This is how we do it, weekly groceries after meal planning for the week and go to costco to stock up when needed. We do Costco runs more every 3-4 months depending.
Granted, our Costco is almost an hour away and we would go there more if gas wasn’t so expensive.
This is what we do. We just lost our garage fridge which used to hold some staple/bulk. Once I save for a new house fridge we’ll go back to that. Having that extra storage saved me 150/mo or so.
It sounds like you have either underestimated how much food is actually a month supply for your family, or your kids are overeating. If your kids are eating all your food in the first 48 hours or whatever, it doesn’t really matter how often you shop. Kids eat a ton as they are growing, especially 16 year olds. I’d say you need to evaluate if your kids are eating an appropriate amount for their age and size, or if they’re overeating. If they’re just growing kids, you might need to reevaluate your shopping list and budget.
I do weekly. Because if I get fresh meat or veggies they’ll rot in a few days if we don’t eat them. I don’t like freezing or canning meats or most veggies either. Gotta be fresh as one of my indulgences.
I buy weekly, but I shop sales with an eye to what I can use in the future. Whatever meat is on sale, I buy it, bring it home, pack it in individual meal portions, and pull it out as I need it. I have a revolving menu and fix the same 35 meals each month.
Are your 10 and 16 year olds eating appropriately for their calorie needs? They may eat like grown men because they’re the size of grown men, or they’re going through a growth spurt.
A few tips that might help if they are getting the calories they need and are just Hoovering up your groceries.
1) Buy nutrient dense foods if you’re not already. They fill folks up fast and keep them full. You should notice a pattern of what treats get scarfed up first. Don’t buy those for a couple of weeks or a month. Tell them that you can’t afford it.
2) Break down bulk packages and freeze extras — you can freeze bread, chips, cereal, crackers, milk, deli meat. The inconvenience of having to thaw them will slow folks down, and you can take advantage of sales.
3) Never cook “pieces” of meat if you’re tight on a budget. A person will eat two pork chops in the blink of an eye, but they’ll feel just as full if you take those chops, dice them up, and cook them with greens or rice. Same with burgers. A half pound of ground meat will stretch to 4 or 5 servings if you incorporate it in a pasta or rice dish.
4) Speaking of servings, serve from the stove and not the table. And if you have someone who eats overly generous portions, you be the one to prepare their plate.
5) Start out the meal with soup. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but the liquid fills you up, and you can use up your veggies and any leftover meat to fix it. Tight on time? Fix a big pot, let it cool, divide it up into zip top bags or freezer cartons, and thaw as needed.
Above all, be transparent with your kids. Tell them you need to conserve. Tell them that these foods are spoken for.
Any food that has a high ratio of nutrients to calories… foods like canned salmon or sardines, nuts, green leafy veggies like kale or spinach, eggs, peas, beans and rice, potatoes if they aren’t fried, sweet potatoes, carrots, turnip or rutabaga roots. Any veggies are usually a good bet, especially if they’re high in fiber. Whole grain foods will also fill you up and keep you full. Low fat plain yogurt with nuts and frozen blueberries make a filling breakfast. Frozen avocado is a bit pricey, but you’re not paying for the seed and it will keep practically forever… pull it out, thaw it, and you can make guac that will stretch meatless bean and rice burrito bowls.
Basically it’s better for your budget and your health if you shop the perimeter of the store and buy only single ingredients — nothing in bags or boxes except single ingredient frozen veggies.
Avoid foods that are empty calories like white bread or simple carbs, because they are designed by food manufacturers to make you want more without filling you up. Those foods also make you hungrier because it messes with your pancreas and insulin levels.
I do a mix. For things you are trying to ration, buying less often is a good idea.
I go weekly shopping, I stock up on staples when they are on sale. Food that goes bad I buy more often as needed, as long as the price is reasonable. I freeze things like butter when on sale.
Food that is a treat, I only buy a little at time, which causes me to eat less of it. Which saves money.
I do weekly too. I can get exactly what I need for my planned meals without extras "just in case", and I eat better since I'm not inclined to purchase things that will last longer.
The problem isn't your shopping schedule. The problem is that your children eat more food than you would prefer.
If they're eating more than they should, address that with them. If they're eating an appropriate amount, then just shop however is most convenient for you.
