Does anyone grocery shop only every 2-3 months??

[Um_2_4]

So I am wondering if anyone only grocery shops every 2-3 months?? I mean except for fresh milk, bread, fruit, eggs,veges and bread. Those DH could pick up at our produce outlet or when he gets gas at sams club.

Like to you have a list and replenish staples, like maybe flour, pasta, can fruit, tomato sauce, mayo, mustard, tuna, crackers etc at a warehouse club??

I have a walk in pantry I could reorganize and label for this.

I am thinking to monitor usage, make a list of recipes and stock up every other month or something.

I thought this would also fill in for the supply of food we should have on hand in case of earthquake. (Feels like it is about time for a big one here.)

Sound crazy?

Time saver?

 

When I do go out I prefer to do fun things with the kids. Library, park etc. Rather than using our errand day for stopping at 3 stores iykwim. We could grab some milk at target or something on the way back from the library, but it wouldn't be a 4 hour shopping expedition.

 

[Garga]

I go every other week.  I believe I could probably pull off every 3 weeks without much trouble.

 

I dimly remember trying to plan for 4 weeks and I found that I planned meals I didn't like very much and kept shuffling them off to the end of the month and then the last week we had a week of meals that I didn't want to prepare or eat.

 

However, I'm a picky eater and sometimes I think I'll want to eat something (like when I'm planning it out), but then when faced with it (on the night I'm supposed to eat it) I just can't. I retch. It's really frustrating.

 

For someone who is not picky, then I think 4 weeks would be a snap and you could build up to 8.  You'd probably make mistakes at first and underbuy some things and over buy others, but after a few cycles, you'd probably start to get into a groove.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Wouldn't work out for me based on what I tend to buy.  But hey you could try it.

 

If there is a con in my mind, I think these little trips here or there to pick up fresh stuff would result in me spending too much.  I can't seem to get out of a store without spending more than I planned on when I went in there!

 

 

[Renthead Mommy]

According to my husband and child, and their inventories of the fridge they seem to feel that is how I shop! LOL!

[SparklyUnicorn]

According to my husband and child, and their inventories of the fridge they seem to feel that is how I shop! LOL!

 

Same here.  I feel like I'm at the store every other damn day.  I wish I could just shop once a week!  I try to, but then there is always something.

[Mergath]

It wouldn't work for us because most of what we buy is fresh produce, meat, and dairy. Also, I like to be able to take the weather into account when I'm planning meals, and that's hard to do two months ahead. I don't want to have a bunch of meals that need to be cooked in the oven if we're going to be having a freakishly hot September, for example. 

 

I usually have one big shopping day every two weeks, and then I make a couple quick trips for produce besides that. I think trying to buy three months of food at a time would be such a hassle it would negate any convenience. You'd end up wheeling three carts of stuff out and then have to find a way to fit it all in your vehicle with your kids. Two weeks worth of food is much more manageable. 

[Guest]

That would be heaven but I can't imagine that working here. I don't really have grocery shopping "on the way" to anywhere, such that I can just swing by and get bread or milk. And milk...sore subject here. My family uses a LOT of milk, and that's even with one member (me) being lactose intolerant! I buy 5-6 gallons every week. It kinda kills me but it is what it is.

 

I also have this bad-childhood reaction to infrequent grocery trips because my mother adamantly shopped only every two weeks. Run out of whatever; it wasn't moving her to get groceries. It was her hill to die on, lol. And it's not that she was such a savvy planner that everything just lasted nicely for 14 days. No; it was an only-the-strong-survive feeding frenzy for the first several days while there was "good stuff" in the house. By the second week, there were not enough cohesive ingrdients to make oneself a meal; bread, but nothing to make a sandwich; cereal, but no milk. I always resented that.

 

But I suppose one could be organized about it successfully and that would be awesome, sure.

[Farrar]

When I was a kid and we lived a long way from the grocery store, we would go every two or three weeks and fill 2-3 carts. I can remember being six and "guarding" the extra carts. I can't imagine going every 2-3 months. But we live walking distance from many grocery stores and don't have a large pantry space. I buy a lot more Costco stuff than others, but I still can't imagine being that well stocked. Fresh produce would be the biggest thing in our house. You can get milk and eggs that will last about a month. And bread can be frozen if you have the freezer space for it. But there's no way we could keep veggies and fruits fresh that long with a few exceptions like potatoes, onions, apples, etc.

