Do you get all groceries in one shop? [merged]

tony_the_typer

thanks, good advice.

stroppyjock

I use T*sco for all my shopping, but as stated in other posts I stick strictly to a list. In summer June/Dec I have a local pick your own and farm shop and I like using them for in season veg.

Elaine_Wilson

I do most of my shopping in supermarkets as it is difficult to get to any farm shops, although I do sometimes manage to go to a local market.

I have taken to shopping twice a week as I find most of the food I buy does not stay fresh enough for a whole week. Some items, such as nuts, I tend to buy at a health food shop as they are much cheaper than at Tescos.

I grow some herbs and intend to grow more salad stuff this year in my garden. But it is difficult to motivate myself when it keeps raining.

velvetybubbles

do most if not all in asda.... to busy to shop around !!

studentgirl_2

For me and my lot I find that I make a list and shop every 10 days online and get the whole lot from Mr S. What can freeze I freeze and the rest stays fresh. I feel that by doing it this way only shop 3 times per pay day. I would love to pop round the local fruit and veg shop but as a working mum I fail to have the time .

Enjoy going back to work and the baby

sammy_kaye18

I tend to do most of my shop in T£sco too. I do have a set list of what I tend to get but find I am tweaking this now as I am about to start maternity leave in a few months time.

I figure if i get the bulk of my things delivered from there then I can walk into town with baby in the buggy and get fresh fruit/veg form the market that is there on a Tuesday and then walk back with it - effectively getting me some much needed exercise and fresh air as well as babe.

*manda*

We buy the bulk in Sainsburys- for what we buy (mostly fruit/veg/meat) it is always cheaper than other supermarkets. We don't stick to a list but will vary slightly depending on what is on offer in the way of meats/veg etc. We also stock up on things when they are on offer such as coffee/laundry detergent/loo roll.

We possibly could shave a bit off by going elsewhere for some items but the extra time/petrol would not make it worth our while to do so.

In the summer we can harvest more from the garden which helps.

Triggles

We buy a majority of our basic items at Sainsburys, as DH works there, so we get a discount. The local Aldi is near Sains, so we stop there if we like any of the super 6 fruits/veg for 49p. There are certain things we do pick up at Asda or Tesco, generally we just time them for either when they are on sale, or in combination with a trip that is in the general vicinity of those stores. We also once a month buy some meat from the local butcher as they have some good deals on roasts/joints.

I think whether or not people shop at different places during the week depends a lot on where you live and what's available, as well as your transportation options.

Kimitatsu

I rarely do all of my shopping in one place now! I reduced working hours from full time and now that I can mix and match I find that my shopping bill has reduced :eek:

Personally I dont like Tesco, I find that the quality is not that great and the prices tend to vary from store to store let alone week to week. I use Netto for special offers on non perishables such as toilet paper, washing powder for dog beds, special offers etc etc, I try to do a big monthly shop at Morrisons, Waitrose and M&S, Morrisons for the basics and Wiatrose and M&S for offers and more specialised items (We have lactose/gluten/soya intolerances in our household and many of the supermarkets dont cater for that). M&S always suprises me because the quality is excellent and the offers are often better than Tesco.

I use the local butcher for a regular meat order, works out far cheaper than the supermarket and once you become a regular then you always get a bit more knocked off For the perishables then all of them tend to be much the same for milk, eggs we have chickens (try it and you will never buy eggs in a shop again) and veg tends to be either from Aldi/Lidl which have an excellent range or the local farm shop.

Meal planning is the best way forward IMO, then you dont waste anything, I have been amazed at how having more time has meant that although our money has gone down the quality of life has not, and we eat very well!

katsu

I think how flexible you are in what you eat (and how keen you are to pay the lowest price for a particular item) also affects your choice of shops. My OH has diabetes so I'm looking for the lowest sugar version of things (take custard tarts, the difference in sugars per 100g ranges from around 10g in shop X through to 15g in shop Y for an apparently identical product). This means that if I want custard tart as a treat I want to go to shop X. However, as we have to have low GI food that means I need to buy, for example, wholegrain pasta. Mr T's own brand is vile, Waitrose is very tasty. So I go to Waitrose and buy pasta.

I also like to not waste money so I do things like only buy white vinegar from Asda or the chinese supermarket. Unfortunately I can't get all my shopping in either of those so again I'm on a two store (minimum) trip.

Bit of a random answer to your question but, in essence, for healthy eating (and a refusal to pay more than I need to for items) reasons I find the best approach is to visit at least two supermarkets for my weekly shopping.

The way I do it is to look for items I buy often and work out who is generally cheapest (and for us, healthiest) then I go to that store for those things, and whilst I am there look out for special offers on other things I buy, like loo roll, which, as a branded item can come from anywhere. I also think about what I am running low on or what I fancy, and then from there work out how many other stores I need to visit to complete my shopping list/meal plan.