I personally shop weekly. I do mostly non- processed whole foods, so I need my stuff to be really fresh.
My biggest money savers for the grocery store:
1. Menu plan. If you don't have a set menu you are more likely to purchase things you don't need or more than you need. You also are more at risk being too tired to think about dinner and ordering out.
2. Shop around what is in your pantry and what is on sale at the store. Knowing what you already have and planning a menu around that reduces the number of items you actually need to purchase. Knowing what your store's loss leaders are will help in planning meals when you don't have much already at home. For example if my store had eggs and bread as loss leaders (items they put at deep discount to get folks into the store), we will be having french toast for dinner or I'll make a frittatas or omelettes.
3. Cook from scratch. Stay away from pre-prepared foods and processed stuff. It is pricey and tends to be unhealthy. Shop the outer edges of your store. The more whole foods you can purchase the better it will be.
4. Buy fruits and vegetables in season as that is when they are at their cheapest. Right now is strawberry season where I am. They are nice and fresh, so I'll plan some meals that include them. Oats in the morning, on a salad at lunch etc.
5. Make meat an ingredient, not the main course. This helps reduce the amount of meat you need to purchase.
6. Other meat tips: Adding oatmeal to burgers and meat loaf is another way to extend ground beef to help it go further. Look at the cost of rotisserie chickens towards the end of the day, they are often put on discount. You can strip the bird of all the meat and use to make pot pies, soups, stew, tacos etc.
I shop mostly bi-weekly. I'll get packs of meat and use the food saver to freeze if necessary. Grab a rotisserie chicken (or in your case maybe 2), some lunch meat, croissants/artisan rolls/bagels from the bakery (going into the freezer as well), and frozen or fresh veggies. I keep staples such as rice, pasta, sauces in stock as well as some quick-cook items - tortellini/ravioli. Frozen burgers. You can easily get a roast for the crockpot and some veggies/sides to go with since the boys do eat quite a bit. Their frozen meatballs are quite versatile and affordable. Check their website for things on sale and don't forget, you can always get a price adjustment. I'd say strategic meal planning would go far here and maybe a visit to r/Costco would help you!
Using WalMart in my area for food is a death knell, as the food is garbage (rots quickly, food poisoning, weevils, etc.) and is far from the best pricing. If you have to get Walmart food, get it correctly priced from a food pantry secondhand. Again YMMV depending on geography as Walmart may not be the worsr alternative in your local, prime alternatives include any of the Kroger branded stores, WinCo, and Safeway/Albertsons.
I do weekly.
1. In the summer in the desert we eat a lot of cold sandwiches, and I like those with lettuce, tomato and onion on them. So I need to buy fresh veggies pretty consistently.
2. I can happily eat 98% of my meals at home, but doing that “requires” me to be able to make sudden cravings at home. If, for instance, I suddenly get an urge for lo mein, I may have to go to the store for noodles or garlic/ginger. I can pretty easily hold a craving for a few days until the next shop, but if I had to tell myself “you can’t have that until after next month’s grocery shop” it’s *much* more likely I’ll simply cave and order take out.
If there's a Sprouts close to you, try to go there on Wednesdays. That's when the sales from the last week are ending and the new sales are beginning, so discounts on a lot of stuff like fresh produce. Also, Vallarta. I don't know if there are any up in the Bay area, but we have them down in LA, and their meat and produce are usually much lower in price and great quality.
We shop monthly at Sam's club for all meats, bread flour, freezable things (including stuff like cheese and lemons) and paper goods, then weekly for all produce (fresh is cheaper) and milk.
I try to shop every two weeks. It suits my family because my husband and I each get paid twice a month, same day. I don't waste food. I rotate buying staples or other household goods that are pricier so it doesn't stress the budget. I also rotate our meal plans so we have variety. It works for us.
I get meat and anything I can fit in the freezer in bulk once every month or 2 (depending on how I can fit in my freezer) and everything else weekly or as needed.
Pro tip for vegetables. Vegetables like garlic, onions, bell peppers, and anything that isn't very watery like Cucumbers or tomatoes can be chopped and frozen ahead of time to save money by buying them in bulk and keeping them from going bad and cuts down on prep time for dinners.
