I try for a once a week shop. I do get bulk items at Costco, but those trips are done randomly when It looks like I am running out of something.

A Wegmans is planned a few towns over. I used to work next door to this corporate park so it would have been fun to stop in after work. But, I hear such amazing things so I will definitely do a field trip when it opens.

I plan 3 or 4 meals. Things always turn up and I find either DH isn't coming home for dinner as planned or we wind up going out spur of the moment.

I generally shop once/week for the main groceries.

I can,freeze and stockpile whatever I can,which generally takes in couponing before any really good sales run out.

Shopping here for really good deals involves going out to a city,which is usually every 2 weeks or so,otherwise,for fresh fruit/veggies that can be done in a town about 1/2 hour away

Couple times a week alternating between Albertson's, Smart n' Final, Costco and Trader Joe's. Meat and staples bought when needed from Albertson's, Smart n' Final and Costco and it is the need for more veggies that drives most shopping trips.

Mainly once a month, but I go every few days to pick up some things, if I happen to be out and about. Otherwise, I live 15 miles from town, so I seldom make a special trip.

Once a week if they have sales at a local grocery store that I use and then the once a week to Walmart for food and everything else.

We like to eat fresh vegetables and chicken or fish, so we buy what we need twice per week on average. I shop at Trader Joe's almost exclusively. I love the smaller footprint and plethora of checkers. I'm in and out in 10 minutes, 15 if I browse the new items. I go to Costco once every month or two for toilet tissue, almond milk and nuts. On those visits, I sometimes pick up fresh produce if it looks good.

I save my grocery list to clicklist. Submit the order about once a month. Pull up to the door, they load my car and I drive off. Love it!

I prefer fresh, too. I only freeze things that were purchased frozen with the exception of English muffins which I like to have always on hand.

I usually go to the store once a week for a "big" shopping - try to plan that trip when my yard man is here so he can carry things up from the basement garage. I then often stop one or two other times at a local small grocery/produce store and get fresh produce and occasionally some foods they prepare and sell there. Didn't have time to go Wed - big clean-out with yard man - so went today when my cleaning help was here so she could carry thing upstairs.

I've been using Kroger's ClickList a lot this winter - order online, pick up in the parking lot and bring it all home. It's great for when I order big quantities of paper goods which I very much like to always have on hand, in abundance.

I use the Kroger clicklist exclusively. Ordering online is the best because I always purchase the same items and they’re already saved to my list.

Shopping and cooking for 1 is why I freeze almost everything. One large meal gives me a week of left overs.

Every time I'm out. If I'm out playing bridge, I go to the store after. If i go to the movies, I stop at the store after. If I'm out having lunch, I'll zip to the store after. Sometimes that's several times a week, sometimes a week will go by. Never do big grocery orders anymore. Today I had a Dr.'s appt. and stopped at the store. Tomorrow I'm decorating a friends house for our Oscar Night party and will stop at the store again. Didn't want to buy strawberries today, will pick them up tomorrow. We have so many choices of stores within 10 - 15 minutes that it's not a big deal. Food Lion, Trader Joe's, Fresh Market, Farm Fresh, Walmart, Harris Teeter's and coming soon, Publix.

JeCrigler, why do you freeze eggs if you shop twice a month? They can last for months in the fridge... (industry standards)

Ususally once a week for the staples I use...but since I only live 5 blocks away, I might go more often...depending on what I need at the time.

Usually every 3 weeks I do a big shopping. I love grocery shopping and look at everything to see if there is something new I want to try. I am lucky I have a cousin who likes to shop as well so I don't have to hurry. We go to Costco at least once a month. Sometimes I pick up a few things that I might need before my big shop usually cat or dog food, treats or because I am craving something or something I need for a recipe or because meat or something else is on special.

I shop once a week unless we run out of cat food and then off to the store I go.

Once a month as the nearest grocery store is 45 min. from us. I always try to have a extra of everything I use. Being that far from a store makes it impossible to just jump in the car & run to town. If I could afford it I would have things sent right to the door as I hate to shop.

Husband and I both enjoy grocery shopping. Now that we are retired and live in town with (how many? a dozen? more?) grocery stores within a few miles, we go at least every other day.

