Grocery shopping and food management . How ?? - YouLookFab Forum

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Grocery shopping and food management . How ??

Anonymous

Alright , it seems that I am lacking in the apocalyptic preparedness gene some of you have ( ahem , Angie ) . Between R and I , we are in the store at least twice a week getting groceries and supplies . I don’t stock up on much because I don’t have the room (or a separate freezer ) - so is that the simple reason many of you can manage not to shop for 2 weeks at a time ? I’m always needing tinned tomatoes, chicken broth, produce , some kind of milk , dairy or non-dairy subs , bread or gluten free subs , coffee , a roasted chicken etc etc etc . And then some recipe will call for something I don’t have ( more peanut or almond butter , more coconut milk , cilantro etc) and out I go again . There is nothing pleasurable about grocery shopping right now , but I need some help , people ! Are you all meal- planning for a couple of weeks out ? Also - stores are prohibiting the purchase of more than one package of toilet paper , Kleenex or paper towel at a time , same with packages of chicken or ground beef . So - we need those replaced too .

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79 replies

Latest reply was from Dreika

Sal

Veteran

I am just back from the supermarket I am hoping this shop will last one week and we get a meal delivery service for three meals- so I have no excuse.

I think there are a few reasons for this behaviour:
- I am a mood shopper and eater, I don't like to decide what to eat until the morning.
- I have two teenage boys that chow through a lot of fruit and bread.
- Our storage space is average sized and I don't like to store too much and have clutter.

I wouldn't beat yourself up about it either. We are all in different positions.

Anonymous

I know it’s unsafe to be in the stores , which is the only reason I bring this up . Every time you’re within close proximity of another person , you’re adding a potential link to the virus .

Joyce B

Veteran

I have the same question about how to decrease the grocery shopping frequency while still having fresh prep, fruit, veg and dairy.

rachylou

Veteran

My mother is pushing for two weeks between visits to the grocery. I’m not sure I can swing that. I’m a milk drinker with a small fridge.

I do plan meals in a loose way. Decide what recipes/foods I want to do for the week. If it weren’t for milk...

I am proud of myself because I ran out of bread this weekend and baked a loaf instead of going and getting one! Lol

Diana

Veteran

Before all this started, I always meal planned anyway and shopped 1X/week although we did occasionally pop out to the store for something we forgot or whatever. 5 dinners/week. (My husband is in charge of weekend meals. If bugged about it enough, he'll plan in advance too.) So it's not a huge stretch to plan a few more meals, say 9 or 10. I weirdly enjoy meal planning. For lunches, we generally do leftovers (or repurposed leftovers, like if I had rice, I might make fried rice) or sandwiches. Breakfasts are the same as always - cereal, toast, or yogurt w/granola, although now that we're at home I'm more likely to cook eggs or pancakes or something like that.

The only big difference now is that I'm trying to be more proactive about noticing when we're running low on something, and making sure we get enough for 1+ weeks. So if I am on my last can of tinned tomatoes, I'll probably buy a few rather than just the 1 I need for this week's meal plan. That kind of thing. I keep a shopping list on a magnetic pad on my fridge, so I can write things down the minute I see I'm running out. It does help that I have an extremely well-stocked pantry. (It runs in my family! We get anxious when we can see the backs of our cabinets!) Like, if all grocery stores were to shut down next week, I could live for a good long while on rice and beans and pasta. It would be a lot harder if you had to start from scratch.

It probably also helps that we don't eat that much meat. Like, for this week I have one whole chicken (which we'll get at least two dinners and maybe a soup out of) and a pound of sausage (in the freezer) for pasta. I think I spend more on cheese every week than I do on meat, lol. I do also always have a giant bag of frozen shrimp in my freezer (because it makes for some really easy, quick weeknight meals.)

So my main grocery items are: fresh veggies, dairy products, eggs, a small to moderate amount of meat/fish. Plus whatever staples and dry goods we are running low on.

I hope you find at least some of this helpful.

Edit: Rachy makes a good point re: milk. I honestly don't use that much of it (mostly just for lattes sometimes and a little bit for recipes) so it's not a huge deal to me. But I could see that milk would be the sticking point for a lot of people because I don't think you can freeze it like you can with meat. Although if you don't mind drinking the ultra-pasteurized stuff it probably lasts long enough.

