How do you plan trips to town?

[rose angel]

We just moved to the foothills, about 45-55 minutes away from town, and I am trying to get a feel on how often we need to go to town to get groceries, do errands , etc. What do you do? Buy in bulk? bring food back in ice chests?Cook in batches and freeze? We don't have a garden yet, so are dependant on the grocery store...
Thanks for any input!

[.:Becca:.]

We live 30mins from a grocery store and 1 hour away from the nearest health food store. So, we plan out our food shopping.

Once a month I go on a huge shopping trip. I get all my staples, basic stuff, to last the whole month. This is stuff like flour, rice, beans, sucanat, dried fruits, laundry soap, stuff like that. I get my milk and eggs from a neighbor, so I don't need to worry about that stuff.

Then, about once a week we get things that we go through pretty fast, like, fresh fruit, salad stuff, fruit leather, nuts, ect.... I usually combine these trips with going to the second hand store, library, ect.... to save on gas.

Frozen stuff usually holds out pretty good if I pack it in paper bags with other frozen stuff.

There are times when we have to run to town to get 1 thing, like when dh does plumping or stuff around here, he ALWAYS needs a part, lol. But, that's life

Good luck It takes some getting used to, but you'll get the hang of it in no time.

[countrymom]

We live 30 minutes from closest grocery--and 40-45 min to whole foods & trader joe's......so I tend to stock up on thiings when on sale so pantry is somewhat stocked--and once a week I go down & do the shop--buying extra when I can---and to supplement during week, we do have a local country market with great organic produce & home made breads--and in summer we garden a little. We have a health food co-op too which we can order items in bulk once a month--iI no longer do, but when we moved here I did , just to adjust from marketing everyother day to the once a week--(or in winter, sometimes once every other week.)

I think once you are used to it, it just becomes commonplace to do a big shop--and freeze if you have meats/fish.......but it does take some getting used to. Good luck!!

[amyamanda]

We live 20 min from the food coop in town, sounds short but with 4 little kids it's a big trip. I've been shopping every other week lately. I have an extra freestanding freezer and separate extra fridge (soooooooooo helpful). I also have pantry shelves. And I store stuff in plastic tubs, too. It helps to stay totally on top of things make sure to stay a step ahead of what we eat - for example, I keep at least one extra of condiments, and buy a new one when I use up my spare rather than when I run out. I keep lots of staples in bulk - grains, canned stuff like beans and tomatoes, frozen veggies and fruit, etc. We buy chicken and beef in bulk from farmers and freeze.

I also meal-plan. I figure out 14 dinners and what I need for them before I shop. Usually the first week is more vegetarian and involves perishables like fresh produce, and the second week is more meat-heavy and involves more pantry staples and stuff from the freezer. It took me a little while to analyze my family's food patterns, but I have a rough idea now of how often we run out of stuff and just try to make sure we have enough of everything for two weeks.

I keep a list on my computer of everything we use on a regular basis (listed by where I find it in the store to save time when shopping!) so it's easy to scan what I have and circle what I'm out of.

So I shop in town every 2 weeks, and hope I won't have to go back the second week for something I desperately need. It's easier to make do than I used to think. I also drive about an hour every 3 months or so to shop at a Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Target. I keep a list of the things we regularly buy at those stores and do the same kind of inventory before I leave, then I buy 3 months' worth.

HTH.

[realwealth]

several strategies

Hi,

We are trying to go shopping less and less. We just don't like the time it takes and the hassle involved. My husband picks up things we need in a pinch, and I have been finding things like bulk herbs and a lot of our supplements online. Many places have free shipping if you spend $X, and I found a couple of places that have fixed shipping costs of around $5 to $6 on orders less than $75.

I also found a place I can order things like bio-degradable cleaners that delivers, and it costs me less than I used to pay for the name brand toxic cleaners, even when I include the shipping cost. That is once a month. I also order vitamins from that company.

I buy bulk grains and beans and things from a local health food store. They special order for me and only mark it up 10% over their cost. It would cost me more than that in shipping in most cases, so that is a deal for me.

So, I think ordering in is probably the best thing we do... when you shop around and get deals on shipping, even free shipping, it can be very worthwhile. The internet is a great resource!

Forgot to add that we do take a trip every so often to a place in the boonies about 2 1/2 hours away for some things. I plan ahead for what I need there and bring a cooler or two. Then frozen meats and things stay frozen and keep the rest of the food cold on the way home.

realwealth