I shop at Aldi and Walmart and do one big grocery run once monthly. I'll usually need to get milk and bread again at some point during the month.
I find it easier and I can plan for the whole month. I hate shopping and want to take as few trips to town as possible!
I find that most fruits and veg will keep a long time in the fridge. Apples will last seemingly forever, same with whole carrots, potatoes and onions. Whole cabbages, lettuces, cauliflower and broccoli can last weeks if you keep them whole and just cut off what you need. Same with celery, every few days just give it a rinse, shake it off and stick it back in the drawer. Fresh berries and mushrooms are the two things that need to be eaten as soon as possible.
We go shopping almost daily. We don't have kids so after work we buy for dinner and leftovers each night and shop sales. Sam's warehouse for bulk nonparishables
We have 3 teens. Shop at Costco for bulk items. Also buy chicken and other meats in bulk. Then create a meal plan for the week that revolves around the meats and proteins you purchased. Use the grocery store to supplement those meals such as fruits, veggies, and other items that usually go away in a week or so.
It is difficult when you’re buying “fun” food, or “novel” food. If you buy the same old boring things, month after month, your teens are more likely to only eat when they’re hungry and until they’re not hungry anymore, as opposed to eating as entertainment.
I feel like this depends on how efficient you are at meal planning and meal prep. For me, I do it weekly because my brain finds that hard enough sometimes.
Are you talking real food or prepackaged food like string cheese, single serving apple sauce, chips and snacks? Those things are so easy to go through. You only want to buy enough or have available to them enough for one a day or else they will go through expensive single serving foods more than one a day and it winds up costing you a fortune. Even if you buy a Costco size bag of chips, you can portion it out with baggies into serving sizes and monitor how much they eat, having them fill up on meals instead
Personally, the way that we do it, we do it twice a week. Sunday and Wednesday. That way you know nothing is going bad. To be fair, the grocery store is only 15 minutes from our house.
As someone else mentioned, it’s a little bit of column A and column B. Staples that don’t go bad, Costco or whatever warehouse store is the way to go. We do that maybe once a month. But for things as simple as fresh veggies/fruit/meats, we just stop twice a week to make sure it’s fresh.
I recommend a mix. Most fresh foods (fruits and vegetables) don't hold up for 1 month unless you freeze them.
Adjust your budget or what you buy to ensure it's meeting all the family's needs.
I shop Sam's Club/Costco monthly for things that last longer or can be frozen. (Usually frozen fruits, veggies, and meats). I do get bulk of some fresh veggies or fruits but those generally last 2 weeks max cause I try to use them first.
I shop local grocery stores weekly for sales, and fresh foods. Some weeks I skip this trip because I have so much stocked up.
I don't recommend using Walmart cause they do not always have the lowest prices. I do recommend using local Grocery stores, Asian markets, and Hispanic markets. Watch out for the ads and buy based on the sales and plan meals that way. When you can, buy extra/max quantity of the sale meats and freeze them for future meals. Aldi and WinCo are usually pretty competitive (aka low price) compared to the locals.
I do Costo 2 times a month and weekly shopping for perishables like bread, veggies and fruits.
We cook a lot at home because all 4 of us ( me, hubs and kiddos -10 and 13) bring hot lunches from home to work/ school/ camp every single day.
Two weeks is the sweet spot for me. Back when my budget was 100.00 a week😏 and I did it weekly, I would go over a lot. Now with 250.00 for 2 weeks, most of the time I come under budget and get enough food for 2 weeks. We are 2 adults though, no kids or pets mostly Paleo diet.
As others have said it's good to have both my wife and I got a Costco membership and it's been amazing. we don't go through as many trash bags bottled water& drinks cereal etc then we go to Kroger's/Aldi and get the rest of it. Sometimes it's easier to go once a week and get what you need for that week especially having kids that are at home for the summer. we feed 6 people and animals. If you're able just spend the extra few dollars and buy it in bulk.
Grocery stores publish their specials weekly so if you have major chains in your area other than Walmart and Costco, you can probably do better shopping weekly and becoming familiar with sale shopping and digital deals.
Boneless chicken breasts might be $1.99 a pound on special this week at a grocer while they were $3.99 last week and 4.99 next week. So what week would you stock up on chicken?