Tina

Veteran

For 17 years we lived 20 minutes from a well stocked grocery store, the country store was about 10 minutes but I rarely shopped there.
I really developed my shopping habits during that time, once a week just had to do. I might head in to town more often but I really didn’t like grocery shopping all that much - especially in winter! In 2013 we moved and I’m now. 5 minutes from the store. Still shopping once a week.
We have 5 adults and 1 teenager that eat from our kitchen. I am a Mennonite and cook like one too (I say that because you are in Winnipeg and are likely at least somewhat familiar with them?) We have 2 fridges, 2 stoves and 2 freezers. They are not full at the moment but we have needed the space in the past.
I don’t meal plan specifically but after 31 years of meal making I kind of know what we need for any given week. I buy a variety of meat, pasta, rice, veggies, fruit and dairy and then we make do with what we have. There are no dietary restrictions at all, I think that makes a difference. I bake buns and any sweets we might want. I am a very plain cook- very. I do make my own spices! I am adamant about not wasting food, as much as lies in me, so that dictates our meals at times.

Joy

Veteran

I agree about the milk. Has anyone tried the milk that does not need to be refrigeratorated? At least not until opened.
We get about 3 meals out of one preparation and use little meat. Now that getting fresh fish would mean another trip (Lent), we are using lots of canned tuna, salmon, etc. to make bean salads Tomato- basil soup with grilled cheese sandwiches works as a meatless meal too. We are busy using what we have. Tonight it was chicken piccata with pasta with pesto and a spinach salad. We find that a big package of spinach keeps longer than lettuce and when it looks a bit droopy, I sauté it in a bit of butter and steam it some in the same pan with broth or water. We also use spinach in omlets with pepper, maybe some sautéed chopped onion and peppers and cheese. If it needs more flavor, salsa on top does the trick.

CarolS

Veteran

I have limited advice to add, except I do buy the lactose free milk. It is more expensive, but has longer shelf life. I can buy 2 two-litre cartons at a time. (if the store will let me -- I haven't been out in two weeks, so maybe that's not allowed anymore?)

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

I live in a townhouse with just a standard refrigerator-freezer combo and limited pantry space. Here's how we managed two weeks of supplies.

1. Plan fourteen dinners. I literally wrote down the numbers 1-14 and filled each with a meal idea. Some recipes we have make a TON of freezable leftovers, so I took that into account as well, so the list looked something like:

Crockpot Kalua Pork
--leftovers
--leftovers
Spaghetti
Chicken Tacos
Tuscan Soup
--leftovers

You get the idea.

2. Write down EVERY ingredient you need for all those meals. Don't assume you have anything. Check the kitchen. Double-check you have enough if you need the ingredient for more than one item.

3. Think about what you'll have for lunches. We eat a mix of leftovers from smaller dinners, pb&j or tuna sandwiches, ramen noodles, and fruits/veggies. Add all those items to the list. Get the biggest packages possible. (This was the biggest deviation from normal for us, because normally 2/3 of the family is out of the house for lunch.)

4. Same for breakfasts. For us, that's cereal with milk, eggs and kale, oatmeal with dried fruit and nuts. We made sure to get huge packages of cereal, And coffee, though I have a coffee subscription that hasn't stopped shipping yet. Milk does freeze, but we tend to not go through a ton of it, so we don't bother. The ultra-pasteurized will stay fresh longest. I broke down and ordered a dozen bagels DoorDash from a local place, because CARBS.

5. Make sure you account for snacks. Get more than you think you'll need. We keep a bowl of fruit on the table where it's visible, with extra apples and oranges in the crisper to refresh. Carrots and celery are cut up and ready in the fridge. We also got components to bake at least once each week. Again, check the recipes and the pantry/fridge.

6. Once shopping is done, keep the meal list to reference, but you don't need to follow a strict schedule. Just prioritize your meals so you eat the ones with the freshest ingredients first. Cabbage will last longer than parsley, etc. If leftovers are freezable, space out those meals to alleviate the boredom of eating the same thing three times in a row. You're probably not going to be having salads in week two, but you can have roasted root vegetables or kale-laden soup.