Anxiously awaiting the start of the Tuesday & Saturday farmer's market and truly fresh veggies. Also deciding which CSA to join this year, for a weekly crate of locally-farmed deliciousness.

usually once a week but I go to different stores so maybe I shop more than once

I buy the 2 dozen egg package. They last me months. But before you freeze them you have to scramble them or separate the whites & yokes in different baggies so they don’t burst. I don’t eat eggs by themselves. But for baking or making salmon patties I need 2 eggs on hand.

Same as Elmer although I will freeze ground beef or pork chops. I can walk to the nearest large grocery store and I have several within 10 minutes of my home by car. We don't live in harsh weather conditions that prevent us from shopping as needed.

We tried the CSA thing a couple of times but found ourselves receiving items we might not have otherwise chosen, often (as with veggies) in insufficient quantities or amounts to do much with. There are a number of farmers markets in our area that we go to, not all with the same sellers, and we prefer the hunt so we can buy what we see that we find interesting.

Almost every day. I love to shop sales and may hit four or five grocery stores in a week. Also have two farmers markets so I can pick up fresh fruits and vegetables as I need them.

Elmer, I envy you having multiple farmers markets to choose from (and you too, mrskjun - so lucky!). Our farmers' market is decent sized ... maybe 40 stalls, and controlled to ensure the stuff really is grown or crafted locally. Big enough for variety, small enough to make friends with the regulars. Ironically enough, when we lived in a more rural area, it was harder to buy fresh veggies. Not enough population to support a market, so we used to drive 30 miles into town and buy from farmers who also drove miles into town.

I drive out of town and avoid organized farm markets since most are illegitimate. I've found produce from Mexico, Canada and California. Hardly local by any definition.

I'd rather visit the source, the farm, and pick my own corn, tomatoes, beans and choose my own eggs. It's often far less $$ and there's pond fishing nearby.

During winter we have to settle for the week old produce offered in grocery stores.

You could add my name to Rose's post.

However, unlike Rose, I can walk (and yes, I do) to Sprouts. It's about 4 blocks away... one of the reasons I like this location so much.

I buy what I need, usually go when I am out of milk, or fruit. I don't keep track of how much I spend on food I buy, and don't eat out much.

Moni

I go shopping every two weeks. In the winter, I stock up, freezing extra. I

hate pushing a grocery cart, across a snow packed parking lot.

Brushworks, most of Trader Joe's items expire pretty quickly, so I can't buy too far in advance. When I said we like to eat fresh foods, I only meant that we don't buy prepared foods, whether canned or frozen.

I'm not sure how local the produce is at our farmer's markets. How could one tell?

At least twice a week for staples and more often if company is coming or I want to make a new recipe or something. I like grocery shopping!

Too often! My son used to do most of the shopping but we now live quite a distance from the store and with his ailments he has trouble carry too many things so I'm back to being a regular shopper. It ends up being two or three times a week.

I shop 1 to 2 times per week. I take my car when I do my main shopping, and I have a grocer about 1/2 mile away. I walk to the local grocer when I need small items to supplement my main course.

I really don't like going to the store, so I try to limit it to 2x a week. usually one really close to home - at W for misc things, refill water jugs, pick up a prescription and pick up a few food things i might be needing. Another day (going to the west of me), if I'm going into town (doctor or bank mostly) I stop at a different store with a good deli and produce. It's a bit more expensive, but I'll pay the little bit extra for a few things rather than go back to W a 2nd time.

Often i have a long list (for me) but i mark what I really need for the next few days and get that - then if I'm not too tired, I might get more. I try to limit it per trip 'cause I know when i get home I also have to haul it all into the house and put it away.

Whole heartily agree it is the most dreaded chore of life. I go once a week, before 7AM, in and out ASAP. People standing in the aisles making it their social activity of the day are a HUGE pet peeve of mine. Now that the kids are gone I could maybe go twice a month but old habits die hard I guess. I am sorry but anyone shopping at named grocery stores and claim they have to have it "fresh"; makes me laugh. If you are buying anything not frozen in Jan/Feb it hasn't been FRESH for a very long time but to each his own. If I ever need one ingredient and have to make a run or send someone..I hear my father's voice echoing in my head about the gas it takes to make all these trips. It was the 80's and gas was going over $2 a gal!! LOL Growing up military I remember my parents doing the once a month trips..I grew up on frozen milk you had to shake up before opening. When I became a working woman the gals agonizing over "what to make for supper" each day drove me INSANE. Who needs that stress?!?!? It didn't take long for me to fall into my mother's model. Once a week make a menu of the week's meals, shop for what you need, repeat repeat repeat. That's probably why I don't shop twice a month. Menue planning is the second most hated chore--to come up with a plan to cover two weeks would be painful.