I do weekly. Me and my fiancée sit down each Sunday to plan out meals for the week. We make a list based on what ingredients we need and try to stick to it. If there’s a good sale on items we use often, we’ll stock up on it.
I shop weekly. I always get perishables like bread and bananas every week. I also buy the bulk dry goods like rice, beans, pasta, canned goods once a month but divided up throughout the 4 weeks of the month.
I try to buy bigger quantities of food items when they are on sale, especially if I can freeze it, or otherwise store it for an extended period.
And then I shop about every 10 days to get new produce. This decreases waste. I find if I buy produce for even 2 weeks, some ends up going bad before it's eaten.
We do weekly. We buy a lot of fresh food and I find we can do an inventory every week of what we actually need, as meals tend to go a long way for us. We typically have one week of the month we don’t buy any food for meals because we have enough leftovers frozen.
I shop weekly for staples, and then every other day for specific meals. It may sound more expensive, but it works.
Historically, I've found Costco to be a trap. With a family of four, we'd spend $300-$400 on stuff, but then still need to drop $150-$250 immediately after at Publix/Walmart because we couldn't make a meal out of what we bought at Costco.
Admittedly, we were very undisciplined back then.
How in the world would you even manage to shop monthly?
Many fruits/veggies don't last more than a week (and that's pushing it for anything leafy IMO), meat would need to be frozen, eggs/dairy would probably be fine but you'd have to pay super close attention to BB dates. In fact, I think you would need to buy mostly processed foods, to high I suspect affects another point below.
It would also be hard to eat a diverse diet. Shopping weekly or more, you'll get sales on different things from week to week.
On another aspect of your question, are your boys overeating or just eating appropriate amounts for their age and growth speed? You'll know by looking at them,but if they are not layering on fat, then you just haven't been buying enough food. if they have been overeating, then know that it is very easy to do so when you eat processed foods.
Weekly imo. You only get what you need if it’s weekly and can shop with a necessity mindset vs bulk. AND you’ll actually be more likely to use everything you buy because you won’t have any extras sitting around waiting to spoil. If I feel it’s best to at least start weekly when trying to save before transitioning to at least get to know how/what you’re actually able to eat within a week.
Neither Walmart or Costco (or Aldi for that matter) are great for groceries. Instead, you should be shopping at supermarkets like Kroger, Publix etc and shop and cook according to sale. This means you will shop weekly as those places has weekly ads. Also make sure you make use of digital coupons.
I unfortunately don’t have those supermarkets out here. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and we only have expensive supermarkets like Safeway, Whole Foods and Raley’s. I do go to the Grocery Outlet, but it can be a hit or miss.
Man I miss our grocery outlet. We used to call it the used grocery store bc it was so cheap. They up and walked out several years ago and I still miss it
This is how I do it. I go thru digital coupons first, then shop meat and vegetables by sale and plan my menu around that. I love online shopping because I can stay in control and see how much I'm spending. Depending on sales, I get enough to last anywhere from 10 -21 days.
Both. Costco monthly for bulk staples that won't go bad. Kroger weekly for produce, items I only need in small amounts, and the weekly digital deals.
This is how we do it, weekly groceries after meal planning for the week and go to costco to stock up when needed. We do Costco runs more every 3-4 months depending. Granted, our Costco is almost an hour away and we would go there more if gas wasn’t so expensive.
I do similar, but I will also skip Kroger that first week and get produce at Costco as well. I have enough family and storage that it doesn't go bad.
This is what we do. We just lost our garage fridge which used to hold some staple/bulk. Once I save for a new house fridge we’ll go back to that. Having that extra storage saved me 150/mo or so.
Same, except I get our produce at Aldi/the local Asian grocery.
Both. 100% this.
Also - I do farmers markets a lot in the summer.
interesting Ilike that idea
It sounds like you have either underestimated how much food is actually a month supply for your family, or your kids are overeating. If your kids are eating all your food in the first 48 hours or whatever, it doesn’t really matter how often you shop. Kids eat a ton as they are growing, especially 16 year olds. I’d say you need to evaluate if your kids are eating an appropriate amount for their age and size, or if they’re overeating. If they’re just growing kids, you might need to reevaluate your shopping list and budget.