Is this helpful at all? It's not complicated, just being really meticulous about planning.

CarolS

Veteran

Jenn -- you are rocking the apocalypse. This is so practical and seems incredibly common sense when I read it. (In my house, dinnertime today arrived and I realized I had zero plan -- food, yes. But at 5:30 when we got back from our walk, no actual PLAN.)

Brooklyn

Veteran

What about home delivery? It’s widely available here. We’ve been getting it for years (no extra cost). They used to bring it inside but now they do contactless delivery - they leave it outside. We get most of our stuff this way and buy fresh food + milk about twice a week. Mostly from a small local grocer. I sanitise my hands immediately before I go in and immediately after I leave.

Jenn

(website)

Veteran

Brooklyn, we had groceries delivered last week, but it was VERY DIFFICULT to get a delivery slot. Many stores are scheduling a week or more out.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

We have delivery thank goodness. Milk can be frozen if you have room. We have done that. We are 5 people including three teenagers with diverse and particular tastes. First I stocked up on coffee and wine. You can't help others if your oxygen mask isn't on first .

slim cat

Veteran

I still shop every other day at grocery stores ( we have 2 nearby and one just a bit more removed ).
I think we are all picky eaters and often don't know what we'd love to eat this evening. I try to plan dinners and do some baking ( banana bread, apple-carrot cake ) .
Couple times we did Pizza Hut take out just for fun and once McDonalds ( I know it's not a healthy food but sometimes you crave something like that ).
We live in an apartment with average size refrigerator and have different needs: something like - regular milk, soy milk and half&half ( that's for kitty ).

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I have a lot or tips! Will share tomorrow. I also live in a small space with a small freezer, btw. But I’ve strategized to the max.

As Jenn said, it’s extremely hard to get food delivered where I live. Cannot get a slot.....

MsMaven

Veteran

We tried a couple of times this weekend to get a delivery spot and couldn't. We eat a lot of fresh fruit and veggies, so we do go to the local store a couple of times a week. We're stocked up on chicken and fish, but after 3 weeks we're running out of frozen veggies. None at the local store for weeks.

I hope things calm down so we can get deliveries. There are young people in the neighborhood who have volunteered to run errands, grocery shop. I don't know if that has worked out. We'll see. We do have an emergency supply of freeze-dried food--30 days worth.

SarahD8

Veteran

Here’s what’s working for us right now:
-plan two weeks’ worth of meals, on a rolling basis (so, I make a new plan each week, but last week’s week 2 becomes the new week 1).
-grocery delivery weekly.
-plan to eat the most delicate veg (and “rollover” items) in the first days after groceries delivered.
-meals using sturdy veg, frozen and pantry items at the end of the planning period (tail end of my current plan: split pea soup, risotto with dried mushrooms, curry with potatoes and frozen spinach).

We do wind up switching things around on the fly, but I just cross off each planned dinner as we eat it so we can see at a glance what the remaining options are.

With all three of us eating all meals at home, leftovers for lunches go faster so it’s good to make a big batch of something once or twice a week. I’m also paying more attention to making sure there are other lunch options.

We are vegetarian so I can’t help with the meat related planning. It’s no problem keeping this amount of food in a standard American fridge plus 2 standard sized kitchen cabinets.

rachylou

Veteran

I’m back to say, I follow recipes very very loosely. I do substitutions A LOT, leave out ingredients all the time... and on that note, I’ve promised myself to go check out the Milk Street (sp? That guy’s show, the one who used to be on America’s Test Kitchen) website. They did this episode where they featured substitutes for Mexican ingredients, to get the same sorts of flavours... like what you can do if you can’t get epazote.

My lawyer (lol, of all peeps)(but we always cook when we get together) sent me a recipe for a chard dish... I used the greens from some beets I got.

Anyways, boy... it’s really the milk that keeps me going back too often. I should buy box milk the next time. It’s what I do when I go car camping. Works great actually...

anchie

Veteran

Before all this started we stacked our pantry with lot of non perishable goods, whatever we could think of. Because of my back problems I still can’t go out groceries shopping and my husband is in risk group- in his sixties with preexisting medical condition (hypertension), so we are extra careful. We order groceries online. It is very difficult to get delivery appointment - we have to order almost two weeks in advance. So lots of planning and also being very creative with our meals. We don’t cook around recipes but rather around what is available and what will expire the soonest. We should be getting our next delivery tomorrow and I am already preparing our next order.
Austria just introduced face masks mandatory for groceries shopping and there must be a reason for it.