[Um_2_4]

Lol ok, now you all have me wanting to try to make it work !! ;)

There is a produce and bread outlet 5 mins from my house, so a stop there 1x a week would be no big deal and it is small, so 30 mins top.

I usually hit there 1st, then sams club, then hit 1 more store to fill in the "holes" for special items. Like can water chestnuts or certain brand of ketchup we prefer or pasta sauce since we don't care for the brand sams carries.

I think 1st step would be to eliminate that last stop and then work on cutting sams club to every other week.

So since we eat stir fry almost weekly, for example, next time I'll get 6 cans of water chestnuts instead of 1-2.

That sound doable?

[regentrude]

I don't see any point in doing it, since the bulk of our grocery shopping consists of fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy products which I have to get every few days. (Meat and bread I could freeze.) So I am in the store anyway, and might as well pick up those staples that are running low - it takes just a few  minutes additional time and is much less trouble than organizing a big shopping expedition every few months.

Edited August 6, 2016 by regentrude

[Elizabeth 2]

I actually started doing that last year. It saved our family while we were in some transition periods between jobs and such. It meant that those few where all I could afford were some potatoes, carrots, and apples, we still ate well because I had a very large supply of things like oats, rice, cocoa powder, sugar, butter, etc. I am in the process of working toward that again, but now I know what we need for six months to a year. It has improved my meal and budget planning that way.

[SKL]

I go to the store less and less.  Even groceries can often be purchased online for a reasonable price and free shipping.  Of course I still have to make quick stops for perishables.

[Annie G]

I think I might spend more doing it that way because now I stock up on staples when they go on sale. I'd likely miss that if I only shopped 4-6 times a year. (If I was there to just pick up veggies and dairy I probably wouldn't even see what is on sale. 

 

I do shop for some things like that. I buy my meat every 2-3 months, and I buy my frozen veggies a few times a year.  I put corn up once a year.  I just bought sugar for the first time since it was on sale at Thanksgiving/Christmas. Same with chocolate chips. 

 

But hang in there, people! It gets easier when the kids grow up. I did a week's worth of shopping this week in 20 minutes, in and out. 

[barnwife]

 

 

But hang in there, people! It gets easier when the kids grow up. I did a week's worth of shopping this week in 20 minutes, in and out. 

This sounds...glorious, wonderful, fantastic! 

 

Signed,

Mom who takes the 6, 4, and almost 3 yo grocery shopping every week (and later this year there will be a newborn) and hates that that errand takes a whole morning!

 

OP, I don't think I could do it, but there's no reason you shouldn't try.

[ktgrok]

My advice is to try to go to one store each week, and rotate. Or at least cut it down to two stores per week. That's what I do. So one week is the place I buy meat and a few other things. Next week is regular grocery store. Next week is Aldi. Repeat. 

[Ethel Mertz]

I think it would be a lovely idea! If you have an extra freezer it would be even more doable. We just bought extra local seafood to put in the freezer as this is the season for stripers and harpooned swordfish. I hate grocery shopping and would love to do it less often.

[Pawz4me]

So I am wondering if anyone only grocery shops every 2-3 months?? I mean except for fresh milk, bread, fruit, eggs,veges and bread. Those DH could pick up at our produce outlet or when he gets gas at sams club.

Like to you have a list and replenish staples, like maybe flour, pasta, can fruit, tomato sauce, mayo, mustard, tuna, crackers etc at a warehouse club??

I have a walk in pantry I could reorganize and label for this.

I am thinking to monitor usage, make a list of recipes and stock up every other month or something.

I thought this would also fill in for the supply of food we should have on hand in case of earthquake. (Feels like it is about time for a big one here.)

Sound crazy?

Time saver?

 

When I do go out I prefer to do fun things with the kids. Library, park etc. Rather than using our errand day for stopping at 3 stores iykwim. We could grab some milk at target or something on the way back from the library, but it wouldn't be a 4 hour shopping expedition.