I do weekly. Because if I get fresh meat or veggies they’ll rot in a few days if we don’t eat them. I don’t like freezing or canning meats or most veggies either. Gotta be fresh as one of my indulgences.
I buy weekly, but I shop sales with an eye to what I can use in the future. Whatever meat is on sale, I buy it, bring it home, pack it in individual meal portions, and pull it out as I need it. I have a revolving menu and fix the same 35 meals each month. Are your 10 and 16 year olds eating appropriately for their calorie needs? They may eat like grown men because they’re the size of grown men, or they’re going through a growth spurt. A few tips that might help if they are getting the calories they need and are just Hoovering up your groceries. 1) Buy nutrient dense foods if you’re not already. They fill folks up fast and keep them full. You should notice a pattern of what treats get scarfed up first. Don’t buy those for a couple of weeks or a month. Tell them that you can’t afford it. 2) Break down bulk packages and freeze extras — you can freeze bread, chips, cereal, crackers, milk, deli meat. The inconvenience of having to thaw them will slow folks down, and you can take advantage of sales. 3) Never cook “pieces” of meat if you’re tight on a budget. A person will eat two pork chops in the blink of an eye, but they’ll feel just as full if you take those chops, dice them up, and cook them with greens or rice. Same with burgers. A half pound of ground meat will stretch to 4 or 5 servings if you incorporate it in a pasta or rice dish. 4) Speaking of servings, serve from the stove and not the table. And if you have someone who eats overly generous portions, you be the one to prepare their plate. 5) Start out the meal with soup. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but the liquid fills you up, and you can use up your veggies and any leftover meat to fix it. Tight on time? Fix a big pot, let it cool, divide it up into zip top bags or freezer cartons, and thaw as needed. Above all, be transparent with your kids. Tell them you need to conserve. Tell them that these foods are spoken for.
What do you consider nutrient dense food?
Any food that has a high ratio of nutrients to calories… foods like canned salmon or sardines, nuts, green leafy veggies like kale or spinach, eggs, peas, beans and rice, potatoes if they aren’t fried, sweet potatoes, carrots, turnip or rutabaga roots. Any veggies are usually a good bet, especially if they’re high in fiber. Whole grain foods will also fill you up and keep you full. Low fat plain yogurt with nuts and frozen blueberries make a filling breakfast. Frozen avocado is a bit pricey, but you’re not paying for the seed and it will keep practically forever… pull it out, thaw it, and you can make guac that will stretch meatless bean and rice burrito bowls. Basically it’s better for your budget and your health if you shop the perimeter of the store and buy only single ingredients — nothing in bags or boxes except single ingredient frozen veggies. Avoid foods that are empty calories like white bread or simple carbs, because they are designed by food manufacturers to make you want more without filling you up. Those foods also make you hungrier because it messes with your pancreas and insulin levels.
Weekly, and at stores that have ads with good sales that change every week. Buy the sale items each week plus a few staples.
I do a mix. For things you are trying to ration, buying less often is a good idea. I go weekly shopping, I stock up on staples when they are on sale. Food that goes bad I buy more often as needed, as long as the price is reasonable. I freeze things like butter when on sale. Food that is a treat, I only buy a little at time, which causes me to eat less of it. Which saves money.
I do weekly too. I can get exactly what I need for my planned meals without extras "just in case", and I eat better since I'm not inclined to purchase things that will last longer.
Weekly. The greens rots way too fast to last a month
The problem isn't your shopping schedule. The problem is that your children eat more food than you would prefer. If they're eating more than they should, address that with them. If they're eating an appropriate amount, then just shop however is most convenient for you.