Brooklyn

Veteran

We can still get online delivery, but not as quickly as before.

This is a slight digression, but our supermarkets have really stepped up here:
*They have a special shopping hour for seniors and disabled people only every day
*They have a special shopping hour for health workers, police and other frontline personnel a few times a week
*They offer care packages at cost (including food, tp, and some basic pantry items) and priority delivery to seniors and other vulnerable people
*Thanks to the government relaxing restrictions, they can now open and take delivery of stock 24 hours a day, which I'm pretty sure many are doing.
*They have teamed up with meals on wheels to get food, tp and other essentials (for free) to particularly vulnerable people in the community.
*They have made an arrangement with Qantas to hire airline staff being stood down to help meet the extra demand.

I am really impressed with them. Curious whether other countries are doing this?

anne

Veteran

My usual strategy is pretty close to Jenn's as I prefer to shop only once a week. With a heavy dose of Rachylou's "substitute" strategy - my family are used to me announcing a recipe with all the caveats on what I've substituted!

In normal times I had people over for tea (dinner) once a week (at least) and usually shopped on that day so the fridge would be full and then decrease over the week. The numbers coming over would vary, so sometimes there'd be leftovers and sometimes not, so I usually built in enough pantry items in case I need a meal the day before shopping.

This year we had some nights when everyone or most people were out (eg youth group) so that helped. That's all stopped now, and the week it stopped I wasn't prepared! Slim rations that week all round.

However like you, I'm facing issues in the current climate. Shops are limiting the amounts you can purchase of items. Some items are out of stock - we've had to go twice a week sometimes just to get enough. This week the shops were better stocked and by going to two in the same centre I got enough milk to last the week (for 5 people who drink a lot). Last week, one of the shops had none (fresh) at all.

I do have stocks at home - I didn't hugely mass purchase, but for a few weeks we did not use any canned/dried products at home so that my normal amount per week added up. Some meat in the freezer too, so if we had to we could survive for 2 weeks without starving. And yes, I have a separate freezer, which I use a lot anyway

However I don't want to use those stocks at the moment. The situation in my state of Australia is not like Seattle - only 8 cases have been untraced. We have very strict quarantine and border controls. So I don't deem the risk of going weekly for food (with appropriate hygiene and distancing) all that high for a healthy young person for me. Delivery here is only provided for the higher risk anyway.

If we used up all the food by not shopping for 2-3 weeks I'd be worried that with shortages and item limits, I couldn't replenish for even a week's worth at a time when it could be worse.

Happily we are fine with loo paper. We had an existing bulk sub order for charitable reasons, and they've kept it up - we've been able to help others by giving it away (though shops are now supplying in limited amounts as well.

Also, on milk - I often freeze it and it's fine!

Eva

Lisa, thank you for asking this question, I was thinking of asking as well.

I used to go grocery shopping every other day because the supermarket is close by and I would walk there, so I would only buy what I can carry home. Now I have reduced grocery shopping to about twice per week, but not sure how to get to once every two weeks.

I am going to try to make a meal plan like Jenn and some others do, but I am wondering about the fresh fruit and vegetables especially. Where do people store two weeks worth of veg? I have a vegetable drawer in my fridge that can store maybe two broccoli and one head of lettuce and that's it. The rest of the fridge is full with other things like cheese, yoghurt, eggs, leftovers...
(I attached a pic of the style of fridge/freezer that I have at home.)

So how do you all do it? Use frozen vegetables? Or canned ones? Only buy vegetables that can be kept outside the fridge?

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Runcarla

Veteran

Regular fridge, small amount of cupboard space - but a pantry. I feed three men over 6 ft. with hearty appetites. One lactose intolerant. DH doesn’t like reheated leftovers. DS’s like leftovers for lunch.

I would like to shop the ‘European way’ - getting just what I need for a day or two and as fresh as possible - but that is for a different time. I usually grocery shop a BIG shop every week to 10 days with a smaller shop (fresh fruit, veg, dairy) in between. I’m trying to avoid the in between.

