Question

How often do you grocery shop? We typically go every two weeks when my husband gets paid. I usually have to grab a few things in between and sometimes I feel we don’t stick to our meal plan or things go bad before we use them. I’m debating starting weekly now that I’m cash budgeting. If you go weekly do you feel it helps stay on budget and cut down on waste?  

Answer 1

We shop every Friday. My grocery store does Friday deals, which helps and we save more money bc things don’t go bad before I can use them. I also found this helped me stick to my menu. When I shopping every two weeks, I would always crave something and hit the grocery store again. Now I can make myself wait since it’s at most a week and not two  

Comments

@heydon30 I also try to shop fridays for store deals especially if really low prices on items we stock up in freezer. I get the sales ad Wednesday, meal plan, ck pantry and fridge then gather any coupons etc and I'm ready to save some $$$✔️

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@peracid same! My family thinks I’m crazy for putting so much work in to making a menu etc but I save so much money this way

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@heydon30 agreed!  Yes, it's work but worth it in the long run! So many don't realize how much is spent on food/prepared foods/takeout and the costs steal hard earned money that can be used for other things we want to do in life. My friends don't understand why I say no to lunches or dinners out. cuz Mama wants a vacation, paid in cash that's why! ✈⛱

Answer 2

I do every other week, on pay weeks. I make a meal plan before hand, and stick to those meals. It might not be on the exact day I planned it to be on, as long as the meals still get made/eaten

Answer 3

We recently started going weekly vs. once or twice per month. I’ve found that by going weekly, I’m truly only getting what we need to last us the week, and we’re not wasting NEARLY as much food as we were previously. Before we started budgeting, I’d go grocery shopping maybe twice per month, and spend about $250 each trip. Then, we’d keep forgetting to take meat out of the freezer which would lead to us just going out to eat. So now, not only are we spending less at the grocery store, but we’re cutting down on waste, as well as saving the $400-$500/month on take out! (We have a really good restaurant directly across the street from us so trust me when I say, “the temptation is real”  

Answer 4

We do every two weeks for bulk or freezer, and every week for fresh produce and dairy.  

Answer 5

Once a week on Friday’s usually. I shop sales though so it makes sense for us to shop weekly for sale items than just once a month and miss out on the sales. I do stock up on meat or snacks if it’s a really good deal!  

Answer 6

Weekly definitely helps me a ton!  

Answer 7

Weekly, we started doing it a few months back and it’s really helped us to eliminate waste and mixed with meal planning it also helps us to keep to our budget and even spend less

Answer 8

Every 2 weeks with an occasional trip in between. I make a rough meal plan that we pick through over the 2 weeks. Rarely do I have something go bad except off season produce.  

Answer 9

Do a monthly sam’s/ BJs and weekly for things like fruits, veg, milk, eggs, deli meat

Answer 10

Weekly to the regular grocery store, every two weeks or once a month to Costco for a few items that we eat a lot of. Our goal is zero food waste and we have been doing great with weekly shopping.  

Answer 11

Monthly to Sam's Club and weekly to the grocery for fruit, bread, milk and a few random things we need or run out of. We have been doing better with not wasting since we started using Sam's club and the slowcooker and Ninja foodi.  

Answer 12

The less often I go to the store, the better, as long as I plan strategically to use the most perishable fruits and vegetableS first. For example, eat the bananas before the apples and the lettuce before the carrots and cabbage.  

Comments

@calvincalvina6651 same for us! I try to buy part green and part ripe bananas to stretch out store trips. If I'm not in the store, I can't spend  

Answer 13

We do weekly, we waste less and eat more leftovers which is huge for our budget

Answer 14

2 weeks

Answer 15

I do a monthly trip to Costco for household things and a few food items. Then I go weekly. I've tried shopping and planning for a month at a time, for every two weeks, and weekly. And I've found I waste a lot less when I do weekly, because I go through my fridge every Saturday and figure out what I have and base the next week on that.  