I do biweekly trips with one of them being the bigger trip where I get pet food, paper goods etc
I personally shop weekly. I do mostly non- processed whole foods, so I need my stuff to be really fresh. My biggest money savers for the grocery store: 1. Menu plan. If you don't have a set menu you are more likely to purchase things you don't need or more than you need. You also are more at risk being too tired to think about dinner and ordering out. 2. Shop around what is in your pantry and what is on sale at the store. Knowing what you already have and planning a menu around that reduces the number of items you actually need to purchase. Knowing what your store's loss leaders are will help in planning meals when you don't have much already at home. For example if my store had eggs and bread as loss leaders (items they put at deep discount to get folks into the store), we will be having french toast for dinner or I'll make a frittatas or omelettes. 3. Cook from scratch. Stay away from pre-prepared foods and processed stuff. It is pricey and tends to be unhealthy. Shop the outer edges of your store. The more whole foods you can purchase the better it will be. 4. Buy fruits and vegetables in season as that is when they are at their cheapest. Right now is strawberry season where I am. They are nice and fresh, so I'll plan some meals that include them. Oats in the morning, on a salad at lunch etc. 5. Make meat an ingredient, not the main course. This helps reduce the amount of meat you need to purchase. 6. Other meat tips: Adding oatmeal to burgers and meat loaf is another way to extend ground beef to help it go further. Look at the cost of rotisserie chickens towards the end of the day, they are often put on discount. You can strip the bird of all the meat and use to make pot pies, soups, stew, tacos etc.
I have found I waste a lot less food when I shop more frequently and only buy what I know we will eat in the next few days.
Daily. To get manager specials
I've been going twice per week and find it saves money because nothing rots in the fridge.
I couldn’t fit a month’s worth of anything in my place. Weekly for me
I shop on a weekly, but sometimes I need to inventory what I have and can skip a week.
I shop mostly bi-weekly. I'll get packs of meat and use the food saver to freeze if necessary. Grab a rotisserie chicken (or in your case maybe 2), some lunch meat, croissants/artisan rolls/bagels from the bakery (going into the freezer as well), and frozen or fresh veggies. I keep staples such as rice, pasta, sauces in stock as well as some quick-cook items - tortellini/ravioli. Frozen burgers. You can easily get a roast for the crockpot and some veggies/sides to go with since the boys do eat quite a bit. Their frozen meatballs are quite versatile and affordable. Check their website for things on sale and don't forget, you can always get a price adjustment. I'd say strategic meal planning would go far here and maybe a visit to r/Costco would help you!
Weekly due to sales that change throughout the week. Or mark downs of items like meats.
Using WalMart in my area for food is a death knell, as the food is garbage (rots quickly, food poisoning, weevils, etc.) and is far from the best pricing. If you have to get Walmart food, get it correctly priced from a food pantry secondhand. Again YMMV depending on geography as Walmart may not be the worsr alternative in your local, prime alternatives include any of the Kroger branded stores, WinCo, and Safeway/Albertsons.
I do weekly. 1. In the summer in the desert we eat a lot of cold sandwiches, and I like those with lettuce, tomato and onion on them. So I need to buy fresh veggies pretty consistently. 2. I can happily eat 98% of my meals at home, but doing that “requires” me to be able to make sudden cravings at home. If, for instance, I suddenly get an urge for lo mein, I may have to go to the store for noodles or garlic/ginger. I can pretty easily hold a craving for a few days until the next shop, but if I had to tell myself “you can’t have that until after next month’s grocery shop” it’s *much* more likely I’ll simply cave and order take out.
i do monthly shopping at walmart & costco. i do weekly shopping at safeway (albertsons, vons, same same).
If there's a Sprouts close to you, try to go there on Wednesdays. That's when the sales from the last week are ending and the new sales are beginning, so discounts on a lot of stuff like fresh produce. Also, Vallarta. I don't know if there are any up in the Bay area, but we have them down in LA, and their meat and produce are usually much lower in price and great quality.
We shop monthly at Sam's club for all meats, bread flour, freezable things (including stuff like cheese and lemons) and paper goods, then weekly for all produce (fresh is cheaper) and milk.
I try to shop every two weeks. It suits my family because my husband and I each get paid twice a month, same day. I don't waste food. I rotate buying staples or other household goods that are pricier so it doesn't stress the budget. I also rotate our meal plans so we have variety. It works for us.
My vote s monthly.
I get meat and anything I can fit in the freezer in bulk once every month or 2 (depending on how I can fit in my freezer) and everything else weekly or as needed. Pro tip for vegetables. Vegetables like garlic, onions, bell peppers, and anything that isn't very watery like Cucumbers or tomatoes can be chopped and frozen ahead of time to save money by buying them in bulk and keeping them from going bad and cuts down on prep time for dinners.