 

Regarding the bolded -- How would that work when you're near time for another big grocery run? Wouldn't you be almost out of many things? So if (for example) that big earthquake arrived a day or two before a scheduled big grocery trip . . . would you be in deep trouble?

 

I've tried various methods of shopping over the years. For us I've found that since I have to go every few days to get fresh fruit and veggies, milk, bread, etc. that it works best to just get whatever staples I need to restock at the same time. I try to keep a decent supply of canned tomatoes, beans, nut butters, soup, flour, rice, bottled water and other non-perishable things and replenish as we use them.

[tm919]

I don't see any point in doing it, since the bulk of our grocery shopping consists of fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy products which I have to get every few days. (Meat and bread I could freeze.) So I am in the store anyway, and might as well pick up those staples that are running low - it takes just a few  minutes additional time and is much less trouble than organizing a big shopping expedition every few months.

Same. I sort of do the bulk paper towels, toilet paper, shampoo, etc. every 2 months or so but mostly because we buy in bulk when I accumulate coupons and there are decent sales. But really, all of that "other stuff" (fruits, veggies) is most of the shopping AND the most time consuming shopping (checking over the fruits and veggies, etc.), so I still end up shopping just as often.

[happypamama]

I go weekly but can usually stretch it to about ten days. We will be out of good produce by then though. But l generally have meat, beans, pasta or rice, etc. in the freezer or pantry. I have a large fridge, and a week's worth of fresh food barely fits in it; there's no way I could put more in there.

 

However, I could probably get away with stopping at Aldi and Giant every two weeks, supplementing produce from a local farm market in between. But I usually shop when I drop the big two at their evening class. I go by myself because the littler three are home with dh (sometimes I take middle child), and it's great. No more shopping after our morning class with five tired, hungry children!

[happypamama]

Also, shopping less frequently would mean fewer sales. Chicken breast on a good sale this week? I'll buy four or five packs. I watch for things like frozen veggies and yogurt cups to go on big sale, and then I buy like 39 at a time. This week, Giant had nice simmer sauces on sale, with an additional discount for buying 8. 8 is only 2-3 meals for my crew, so I bought them for busy nights. My cart is always a mix of stuff for that week plus some for stocking up. I'm sure the people at Giant hate me because I often see things like, "You saved $97 today." And then I hand them a coupon and get fifty extra cents off a gallon of gas. (And pretty much none of it is impulse buys or pricy convenience foods, and I rarely have coupons. I just watch sales for good stuff.)

[Ethel Mertz]

Thanks to this thread, I am now toying with the idea of only going to Whole Foods once a month, Trader Joes once a month, and then filling in as needed with our local grocery and farmers' markets. (WF & TJs are both half an hour away, in the same town where DS has his drum lesson.) I'm betting I'd save money and would be able to shop more efficiently.

 

We already get a few staples from Amazon's Subscribe & Save on a monthly basis and sometimes certain staples only come every 2 or 3 months, so I ought to be able to get on to a similar schedule with grocery shopping. That's not quite like shopping every 2 or 3 months, but it's a start. Can't spend money if I'm not in the store, right?

[slackermom]

I do a full cart shop about once a week, but I rotate among several stores, and I stock up on different things at different places. Some of them I only visit about every 2-3 months, and others are more like every other 2-3 weeks. 

 

I try to use the visits efficiently, and in a way that cuts costs. So, we use a jar of peanut butter each week, but I don't buy a jar each week. When I am the store that sells the kind I prefer, I get 3 jars at a time, and if they are on sale, I will get 6 instead. Then, about a month later, I restock it, but I don't need to pick it up until I am at the right store, and the price is right. I apply that principle to most pantry items, such as canned goods, which I probably only buy every 2-3 months.

[Tanaqui]

I mean except for fresh milk, bread, fruit, eggs,veges and bread.

 

That's 90% of my groceries right there, the rest mainly comprising grains, beans, fresh meat and fish. I prefer to buy my meat and fish within a day or two of use, so I'm actually at my store a three times a week.