I'm not sure how local the produce is at our farmer's markets. How could one tell?

Others might have good/better answers, but here's a couple of ideas. First, know the growing season in your area. While there is some variation, around here if I see corn on the cob any earlier than July 1st, it's almost certainly shipped in from further south. Berries also have pretty well-defined seasons. Tomatoes sometimes are grown in greenhouses and can be early, but how early?

Second - ask the person doing the selling 'hey, that looks good, did you grow it yourself?' Third (if like me you're not that keen on talking to strangers) look up the name of the stall on the internet. Or read whatever pamphlets/signs the farmer may have printed out for their stall.

Fourth, google the name of your farmers market. The FM site for my old home town is all about keeping your dollars in the local community, using 'local merchants.' Nary a word about where the stuff was produced. The FM site for my current home town goes into detail about locally grown, locally produced, how a farmer (or producer: beekeeper, baker, crafter) can sign up, how often the board meets, etc. And the FM board has their own stall in the FM also overflowing with info about local farms. All good clues.

Mostly every day. I buy what i am eating for dinner fresh on my home from work.

I hate grocery shopping. Maybe 1-2 times a month. I freeze a lot of things as well.

Hubby and I both enjoy grocery shopping and we shop what's on sale in the flyers. Lately there hasn't been anything too exciting. Last week we stocked up on chicken breasts at $2.99 and chicken drumsticks at .99/lb. I portion them out and freeze.

We turned our spare bedroom closet into a pantry with a shelving unit placed inside. We buy our paper goods and kitty litter from Costco.

Our Farmers market is just a tourist trap, and people come from all over on Saturdays. One of our friends who lives in town went there to check out the meat, he ended up by going to one of the grocery stores where the prices weren't 'tourist prices.' I do laugh when I see vendors selling pineapple, mangoes and avocados. None of which are grown in Ontario. They buy from the same food terminal as the grocery stores do. When we do go, just for kicks, knowing what the price that week in the flyer is, I'm not paying thru the nose for potatoes, etc, when the store has them on sale.

The only thing that is reasonable is cabbage. We've seen it for $2.50/head, and as of last year the stores started selling it by the lb, instead of per head. They've never done that before. At .99/lb, cabbage is very expensive. It turns out that our landlords are coming today to do some work, and I texted her to see if he'd pick up a cabbage for us (he goes to the market every week). They are :-)

I'm in Ventura County California. Pretty sure the stuff is locally grown in the farmer's market and even grocery stores have to disclose point of origin of produce. I've heard that garlic can come from China but haven't seen that yet.

Still. Buy broccoli from the grocery store and eat it that day, buy from the farmer's market and it is fine for several days. Found that out before using our current menu planning strategy, whatever goes bad fastest gets eaten first.

I have friends in Manhattan who shop almost everyday. But the don’t have a car so bulk buying is out. But there’s a market in between their apartment and the subway so it’s more convenient.

Most of the fruits and veggies in stores in my area are very fresh because they are broadly local (California). Except for out of season stuff from the Southern Hemisphere or subtropical fruits like bananas or melons during the times of year when California melons aren't available. At farmers markets in my area, sellers almost always have banners on their tables identifying the name and location of their farms. I seem to recall seeing at some farmers markets that there was some overarching regulatory board to insures that sellers were selling their own produce but I don't recall enough to say for sure.

Thanks, Nickel, I'll check out the local FM web site. Since I'm in southern California, I suspect that a lot of the in-season items are local, but it would be interesting to know for certain. I can usually tell when the strawberries are local because they are marked that way, plus they last close to three weeks in the refrigerator.

I sure wish bananas lasted longer. Mine turn black so fast. Nothing I’ve tried keeps them fresh.

We buy food when we need it. I used to go once a week when the kids lived at home. But now it's just my husband and me, so we go when we run low on meat. Fresh food we buy more often as it goes bad faster.