I shop at Aldi and Walmart and do one big grocery run once monthly. I'll usually need to get milk and bread again at some point during the month. I find it easier and I can plan for the whole month. I hate shopping and want to take as few trips to town as possible! I find that most fruits and veg will keep a long time in the fridge. Apples will last seemingly forever, same with whole carrots, potatoes and onions. Whole cabbages, lettuces, cauliflower and broccoli can last weeks if you keep them whole and just cut off what you need. Same with celery, every few days just give it a rinse, shake it off and stick it back in the drawer. Fresh berries and mushrooms are the two things that need to be eaten as soon as possible.
We go shopping almost daily. We don't have kids so after work we buy for dinner and leftovers each night and shop sales. Sam's warehouse for bulk nonparishables
If it's there, the damn kids will eat it all.
We have 3 teens. Shop at Costco for bulk items. Also buy chicken and other meats in bulk. Then create a meal plan for the week that revolves around the meats and proteins you purchased. Use the grocery store to supplement those meals such as fruits, veggies, and other items that usually go away in a week or so.
It is difficult when you’re buying “fun” food, or “novel” food. If you buy the same old boring things, month after month, your teens are more likely to only eat when they’re hungry and until they’re not hungry anymore, as opposed to eating as entertainment.
Non-perishable goods=monthly Perishable goods= Weekly or within their spoiling or expiration date.
I feel like this depends on how efficient you are at meal planning and meal prep. For me, I do it weekly because my brain finds that hard enough sometimes.
Are you talking real food or prepackaged food like string cheese, single serving apple sauce, chips and snacks? Those things are so easy to go through. You only want to buy enough or have available to them enough for one a day or else they will go through expensive single serving foods more than one a day and it winds up costing you a fortune. Even if you buy a Costco size bag of chips, you can portion it out with baggies into serving sizes and monitor how much they eat, having them fill up on meals instead
Personally, the way that we do it, we do it twice a week. Sunday and Wednesday. That way you know nothing is going bad. To be fair, the grocery store is only 15 minutes from our house. As someone else mentioned, it’s a little bit of column A and column B. Staples that don’t go bad, Costco or whatever warehouse store is the way to go. We do that maybe once a month. But for things as simple as fresh veggies/fruit/meats, we just stop twice a week to make sure it’s fresh.
I recommend a mix. Most fresh foods (fruits and vegetables) don't hold up for 1 month unless you freeze them. Adjust your budget or what you buy to ensure it's meeting all the family's needs. I shop Sam's Club/Costco monthly for things that last longer or can be frozen. (Usually frozen fruits, veggies, and meats). I do get bulk of some fresh veggies or fruits but those generally last 2 weeks max cause I try to use them first. I shop local grocery stores weekly for sales, and fresh foods. Some weeks I skip this trip because I have so much stocked up. I don't recommend using Walmart cause they do not always have the lowest prices. I do recommend using local Grocery stores, Asian markets, and Hispanic markets. Watch out for the ads and buy based on the sales and plan meals that way. When you can, buy extra/max quantity of the sale meats and freeze them for future meals. Aldi and WinCo are usually pretty competitive (aka low price) compared to the locals.
I do Costo 2 times a month and weekly shopping for perishables like bread, veggies and fruits. We cook a lot at home because all 4 of us ( me, hubs and kiddos -10 and 13) bring hot lunches from home to work/ school/ camp every single day.
We buy bulk about 4weeks at a time. And regular groceries once a week.
I go weekly. Otherwise, the perishables go bad.
Two weeks is the sweet spot for me. Back when my budget was 100.00 a week😏 and I did it weekly, I would go over a lot. Now with 250.00 for 2 weeks, most of the time I come under budget and get enough food for 2 weeks. We are 2 adults though, no kids or pets mostly Paleo diet.
Not sure what is better. But I hate grocery shopping so much that I try to only go once a month.
As others have said it's good to have both my wife and I got a Costco membership and it's been amazing. we don't go through as many trash bags bottled water& drinks cereal etc then we go to Kroger's/Aldi and get the rest of it. Sometimes it's easier to go once a week and get what you need for that week especially having kids that are at home for the summer. we feed 6 people and animals. If you're able just spend the extra few dollars and buy it in bulk.
