Do you shop weekly or monthly?

Fusspot · 3 August 2017 at 8:56PM

I've been watching the Spend, Eat and Save programme on ITV and they advise people to shop for their meals weekly and this helps them save money.

I live alone and don't have a car. I rely on online shopping for a lot of my stuff, especially cat food, cat litter and cleaning stuff, if I bought all that weekly there would be a lot of heavy bag carrying.

But what about food for weekly meals, is it better to buy that weekly or with the monthly online shop?

elf06 · 3 August 2017 at 9:00PM

I do a monthly online shop but as I work in a SM I pick up fresh fruit, milk, bread etc as I'm leaving work

Oh and that way I'm able to take advantage of any YS items too.

bexster1975 · 3 August 2017 at 9:13PM

If you can spend enough online, why not shop for heavy/less perishable stuff online once a month. Then you can shop for fresh as and when you need. I think the idea of weekly shopping is because of weekly meal planning.

Bexster

System · 3 August 2017 at 9:18PM

Hubby is paid weekly so we shop weekly. Dont have the cupboard space to shop monthly.

suki1964 · 3 August 2017 at 9:18PM

For me I'm kind of ad hoc

I live miles from shops and I hate shopping full stop

I tend to hit the butchers one month and get a meat parcel,mother following month go to the chicken factory. I know I'm very lucky I have access to these places and they do keep my food bills down yet we eat meat or chicken 5 or 6 days a week

The rest of my shopping is a weekly shop in lidl. I shop there because there is no choice and a very limited range. I can be in and out in 15 mins only having spent £15 quid

I shop in Tesco or Sainsbury's about once every six weeks to get the little items lidl doesn't stock

We need to go mid week for milk and bread and I'm more then happy to pay local shop prices then do the 12 mile round trip into the local town. 35 miles to a town with more then one supermarket

If I didn't have a car I would use the deliveries to get heavy stuff delivered for the month or two ( depending on vouchers etc) but food? Nope, I wanna go out and see and pick and choose what I'm buying.

I won't have fresh veg every day, but then frozen or even tinned is just as good nutritionally. Meat bought at the weekend sits happily in the freezer

trailingspouse · 4 August 2017 at 11:43AM

Main shop once a week at Aldi, with a top-up in between times for fresh fruit and veg, then once every 6 weeks of so I go to our big Sainsbury's for things I can't get at Aldi. Aldi is within walking distance, so I don't use the car for the top-up shop, thus saving even more money!!

I used to shop at Sainsbury's all the time, until our local Aldi opened 18 months ago. I reckon I'm saving +/- £25 a week now to say nothing of the time saving - Sainsbugs is a 20 minute drive away, Aldi is within walking distance (although I still use the car for the big shop).

Whoknowskt89 · 4 August 2017 at 12:27PM

I rely on online shopping too as getting into my building with a lot of shopping is awkward.

I order online once a month - this will included pretty much everything, fresh, frozen, cat litter, bulky etc
When I run out of things, I pop to the shops to grab something I need. I'm local to a few shops so it's easy for me to pick up a loaf of bread or fruit etc on the way home from work. I don't eat meat and a lot of my vegetarian stuff is frozen (fake mince etc)

I don't think I could do weekly shopping, too much effort and then gives me too many choices of what I could eat! I'd probably spend more and buy more treats if I went every week.

LameWolf · 4 August 2017 at 2:36PM

I don't do a regular "main shop" at all!
I have a list permanently on the go, headed up with the different SMs I use, and when either Mr LW or I see that something is needed we write it under the appropriate SM. When the list is worth the bother OR something is needed "right now" then we shop.

Generally speaking I visit @ldi one to three times in a week (depends how much milk we've used) Morries roughly once a month or possibly a bit less, and Tossco's about once every 6 weeks or so.

We visit the F&V market stall once or twice a week - whenever we go into town for anything else. Only regular shop is the monthly farmers market for cheese eggs and honey - and our "treat" of a pot of unpasteurised cream.

Shropshirelass · 4 August 2017 at 3:15PM

Once a month I do an online shop with S'bry to get heavy/bulky items delivered i.e.uht milk, loo paper, tinned fruit, corned beef, salmon, butter, ice cream, dog biscuits. I only pay £1 delivery for over £40 order.
Wednesday or Thursday DH and I go early to Lidl, for fresh fruit and veg, fish, cheese, any specials we fancy. It's the only time he goes out shopping so we often have a coffee in a local cafe afterwards.
Saturday I go to local butcher and baker, sometimes I have an order with them e.g. long weekends I order bread and rolls as they sell out quickly especially when we have lots of holiday visitors in town. I might order from the butcher too, if we are having visitors for Sunday lunch or a bbq. Otherwise I chose from what he has on display.
When I was working I used to do a big shop once a month on my way home from work, then top up weekly. Being retired, money poor and time rich, I try to enjoy shopping, but it usually means going early to avoid crowds, so not many bargains available.

SunnyGirl · 4 August 2017 at 3:22PM

I live alone too and meal plan and shop online monthly. I buy 48 cans of dog food, cat litter etc so I don't have to carry all the heavy stuff myself. I did the same when all 3 children and my husband were at home too.

I buy fresh fruit and veg, frozen and tinned also enough milk and bread for the month so I don't have to go to the shops in between deliveries. This is partly for budget restraints (I'm a mature uni student with a part time job) and partly because I hate shopping

I batch cook and freeze in portions for myself so use the fresh stuff first and throw very little food away.

I eat well, have more than my 5 portions of fruit and veg a day, eat plenty of lean protein in meat, eggs & pulses and a varied diet which is cooked from scratch.

PasturesNew · 4 August 2017 at 6:08PM

I don't have pets and I don't clean ... so I shop when I'm bored of the food I've got or I've run out of something I eat a lot of/need and haven't had in the house for 3-4 days.

The trouble with food shopping is you always come away with things you never intended to buy ... rarely of benefit to you ... most often treats or new possessions.

Yesterday I "just popped into" a couple of shops and acquired 12 packets of crisps and two small pieces of trellis (fencing) at 50p in the £land sale! Don't need them ..... but bought them anyway.

I do try to avoid shops....

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Do you shop weekly or monthly?

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