Recipes

[QVCkitty1]

I eat a lot of chicken, so when it's on sale, I load up the freezer. I go once a week to buy produce and staples. Awhile back I started to buy one interesting spice or sauce each time I grocery shop ,  it makes cooking more interesting.

[house_cat]

I check our calendar for doc appointments and other things, then I create a menu based on that.  I create my weekly list based on the menu.

[GCR18]

I go to two grocery stores if they have sales.  No sales, I go to Wal-Mart.  I stock up on fish/salmon, frozen veggies and snacks at Costco.  I stock up on favorite staples when they are on sale in the grocery store.  I fill in the rest with what's on weekly sales at the grocery stores.  Occasionally, I'll use coupons.

[eddyandme]

It's just me and my furbaby.  I'm not a "big" eater.  Usually will make one main meal a week which I eat from throughout the week.  And, have lots of eggs, cereal, sandwiches - whatever I feel like.  Often I'll modify a recipe so I can share a casserole dish with Eddy - that means must omit onions and garlic (which I love) 'cause dogs can't eat them.

I'm a big cheese lover and if it's on special, great! if not, doesn't matter will buy what I like.  I do pick up things on sale if I'm gonna use them, e.g. this week 5 for $5 on Barrilla pastas, things that'll keep.  Seldom use coupons.

[VaBelle35]

My first job was in a hotel, and they gave us free lunch every day.  Because I had to come in very early most days, my manager arranged for me to have free breakfast as well.

For dinner, I mostly ate Raisin Bran or spaghetti and butter.  I think my food bill was like $15 a week for Raisin Bran, spaghetti, Butter and Milk.  LOL

[Snowpuppy]

Since moving from the city to a rural location I've learned how to stock a deep pantry & freezer. There's no running to the corner store. We don't have one. 

I detest grocery shopping so I'm on a mission to cut it down to once every 6 weeks.

[Tinkrbl44]

I review 4 weekly store flyers, and am pretty good at memorizing & keeping track of what is the best price at which store.  I don't go to all 4 stores weekly, but it depends on the sales.  

I'm big on getting the bargains, so I do buy some things at the dollar store, but only brand names (DelMonte, etc).  I mentally keep about 15-20% of my grocery budget for sale items only.   If it's something I always use, even if I don't need it at the moment, if the price is very good, I buy it anyway.   I think most people do that.

[mima]

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@Pook wrote:

Nope!  Just buy what is needed and what I feel like eating. 

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Me too! I also don't plan meals very much ahead because by the time it's time to fix whatever I planned, I no longer want to eat that!  LOL

I go to the store twice a week, every Thursday and Saturday.  I get what we will eat in the next few days and that's it.  I don't stock up on many things either other than paper and soap products.

[Sooner]

We eat mostly fish, chicken and lean pork--like pork tenderloins, so I do stock up on that when it's on sale and we are low.

We try to eat fresh greens every week, so I'm on the lookout for fresh spinach, chard, or collards (not a huge fan of kale but I do buy it), and cook a big batch of that.

We keep carrots and celery and use them often for stir fry or soup meals.  And I always have red and yellow bell peppers and use them almost daily--I'll cut them in half and freeze them if they are on sale.   I also freeze the top parts (without the stem) when they are cut off and use them in soups.

We eat winter squash in the winter; summer in summer.  We eat oranges and other citrus in the winter mostly.  Apples year around, grapes pretty much year around, and tons of cherries in season!  In summer, watermelon, canteloupe and peaches peaches peaches and lots of blueberries and raspberries.

So yes, we eat seasonally pretty much and we work to get a lot of veggies and fruits and berries in rainbow colors. 

[IamMrsG]

I shop one grocery store exclusively, based almost entirely on the produce department. This produce manager shows respect for quality, variety and customer service.

I’ve told before that I write a weekly dinner menu, then shop accordingly.  I do look at the store’s sale ad each week and use it for stocking up on staples.

I am what you call a “scratch” cook, and our menus are based on the season and weather conditions, e.g., overcast or rainy days call for comfort foods.  I’ve confessed before to a self-imposed rule of not serving a dish more frequently than twice a season. At this typing, I have (literally) 1,564 recipes saved on this harddrive. There’s also a lifetime’s collection of cookbooks and magazine/newspaper clippings from which to pull ideas. Nonetheless, menu planning is hard for me. My DH too-often hears me complain, “I’ve already cooked everything I know how this season.”  I just cannot eat the same thing over and over, and, with the bounty we’re blessed with in this country, see no reason for it.

It will come as no surprise to some of you that DH and I consider wine an important part of our meals.  I’d guesstimate we average 4 or 5 meals a week with it.

For the two of us, our grocery bill is probably a little higher than most other couples, averaging $175 on a typical week (not including wine, of course). At checkout, the conveyor belt is loaded mostly with produce, meats and dairy products. I buy very few canned goods, convenience or snack items.  Oh, and one other item I buy every week:  fresh cut flowers.