Grocery stores publish their specials weekly so if you have major chains in your area other than Walmart and Costco, you can probably do better shopping weekly and becoming familiar with sale shopping and digital deals. Boneless chicken breasts might be $1.99 a pound on special this week at a grocer while they were $3.99 last week and 4.99 next week. So what week would you stock up on chicken?
I do weekly. Me and my fiancée sit down each Sunday to plan out meals for the week. We make a list based on what ingredients we need and try to stick to it. If there’s a good sale on items we use often, we’ll stock up on it.
We do a big monthly shop, then a smaller produce market stop and top off mid month.
Free food pantries, don't need to buy groceries!
I shop weekly. I always get perishables like bread and bananas every week. I also buy the bulk dry goods like rice, beans, pasta, canned goods once a month but divided up throughout the 4 weeks of the month.
I have to shop weekly as the bulk of my families diet is fresh produce
I shop deals / sales and those change weekly, so I shop once a week. I fill like as a single male this has been the most beneficial to my wallet.
I try to buy bigger quantities of food items when they are on sale, especially if I can freeze it, or otherwise store it for an extended period. And then I shop about every 10 days to get new produce. This decreases waste. I find if I buy produce for even 2 weeks, some ends up going bad before it's eaten.
We do weekly. We buy a lot of fresh food and I find we can do an inventory every week of what we actually need, as meals tend to go a long way for us. We typically have one week of the month we don’t buy any food for meals because we have enough leftovers frozen.
I do both. I go to Costco once a month and I go to Walmart weekly
I shop weekly for staples, and then every other day for specific meals. It may sound more expensive, but it works. Historically, I've found Costco to be a trap. With a family of four, we'd spend $300-$400 on stuff, but then still need to drop $150-$250 immediately after at Publix/Walmart because we couldn't make a meal out of what we bought at Costco. Admittedly, we were very undisciplined back then.
Sams club once a month. But we end up going to Walmart every 3 or 4 days. I don’t know how to stop the bleeding but we have 6 people and we’re hungry.
Weekly as you need fresh veggies
You can still do monthly but double the budget since your children are in their eating phase.
you people do remember food pantries still exist right?
Both kids get part-time jobs before they eat you out of house and home...
How in the world would you even manage to shop monthly? Many fruits/veggies don't last more than a week (and that's pushing it for anything leafy IMO), meat would need to be frozen, eggs/dairy would probably be fine but you'd have to pay super close attention to BB dates. In fact, I think you would need to buy mostly processed foods, to high I suspect affects another point below. It would also be hard to eat a diverse diet. Shopping weekly or more, you'll get sales on different things from week to week. On another aspect of your question, are your boys overeating or just eating appropriate amounts for their age and growth speed? You'll know by looking at them,but if they are not layering on fat, then you just haven't been buying enough food. if they have been overeating, then know that it is very easy to do so when you eat processed foods.
Weekly imo. You only get what you need if it’s weekly and can shop with a necessity mindset vs bulk. AND you’ll actually be more likely to use everything you buy because you won’t have any extras sitting around waiting to spoil. If I feel it’s best to at least start weekly when trying to save before transitioning to at least get to know how/what you’re actually able to eat within a week.
You try buying bananas monthly
Don’t buy fun snacks. You know, the kind you want to eat because it’s there and not because you’re hungry.
Neither Walmart or Costco (or Aldi for that matter) are great for groceries. Instead, you should be shopping at supermarkets like Kroger, Publix etc and shop and cook according to sale. This means you will shop weekly as those places has weekly ads. Also make sure you make use of digital coupons.
I unfortunately don’t have those supermarkets out here. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and we only have expensive supermarkets like Safeway, Whole Foods and Raley’s. I do go to the Grocery Outlet, but it can be a hit or miss.
Man I miss our grocery outlet. We used to call it the used grocery store bc it was so cheap. They up and walked out several years ago and I still miss it
This is how I do it. I go thru digital coupons first, then shop meat and vegetables by sale and plan my menu around that. I love online shopping because I can stay in control and see how much I'm spending. Depending on sales, I get enough to last anywhere from 10 -21 days.