 

I mean, really, what else is there to eat? I would not subsist off of canned tuna and crackers, with or without the mayo :)

[Amira]

Yes, I've done that depending on where we live. In one high cost of living area, I'd spend four Saturdays a year going to an inexpensive grocery store that was too far away to visit frequently and a bulk sales places to stock up. I had a list of what I needed and bought enough to last three months. I'd buy milk, eggs, a little meat, tofu, and lots and lots of produce through the week. It saved us a lot of money, especially in a high COL area, and it also saved time and transportation dollars because I was able to walk to do all of our fresh food shopping. Also, I went to a dedicated produce stand for all our produce which made a big difference too- I hate buying produce in a regular grocery store and never do so if I can help it.

 

It's not really a practical system for me in the last few places we've lived, but I do think it's worthwhile if it fits your needs.

Edited August 7, 2016 by Amira

[nd293]

I used to do 1 month. I think the same principles would apply: plan for x meals of whatever a month (considering staples and meats), and buy a backup of other things before you run out (sauces and such). Use the freezer more - grate a lot of cheese for freezing as well as keeping fresh in the refrigerator, for instance. Freeze milk and bread. We had an extra chest freezer when we did this - I wouldn't think it's possible otherwise.

[Melissa in Australia]

We do once a month. We harvest our own meat, have a house cow for our own fresh milk, and grow nearly all our own fresh vegetables. The closest big shopping area is 100 km and takes 1 1/2 hours each way to drive there. When we go we have a very large shopping list and it takes all day.

[Carrie12345]

So I am wondering if anyone only grocery shops every 2-3 months?? I mean except for fresh milk, bread, fruit, eggs,veges and bread. Those DH could pick up at our produce outlet or when he gets gas at sams club.

Like to you have a list and replenish staples, like maybe flour, pasta, can fruit, tomato sauce, mayo, mustard, tuna, crackers etc at a warehouse club??

I have a walk in pantry I could reorganize and label for this.

I am thinking to monitor usage, make a list of recipes and stock up every other month or something.

I thought this would also fill in for the supply of food we should have on hand in case of earthquake. (Feels like it is about time for a big one here.)

Sound crazy?

Time saver?

 

When I do go out I prefer to do fun things with the kids. Library, park etc. Rather than using our errand day for stopping at 3 stores iykwim. We could grab some milk at target or something on the way back from the library, but it wouldn't be a 4 hour shopping expedition.

 

I go to the supermarket pretty much every week, plus or minus a couple of days.  When the kids were smaller, I tried to do every other week, but most of our groceries are milk, bread, produce, and eggs, so that didn't work so great!

 

That said, I do try to keep what I consider something between a "stocked pantry" and official "long term food storage". I don't reduce my shopping frequency, but I may stock up on flour and chicken for the freezer one week, sugar and beef another week, oats and frozen vegetables the next, etc.  Since I have to get the fresh stuff anyway, it isn't a huge ordeal to grab a large number of a few other items at the same time, and I have more opportunities to get them at sale prices.

 

I've actually been pretty lazy about it this summer and need to pick back up so the shelves are full for the winter, when I may not be able to shop when I want to.

 

For me, the hardest part is staying on top of rotating stock.  Especially with a bunch of kids who rummage around for goodies and are terrible about letting me know when they've taken the last of something.  :glare:   A week or two ago, I was somehow out of regular sugar, brown sugar, AND powdered sugar when I was supposed to be baking for an event!

[Pawz4me]

That's 90% of my groceries right there, the rest mainly comprising grains, beans, fresh meat and fish. I prefer to buy my meat and fish within a day or two of use, so I'm actually at my store a three times a week.

 

I mean, really, what else is there to eat? I would not subsist off of canned tuna and crackers, with or without the mayo :)

 

When someone says "groceries" I always assume it's a broad term that also includes things pet food, cleaning supplies, toiletries, spices, etc. My assumption could be wrong, though.

[DawnM]

I suppose I could do it.  I have a 2nd fridge and a large upright deep freezer.   But since I have to go anyway for the fresh produce and milk, I may as well do the rest of any shopping I need too.

 

And I am not organized enough to plan 3 months of meals.

 

We go about 2x per month to Costco and do a large haul.

Edited August 7, 2016 by DawnM