Weekly or monthly shopping?

Savannah31

Do you shop weekly or monthly? I would like to try monthly shopping but with 3 greedy children I'm not sure anything would last 5 minutes if they saw that much in the house.:D

pollyskettle

I shop monthly and fill a huge freezer and an enormous larder. I also have three children and have to remind them each time the shopping comes that it isn't a challenge to see how much they can eat! We do top up a few times a month with milk and fresh fruit and veg.

Savannah31

With my children it is the snacking, especially during half terms. They get bored of the same things so I run out of ideas. They only have a few snacks a day but it all adds up doesn't it.

pollyskettle

Doesn't it just! Coupled with one of mine being a 10 year old boy just entering a growth spurt and another being a 14 year old girl who will quite happily eat her weight in food and not put on an ounce, it's like shovelling snow in a snowstorm. They eat a mountain of fruits (my 14 year old has just been to the weekly fruit and veg van and bought a huge bag of braeburn apples and is currently eating her second apple from them in an hour).

Sometimes it helps to shift the largest meal of the day to lunchtime during the holidays...by the time they are hungry again I quite happily give them sandwiches and picky bits or sausage rolls etc and then it's almost bed. Doesn't work too many days on the trot though, the trick is to mix it up a bit

lancashiregirl

I don't shop monthly or weekly, I shop as I need (basing meals around yellow sticker bargains if I can!) and stock up big time on bargains and promotions whenever I see them so it's rare I need to buy basics or household goods, just ingredients for meals.

I realise this may not be possible if you have a young family or super busy life but I find it's brought my shopping bill down.

markwilkinson

Shop as and when too, I don't get too hung up on weekly vs monthly. We use meal plans which is the best way of doing it for us, when thinking about the financial aspect of shopping. Our freezer is full 99% of the time so we base our weekly meal plan around that. If we need anything extra for ingredients etc for the week then we just buy them. Always take advantage of BOGOF's etc and we always check the reduction bays too for things that are freezable.

Edwardia

I used to have a monthly delivery from Waitrose, then do a weekly shop to Lidl and ASDA for special offers, cheese and veg.

In March we went organic and I'm finding that although Lidl and ASDA have organic ranges, my local stores don't stock more than mushrooms, tomatoes and carrots.

I'm spending less money than I did before, because I just can't find everything I want. I think I may end up with weekly trips tp Waitrose and Sainsbury's, a monthly delivery from Abel & Cole and forays into Lidl for cheese.

stephen77

main shop weekly.
But top up things like milk more frequently.

I do eat a lot of fresh food and limited storage space

Middy

I never do a weekly or monthly shop.

I buy things such as eggs, milk, f&v, yoghurts and bread when I run out.

Other things, I stock up when they are on offer, being discontinued at various stores, have a YS or when my staff discount is 15% as some things are hardly on offer like Marmite.

All of my antiperspirant and shower gel that I have purchased this year have been discontinued bargains. I have about 12 things of each product.

Currently not buying any YS stickered items unless they are f&v as eating out of the freezer.

PenguinOfDeath

pollyskettle wrote: »

I shop monthly and fill a huge freezer and an enormous larder. I also have three children and have to remind them each time the shopping comes that it isn't a challenge to see how much they can eat! We do top up a few times a month with milk and fresh fruit and veg.

Pretty much this for me too, except with no kids to feed! Seems to save the 'while I'm here' habit of going every week or so. Not organised enough to do a meal plan yet, and shops too far away to root out YS stuff most of the time, would cost more in petrol and patience

donnysan

Savannah31 wrote: »

Do you shop weekly or monthly? I would like to try monthly shopping but with 3 greedy children I'm not sure anything would last 5 minutes if they saw that much in the house.:D

I don't think how often you shop is that important, even though I personally prefer weekly shopping. You run out of too much stuff to limit yourself to monthly shopping, IMO. What's more important is to always keep a shopping list to avoid impulse shopping. That way, if you're disciplined, you only buy what's on your list.

And never, ever go shopping when you're hungry! You'll buy way too much every time.

Also, don't bring the kids shopping with you is possible. Kids tend to want everything and they have ways of getting you to buy lots of stuff you don't need. Ideally, it's best to shop alone if you want to save money.