I’m a scratch cook and nothing gets thrown away. I keep a hand written grocery list started as soon as I recognize the need for an item, and add to it during the week.

In these strange times, my strategy is to shop the meat section first - to see what’s available, and mentally prepare the meals around what I’ll be able to get. One week no chicken - so bought a frozen turkey (turkey dinner, turkey soup, hot turkey sandwiches, turkey curry, turkey pot pie) Another week no ground beef - bought a big roast (roast dinner, shepherds pie, beef pasties.) One soup based meal a week, one meat free meal a week. Sometimes ‘breakfast for supper’. I ’volumise’ and extend with lots of vegetables. Lots of fine chopped onion, celery, and carrot in soups and pies. Everything but the kitchen sink in stir fries. Unusual cuts of meat or strange fruits and veg don’t deter me. At my last shop, it was slim pickings for beef and chicken, but a lovely salmon was on sale, and we got frozen shrimp, lamb sausages, and a pork roast. No green beans or peas, but leeks, asparagus, cauliflower and sweet peppers. After a shop my fridge is FULL, and I have bowls and baskets on the counter with fruit and veg that don’t need to be kept cold (bananas, citrus, pears, onions, peppers). I buy the largest bag of flour (I bake bread), largest bag of rice and keep in the pantry along with potatoes, boxes of cereal, coffee, juice.

FWIW - if the grocery store is difficult to shop and you just want to pick up a few things, try the food section of the pharmacy. Shoppers and Pharmasave have seniors (55+) discount days (20%) and often milk, cream, eggs, butter, and bread are ‘lost leaders’. Don’t seem to have line-ups. Dollar stores often have decent dry goods (I provisioned the cookies for our Bridge club and they carried top name brand cookies at the best prices in town! That is also where I get my rubbing alcohol and peroxide.)

I don’t know if it is the food, anxiety, or not working out (lost muscle mass) - but DS#2 (who’s still working) and I have both dropped weight during March.

#1 salmon, asparagus, curried rice (made with leftover rice)
#2 roast beef, oven fried potatoes, buttered corn
#3 ‘Rolly Pancakes’ (Blintzes - my Dad’s recipe/German comfort food) served with home made applesauce
#4 making stock with turkey bones, etc.
#5 peach pie (frozen peaches)

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Kathie

Veteran

Average size fridge (for the States) and no separate freezer at my place. We’re doing more meal-planning, and also being sure to stay stocked on items with a longer refrigerator life (yogurt, eggs, carrots, etc.) I had been wanting to reduce our meat consumption, and now with the extra planning, we’re finally doing it. We have a year-round “farmer’s market” next door to a Trader Joe’s in our area, so on a shopping trip, I go to both, and as soon as they’re open to my age group. I get meat and veg at the farmer’s market, which is far less crowded now than normal, and everything else at TJs, which has been doing an excellent job of limiting people in the store and providing sanitizer. Next week, we start our community-supported agriculture veggie pick-up. Box comes straight from the farm to a neighbor, so that will keep us out of stores even more. Milk is our biggest challenge, but I’ve been thinking of doing a mix of oat for myself and dairy for the kids. And, I’ve found some recipes for making my own oat milk, so planning to try that.

Style Fan

Veteran

We are currently doing all our shopping on foot. That means four bags is our maximum. We also do some of our grocery shopping at Pharmprix/Shoppers Drug Mart. They have a seniors hour and the store is not as crowded. I find they have really good deals on things like spinach and arugula. I also buy coffee, tea and milk there.
We do not have a lot of storage so I have to shop a couple of times a week. Also, our stove is on or off. There is no other heat. Challenging.

Now, when we return to Ontario to our home (fingers crossed) I will get the produce delivered by the produce store once a week. The grocery stores also have seniors hour in the morning. Of course, half of our town will qualify. It is full of retired people.

I don't really meal plan. We are eating a plant-based diet except I have milk in my coffee, tea and cereal. Mr. SF uses some other kind of milk. I buy dried lentils, several kinds of beans, lots of canned tomatoes, tofu and tempeh. I usually have things like spices and nutritional yeast on hand. Yes, we eat the same thing over and over.

