Store cupboard or daily shopping?

Personally, I prefer to do my shopping on a weekly basis because I think it works out cheaper but lately because of all my bills, I have been doing it on a needs basis so you can normally find me at the shop every couple of days.

We have almost the same plan. I buy the essentials (fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, bread) every three days or so. And I stock everything else (meat, mushrooms, etc). I don't really have a menu, I know what I like eating. I always keep pastas, herbs and spices around.

Emm, I don't like storing foods in the freezer. I'd prefer fresh foods. So, when I plan to cook, I go to the supermarket buying ingredients I want. But I'm not that kind of person need to cook at home every day,so my situation is a little bit different. And with the development of society, freezers are becoming more advanced. So, keeping foods in them don't make the food bad. Then shopping once and stock up for the following days is not bad. It can save your time.

We buy things once a week. I stock up on things when they are on sale that will last in our pantry like noodles, sauce, and canned items. Then I go once a week and pick up the fresh fruit, veggies, meat, or whatever else is needed that we normally have on hand for a meal.

We go to the grocery store every week. We have four cats and they go through their food pretty quickly. We go through our food pretty quickly, also.

Since I moved to my present home I tend to go shopping more or less everyday as I buy local fresh products from farms and farm shops in the area. I tend to do one monthly shop of sundries like flour, rice, and such foods and then buy my fresh foods as I want them. I also enjoy the social aspect of this and the exercise I get walking to the different farms.

Hi hvedra I do bulk shopping every 2 weeks as that is easier for me I will have to get Milk or bread now and again in between that lol but my main shopping is being done in Bulk

I would prefer to stay out of the stores, as I always spend more than I should and shop impulsively. I have a lot of food on hand. I have a major shopping I only do one time a month or so. I believe I could always make some kind of meal with very little trouble.

We had so many green tomatoes given to us and so many beets that we have lots of fresh stuff. No big freezer. Soon, we hope to be able to stock up. Depends on the amount of money we can come up with. Since hubbie is unemployed, it depends on how much work I get. I've been getting enough to pay bills so this will be interesting.

I do both. You can store non perishables. But fresh stuff has only a few days.

Yes, my daughter and I both get SSDI at the beginning of the month. We use food stamps and whatever extra for what usually doesn't quite make it through the month. I was raised by a grandmother and also learned alot about cooking from both her and my mother. My mom was very good at saving money. I learned alot from both of them and we do pretty good. We don't starve.

Hi hvedra! I don't have a car so food shopping to me is a major chore! I hate doing it and my bf hates it too, especially when he I make him go with me. He says I take too long! I do one "big" shopping trip for the month, meaning I get the heavy stuff like sodas, canned goods, cat litter, and whatever else we need. The he will stop at the store usually once a week if there is something that we need like fresh salads or if there is something on sale that I might want him to pick up. We do the major shopping trip and then take a cab home. We only live a few blocks away, but have no choice and that costs $7 for just a short distance. I try to plan meals the best I can in advance so I have the ingredients I need. If another trip is necessary then I just have to go again!

I believe it's best to do both. Buy what can be stored in bulk when on sale. If you have the luxury of time, shop for fresh produce and other fresh items a couple of times a week. To me not everything freezes that well; it depends on what it is. Fresh food, freshly prepared it ideal, but not always do-able and conversely, we do not have time to spend at the market in our too busy world. I'll be buying fresh wild salmon this Tuesday, the last day of the sale, and serving it that night. I bought some on Wednesday, the first day of the sale, and served it the next day, since no one was home for dinner that day, unexpectedly. It held up well, on ice, for one day. It is wise to stock up on enough canned, jarred, bottled, frozen "comestibles" for at least a month's worth if possible and if there is storage space. As you say, fresh veggies, fruit, milk need every day or so purchase.

I go to supermarket weekly to buy canned goods, condiments, washing and bathing stuffs and some personal necessities of the family. I don't store fish, meat or chicken in the freezer, I only buy when needed. My family wants it fresh so most of the time I go to wet market thrice a week. If ever I had bought extra meat and chicken I have it cooked immediately and store them in the freezer and then re-heat it at the microwave during meals.

Since I live nearby a superstore, I'd rather go every other day to the store and pick fresh foods from there rather than storing it in our fridge..

Usually it depends on my mood and what kind of diet I feel like to have then I decide whether to do a big once-and-for-all shopping or just buy a small amount of food every few days. But generally we go to supermarket once a week. We will select two or three leafy vegetables such as spinach and lettuce, and some long-lasting veggies like carrots and peppers. We eat leafy vegetable first then the rest, so in the way we don't need to worry about freshness of food. As for fruit, supermarkets nowadays tend to sell ripe-at-home ones and it usually takes two weeks (sometimes more!!) for fruit to be soft to eat. So we never worry about this. Milk is a bit problem sometimes if everyone in the house is busy to pay a visit to the supermarket. It is probable the only thing which we haven't found the best solution when shopping.

I shop every week. I am afraid if I shop more often than that I will overspend. I do buy canned goods in bulk before the winter months just in case the power goes out. I belong to Sams club and buy canned goods. I use my freezer primarily for my soap making.

Good day to you Hvedra, With regard to your main topic, it is better to have a storage cupboard rather than doing a daily shopping. For this, you can save time and effort. Time in the sense, you will not spending another hour to travel and go to the supermarket or grocery. Effort in the sense, you will somehow save at least a portion of your energy. In connection to the above, I do have an enough stock of foods that will somehow last for 2 to 3 weeks. I just need to re-store them into another container to preserve the freshness of the food. The container must be sealed tight to prevent food contamination. From the time I arrived, I will prepare one by one the containers that I will use. Just like what I am doing when I bought a vegetable, I washed those with sprinkled water before putting those on a bucket with a temperature adjustment on the lid. And I will do the same on the others and use the container that will be applicable to each food. However, in foods like fish and other poultry foods, I washed them together with a sprinkled iodized salt to prevent the spreading of bad smell inside the fridge. In these way, I was able to save time, effort and money since I need not to go to the supermarket that often and will not require me to exert an effort and I was able to save a penny. Have a nice day hvedra.

I have 2 fridges with freezers on top, one side by side and a big freezer thats nearly full lol. I bought fresh veggies directly from the farms and froze everything so I'll have fresh veggies all winter. I'll buy meat when it gets on sale and stock up. I buy foods only when I know the price is low. I hate paying too much. I then can plan all my menus according to what I have on hand. I also make my own bread, so one less thing to buy. I hate shopping to begin with, so hubby goes and he'll go once a week for a few fresh things I need.

What I used to do is shop once a month for main ingredients that can be kept in the cupboard or freezer. As for fresh foods supply, I suppose shopping for a week's menu will be practical as you only would need to spend on gas or transportation once a week. Plus it can also help save time.