I finally have my spice cabinet stocked up.I think I should start planning meals for the week. I like to be organized so that idea will probably suit me well. So far, by the poll, it looks like that's what most people do. In that case, do you all usually make the same thing every week?**ETA*** oooh lots more repsonses while I was typing

[Wendy-Gale]

put some meat on sale for 99 cents a pound and I usually buy 100 lbs

[nene]

I shop on Sunday and get what we need for the week. We plan a week's worth of meals at a time. However, I usually end up stopping once or twice during the week for things missed or if the menu changes. Example-spaghetti tonight turned into penne pasta, so I had to stop for that. There was a time when I was in the grocery store so often that I joked I should get an employee discount. Even now when they ask if I found everything ok, I tell them that I know the store better than they do.

[Art_Teacher]

I don't get too much at once, because we are huge food wasters in our house....meaning things get shoved in the back of the freezer and forgotten, then thrown away after freezer burnt a couple months later.  I have to plan it out week by week, so that I use it as I go along.

[twinsmom1]

i have one of those food vacuum sealers so i tend to buy bigger pkgs. i go to the local butcher shop and buy my ground beef. it is half the price of kroger and seems to taste better. i separate it out so i get a lot for a little.

[Flasher]

For the most part, I shop every two weeks.  I plan two weeks worth of meals (all of them, including lunches for DH and snacks for everyone else).  Then I make my list and head out.We very rarely eat meat, but when we do it's turkey (whole birds or ground turkey for meatloaf, meatballs, tacos, etc.)  Since ground turkey is on the pricey side, I stock up only when it's on sale and freeze it.Now, when it comes to things like lettuce, cabbage, celery, carrot and other produce items, it's not a stretch to see one of us running to the store twice a week to replenish those.  We're big salad eaters!

[Janshotgun]

The grocery store (walmart) is 30 minutes away, so I go once a week.  I have a menu and list planned so I very rarely run out of anything.  We also have a meat market 30 minutes away that I stock up on ground chuck, chicken breasts (10 pound sale), roasts, steaks, porkchops, etc.  I then divide the packages up when I get home.  However the meat market closed for the winter (first week of January) and doesn't open up until right before Easter, so we stock up even more before it closes.  I also make large batches of things in the winter and freeze them for future meals.  I often joke that if we got trapped at home during a blizzard, we could survive for months on what we have, other than milk.

[-Shannon-]

There was a time when I was in the grocery store so often that I joked I should get an employee discount. Even now when they ask if I found everything ok, I tell them that I know the store better than they do.LOL, that's how I feel I'm going to be soon if I don't start organizing our meals Janshotgun, I want us to start eating more salads I just get stuck on the same usual salads.

[dianagirly]

I buy for 2 weeks worth but have to go back for produce and milk after one week.

[scrapn4me]

I love to cook but I don't like frozen meat so I will go to the neighborhood grocer to pick up meat if I need it.  When I make my big grocery trip each week I usually pick up 2 packages of some meat but that is all.  And we don't eat meat each night anyway.  Sometimes  soup/salad, pastas, sandwiches, etc.  I do most of the big cooking on the weekend - then I become Giada or Rachel (only in spirit that is).   Terri

[Charleneanne]

There are only 2 of us at home now too.  On Sundays we do always have one big meal when our boys come over but other than that, cooking for 2.  So I plan a loose menu for the week and go to the store only once unless we flat run out of something we need.  I save a lot of money that way instead of hitting the store 4-5 times a week and picking up stuff I probably dont really need etc. 

[1LuckyMom]

We shop weekly.  We plan our meals for the week and shop on Sundays, buying only what we need, but if they are having a sale, or there's a really good price, or a really good looking piece of meat, I'll buy extra and put it in the freezer, that way we have a back stock that we can rely on if we happen to have unexpected guests, etc.  I find that when we plan that way we end up spending less money on food, and we get more out of each meal because we don't eat more than the right portions if we know said meal is supposed to provide leftovers (that helps with my diet, too

[Janshotgun]

Shannon - just had a salad for dinner with a baked potato!  I love eating salad - in fact I'm known as the salad lady - whenever I'm invited anywhere, I'm asked to bring a salad - because I have a variety of them in my repertoire (sp?).

[FairyMouseMom]

I wrote "buy bulk" because there are days when we get to Sam's Club and stock up on stuff.....cut it down to family size portions...and freeze it!Other times...I vary...buy what I need or for a couple day's worth.  (I hate running back and forth!) 

[butterfly843]

We shop weekly, make a meal plan and then go shopping.  If something is a great price I will buy extra and stock up the freezer. I also freeze some meals for days I don't feel like cooking. We also go to costco once a month.

[sweetpeas_mom]

We buy in bulk, that's why we have a chest freezer. We do our big grocery shopping about every 6 weeks ($150-$175). DH usually goes once a week to get a few things (bread, etc.). We keep ground meat, pork chops, boneless chicken breasts, and chicken thighs/legs in the freezer so I have a variety to pick from. I'm hoping to go shopping again soon since I'm down to 3 chicken thighs, a package of porkchops, and a package of italian sausage.