ChristelJ

Veteran

Regular sized fridge with tiny freezer, no meal planning whatsoever, and I shop once every 10 days. We are plant based only and I stuff our fridge with fresh produce in every possible nook and cranny. We use the most delicate stuff first, and rely on hardier produce after that. We are big bean eaters and I also bake bread once in a while. Actually we seem to be eating healthier than ever before because of stocking up on so many fruits and veggies and then trying to use them before they go bad...

lisaflex

Veteran

we started stockpiling about 6 wks ago on papertowel, clorox wipes, kleenex, alcohol, peroxide, clorox clean up with bleach, toilet cleaner, handi wipe reusable rags, etc.

also stockpiled lots and lots of dried beans! canned broth and stock, jars of bone broth. celery and carrots last as do onions. so lots of soup.

we have lots of pasta and canned tomatoes to make sauce. we do have a deep chest freeze that has been unplugged for 2 years but is now plugged back in and filled to the brim with whole chix, and a huge order from omaha steaks.

i did grocery deliver thru insta cart just yesterday. i put in for first available and it said thursday - it showed up yesterday afternoon! thru this time i will do once a week for fresh veg and fruit.

i dont think we will run out of much

we dont drink milk so thats not an issue.

sweet potatoes last! can roast or bake, etc. we like them roasted. whole squash last.

im saving veg scraps for veg stock overnight in crockpot.

had whole roasted chix last night - picked off meat and saved. carcass in crockpot with onion celery carrots bay leaves spices for bone broth - smells delish!

its a change planning in advance but can be done. i was a daily grocery gal before this!

nemosmom

Veteran

I am feeding two boys and DH who LOVE food... We have an average size fridge and freezer (only one of each) and tiny pantry (two upper cabinets above the oven). My meal planning is similar to Jenn's - I have a rotation of go-to dinner ideas that I circle through on a regular basis. Breakfast is usually cereals, oatmeal, eggs, or pancakes - some I can make on the weekends or on my overnight shifts, then freeze for the week), and fruit. We do leftovers, salads, and occasionally sandwiches for lunch.

I keep a stock of staple items (cereals, canned tomatoes, tuna, condiments, pasta, beans, rice, stock, etc), I keep 2 loaves of sliced bread in the freezer with some fruits, veggies, and pizzas. I add items to the shop list as soon as I use them; I don't wait until the cabinet is empty to shop. I will freeze fruits and veggies if they start to go soft before I can use them, and they are great in smoothies, casseroles, etc.

As for dinner, the crock pot is my best friend. I can make plain shredded chicken out of a few breasts and divide that over a week in various things like enchiladas, soups, salads, pasta dishes. I am a big fan of making twice the amount of a dinner and freezing half for us to eat later. It doesn't take any more effort to double a batch, and it's great for those days I am tired and need a quick re-heat in the oven.

Anonymous

I'm not a recipe person at all, vegetarian, and used to cooking on Sundays for the week- so it's pretty easy for me. Plus I'm in winter mode, since there's no local in season produce- so lots of frozen/canned/jar fruits and veggies.
My strategy is to shop in categories, but be flexible what that looks like.
Grains/carbs/ or substitues like riced cauliflower. One week I'll do potatoes, the next tortillas, quinoa, etc.
Protiens-tofu, beans, meat substitutes. I make a tofu stir fry w different veggies and sauce most weeks. DH is a meat eater, but just gets frozen burritos, fish sticks and such.
Nuts, trail mix for snacks, and dried fruits to put in oatmeal.
Dairy-DH uses milk only for coffee, I'm flexible with milk subs as long as unsweetened. Cheese, yogurt last a few weeks.
Fruits- frozen for smoothies, canned in juice pineapple, etc, or fresh whatever looks nicest- oranges atm.
Veggies- frozen mostly since nothing seasonal yet here, canned for olives, roasted peppers etc, and whatever looks nicest fresh. Salad we do have to buy more often.
And (KIR), processed things like Amy's chili, soup, curries- which get eaten more at the end of the shopping month.
Caveat- I do live in a rural area, so shopping is a several hours long event- plus I hate it with a passion (except Trader Joes which is over an hour away).

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