I go a couple times a week. I don't like to have a huge load of groceries to put away when I get home...really bothers me. We live very close to a bunch of stores so I just go more often. It seems like I'm always running low on something that I overlooked and forgot to put on the list.

JeCrigler..I know what you mean about bananas so that's when you pull out the flour , eggs, and sugar and make banana bread. Lol. I rarely buy more than 5 bananas at a time..there's 5 of us so one each. Once in awhile when the sale price is to good to pass up, 19 cents a pound I buy a lot....and I know I'll be baking.

I used to enjoy grocery shopping. We all went as a family, but the boys would rather stay home on Saturday so hubs and I go. I try to buy a weeks worth. I do some freezing. Like if I'm making meatloaf ill bake two and freeze one. Some things I make in bulk and freeze are spaghetti sauce, soups, chili, sloppy joe, ham bbq, cookie dough, pot roast (not the veggies)..I'm sure there's more...I just made 18 quarts of chili last week and have that in the freezer. I use those big ice cream plastic buckets. I figure its often cheaper cooking in bulk and I am feeding an army here with 5 of us.

Mike passes a grocery on the way home from work so he calls me before leaving work during the week to see if I need anything. I usually need milk, veggies, fruits. Sometimes a ingredient for a new recipe. I'm on a strict budget and am always looking for ways to stretch the grocery dollar at the same time providing well balanced meals for the kids...I rarely ever buy processed foods with the exception of spaghetti O's which the boys LOVE. We also don't eat out unless were given a gift card and when the boys bring home a free personal pan pizza coupon from Pizza Hut that they receive from school every 9 weeks after reading x amount of books they are required to read. Even than we usually take them on a Saturday for lunch and Mike and I just get a drink.

So that's my life story. Lol

I also remembered, since I use the Kroger clicklist, there’s a $4.95 service fee. So it’s only worth it to stock up. Would be a waste to spend a few dollars and pay a service fee.

Me? Hardly ever unless it's for specialty items. DH shops nearly every day...I'd say 6 out of 7 days a week for sure. He goes to the gym 5 days a week and typically stops at a store after gym to pick up a few things. And daily he's pouring over flyers looking for specials.

I always had a problem with buying bananas in bulk but someone at work told me (and I have been doing this now for over a year....) that if you put them in the fridge, the peel will blacken but the banana doesn't continue to ripen at the fast pace. So you will have a dark peel banana but it will be really good inside.

I have been doing this and I find it really helps prolong the life of the banana. I hate the really ripe ones and I always just put them in the freezer to make a banana cake later. I remember asking if there was any reason not to put the banana in the fridge and several people said it was not good to do but there is no risk or anything.

Give it a try when you buy the big bunch- it's been (almost ) life changing for me and I hope you give it a try and have as good a result.

And we go for a big shopping once a week but end up stopping in probably 3 times a week. It;s more DH doing as I work and he is retired and he seems to not mind running out for odds and ends and doesnt like too much frozen.

I hate grocery shopping. Plan a menu for the week & go once a week. I do stock up on meat when it is on sale & freeze it.

Yes to putting bananas in the fridge. They'll look 'dead', but be good for a long time.

*I* grocery shop 2 - 3 times a month, but DH is always willing to go for milk, cream, chicken breasts, ground beef, 'whatever'. We shop Costco about every 6 weeks now that there is one only slightly farther away than our local grocers.

California is *different* than much of the US in its supply of locally grown produce. I prefer a good brand of frozen vegetables over the 'produce' offered in *any* of our grocery stores. I'm content with berries from Chile, too.

I remember a neighbor telling my mother that she'd gone out that very morning to buy the freshest lemons for a tea party. She obviously didn't know the store received a shipment of lemons quarterly.

Glad to see someone else with the banana fridge ... I was just thinking about this thread this morning listening to the horrendous weather forecasts. When I hear bad weather on the horizon I confess I am one of those who will get anxiety over it and feel compelled to visit the supermarket one last time to ensure just in case we lose power or cant get out for a few days.... that bread, produce and other odds and ends (milk!!!) are in abundance in the house. I have never really been without, but we did have a few maybe 2 day shut in experiences where of course we had ample food but the combos started to be a bit bizarre so to speak. Always lots of food but I guess it just brings out my anxiety.