Answer 16

I think I am 1 of few who changed from weekly to every 2 weeks shopping. Every week I would overspend thinking I'll get extras and make it last longer. Nope, didn't work and things weren't used, cooked and food waste galore. Now that I wait and shop my pantry and freezer and use apps like magic kitchen and side chef, I gather up fragments and can get more meals out of things that would typically get tossed out or given to the dogs.  I'm more intentional when I shop every 2 weeks to not forget items, not buy too much of anything I can't freeze and I have to get creative. Even some nights it's just soup for dinner (last night). I save more $ the less I'm in a store of any kind.  

Answer 17

Weekly. That’s about how fast we go through produce and I shop by sales so it helps  

Answer 18

We do the regular store weekly and sams once a month for the stuff we can buy in bulk.  

Answer 19

We usually do weekly taking advantage on weekly sales on food items we need.  

Answer 20

I go weekly now that I’m an all cash spender. It’s easier for the to spend $80-$100 a week versus $200 every two weeks, and stuff goes bad! This week I’m eating from the pantry so only need to get staples (bread, eggs, milk) I see a lot of breakfast for dinner coming our way this week!  

Answer 21

I go weekly

Answer 22

We do monthly. Then I only go strictly for perishable items (vegetables, fruits, milk, bread, etc)

Comments

@mam647 I as well did this for years. Now I do go bi-weekly. For the simple fact that I go to ALDI and it’s an hour away.  

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I shop local at Walmart or Kroger. ALDI is a hour away from us as well

Answer 23

I used to go weekly. but my parents have access to the commissary so now they take me once a month. But sometimes i still go during the week for vegetables or stuff we may need like milk and eggs. But going to the commissary has saved us ALOT of money!  

Answer 24

I started going weekly, saved so much on wasted food because I tend to plan about three to four meals that give left overs or have a few things in the pantry that can sub a meal if needed and now I no longer toss food like I did when we went biweekly.  

Answer 25

Weekly and my grocery list is for my meal plan. I only get to buy what’s on my grocery list and only eat what’s on my meal plan. Saves money, and makes sure my food choices are healthy and delicious.  

Answer 26

I wish I could follow a meal plan. I normally plan ahead, but invariably, my husband will decide that he doesn't want what I have planned, so I have to either switch it out for another days meal (usually dinner), or run to the store for something that he wants. He's getting better at not doing it so much, so I usually ask him what he thinks he might want for dinner that week, try to involve him in the initial meal planning.  

Answer 27

When we go through our meal plan its seven meals sometime it last 7days sometimes it last 14 days because of left overs

Answer 28

I plan my meals every Saturday and go grocery shopping on Sunday.  

Answer 29

Every 3 to 4 days when living in our RV and every week when in our house but I do a monthly big haul for stuff I just all the time.  

Answer 30

I pull cash for two weeks (since that’s how often my husband gets paid) but try to one shop for one week at a time. There are some weeks I need to stock up on a lot of things that add up, so I may spend “over” my weekly budget, but I know I won’t need to purchase as much the second week. I buy all produce weekly

Answer 31

I tried doing every two weeks but shopping with two toddlers is not ideal and I forgot a lot and ended up with things I didn’t need because of them so now I take the stress of myself and go on Sundays or Saturday’s when I have my most free time and I think I like it better.  

Answer 32

I go weekly! Let me say by the time my seven days are up I NEED to go !  

Answer 33

Once a week-love fresh veggies/fruit/meat. Plus more likely to stick to my menu and be more precise about what we need. Since I’ve started we have had very few emergency trips to the store.  

Answer 34

I go weekly. It helps me stick to my meal plan better. I found that when I used to go every other week, by week two I wouldn’t want what I had originally planned. It also helps me cut down on wasting produce and I make almost no “quick trips” after work to grab a few things

Answer 35

Once a week

Answer 36

Once a week

Answer 37

I tried to stretch to weekly, but honestly, we still end up only making it 3-5 days without a “quick” trip!  

Answer 38

We go weekly and it does cut down on waste. Also prevents you from needing to freeze any meat

Answer 39

When we were newly married and had no kids are used to do a big shop once a month and then fill in every week or so. That went out the door we had kids. Over 30 years later we still don’t have a definite time! We try to do Sam’s once every month or two and there may be one or two short trips otherwise. Right now it’s just my husband and I and my mother.  

Answer 40

Once a week. Provides good pacing for us and things don’t go bad.  

Answer 41

I go weekly. We have 5 kids and are overseas without a big freezer to help with storage.