Shopping-Monthly vs Weekly or daily (merged)

Tiglath

I stock up the freezer with meat and fish and the pantry with dried stuff/household stuff on payday, then shop weekly for fruit/veg, bread, milk etc. I always have a rough tally of what we have in stock and which nights I'm cooking, but don't generally do a meal plan as such. I have a dozen or so rotating recipes.

carlamarie_2

in the 8 years of managing my house and family i have always done a weekly shop.
but im thinking of trying a monthly shop for a while.
this is mainly to stop me buying 'this and that' because there on offer! and hopefully save a bit of money.
and also because i have sorted out my food cupboard and thrown away things that was upto a year out of date and passed some things onto my neighbour as we will never eat it!

i thought the best way would be to work on a 2 week menu and get the ingrediants that will last/freeze for them meals. i will then allow myself a maximum shopping allowance each week for fresh essentials ie, bread (when not making my own), milk, salad items, fresh veg and any remaining ingrediants that will not last the month

i will probaly allow a little bit of money (£2-3 a week maybe) for any offers i see and incorperate them into the following months menu.

i will be starting this in a couple of weeks as i want the cupboards and freezer bare so can buy only what i need that month and not have a stockpile of food that is wasted.

is there any tips i show know before doing this?
do you do a monthly shop? is it more beneficial to you?


also what vegs lasts the longest? i currently get about a month out of carrots, onions and potatos when kept in the outhouse where it is really cold. is there anymore that will last as long or pretty long?

and, finally, can chirozo be frozen?

thanks in advance for anyone who can help

might be worth mentioning that my monthly shop will be delivered by one of the big SM as i dont drive, but my mum takes me to morrisons every wednesday which isnt any good for a big shop as she also does her own shopping then and her boot isnt too big. but will be perfect for my weekly essentials .

lobbyludd

I have always done a monthly rather than weekly shop, probably because my mum did, and I find it saves me time/money.

I then top up with fresh veg/fruit and bread/milk as I need them. Chorizo does freeze, but (assuming you are talking the cured stuff that I recognise as chorizo) you can hang it up in your kitchen and it will last for years, I keep mine in the fridge as I don't fancy flies buzzing around it but cured meat doesn't need refrigerating or freezing.

I tend to keep a good stock of frozen veg to complement the fresh and to be honest we more or less at the same food every week, I freeze bread for toast, milk, butter, cheese that will be used in cooking, ham etc etc. I also freeze leftovers from sunday roasts to make soups from and potatoes/swede/celeriac/parsnips etc last more than a month in the fridge or store cupboard as long as I remember to take them out of the plastic wrapping!

I couldn't be faffed with a weekly shop, just seems like adding to the torture (I also get mine delivered so - 1 delivery charge for the month - hurray!)

lobbyludd

sorry - leeks last quite well (again out of the plastic, and sometimes they look like they've grown a bit, but they are still tasty and nutritious), I tend to try and use up the more "delicate" veg in the first week (salad/mushrooms) the mid range (peppers/caulis etc carrots which I can't keep well for some reason although many people do) in the second, have a very limited top up of fruit/veg in the third week. lots of veg keeps much longer than you'd think in cool, dark moisture free conditions (i've had tomatoes last for 5/6 weeks). I only ever buy frozen sweetcorn and peas

madmary_2

I have been wondering about a monthly shop but I think I would probably end up spending more on my shopping. Unless I could plan a month's meals ahead I think I'd find that I was buying more stuff on those "essential" shopping trips for stuff like milk etc.

I buy what I think I might need for a week on a list, I know the shops won't close so I don't worry if I don't buy enough, but then try to make what I have last. I do buy a bit extra if I see a bargain or things that will last me more than a week. I keep a spreadsheet of what I spend and aim to stay within the average.

As for fresh veg, I keep it all in the salad drawer. It keeps for a couple of weeks at least and I freeze stuff which looks like it's on it's last legs.

I don't keep much in the freezer except for that which is left overs or where I have bought in bulk.

Mary

joedenise

Butternut squash keeps really well - try and get ones that have a thick "neck" because they keep better than the narrow necked ones. Potatoes & onions keep really well in a cool place in paper sacks.

If anything looks as though it isn't going to keep too much longer then cook it and freeze.

I currently do a rough monthly plan and buy all the meat I need for the month plus enough potatoes, onions, leeks etc for the month. Cabbage also keeps for a couple of weeks.

I still do a weekly shop for milk and veg that doesn't keep too well.

Denise

carlamarie_2

thank you all
i think im def going to go ahead with it.
also, because im working on a 14days menu some of the meals such as jambalya, shephards pie, fish pie etc im going to batch cook so i have a meal ready for the 2nd turnover of the 14day menu, which will give me longer on my veg without having to go buy more mid-month.

dinners will be sandwiches, soups (made up of any veg that is going to turn), leftovers, pastas etc.

Pitlanepiglet

I internet shop approximately six weekly, for me, the more I shop, the more I spend!

I buy virtually the same things each month and keep the cupboards and freezers stocked as I have an aversion to not having food in the house. OH cooks for us and we don't menu plan so he just works on what he wants to cook and what needs using up.

Meat comes from either Costco on a bulk basis (about 5 trips a year) or from our local butcher on a monthly basis. Veg is usually frozen and topped up from the farm shop every couple of weeks.

OH and I both have soya milk and we make our own from beans so little storage needed. Dad lives with us and he has milk from the milkman. We make our own bread and keep a couple of bought loaves in the freezer for emergencies, cakes are usually homemade. I also buy fruit for me at work once a week from the Asda close to work, I only go down the fruit isles and then straight to the till.

I guess we are all different and it's a case of working out what is best for you and your family.

bargain_hunter_2

I used to do a biggish weekly shop in Morrison every week without fail, whether I needed things or not I just went every week and topped up on offers -emptied out of date things into bin, and started over again -then I came across Old Style Thread :T seriously it has totally changed the way I cook/shop - I now shop in morrisons once a month -and spend nowhere near as much as I used to - then aldi/ffoods twice a month, and sometimes a smallish tesco online to stock up on certain branded items dd's can't seem to live without :mad:
All in all I'd say I've managed to save about £120 per month just by being savvy and listening to advice from experts on here :T
This is quickly converted to dollars for our forthcoming holiday -it's a win win situation.

It's definitely about breaking the mould and getting a routine that works for you - I can't believe how quickly o.s became a habit !

cats_whiskers

Hi
I do an online shop every 4 - 5 weeks. I use two different supermarkets and tend to swap about. Usually the one I haven't used that month will send me an e-mail with a money off e-voucher to use to entice me back. Also some supermarkets do not charge for midweek deliveries over a certain amount.

The most useful thing I have found is a magnetic notepad stuck to the fridge so i can jot down the things we have run out of or need to stock up on as some items I do not buy every month.

The first shop takes a while to do but from then on it gets easier.

I also go to Aldi/Lidl once every 3 or 4 months to stock up on the items that i can only get from them.