How do you grocery shop?

[SteveGrabowski]

Mostly in tears as I look at all the numbers on my receipt going higher every week or two.

 

[feralkid]

Well more power to you hoards of zombies ambling aimlessly down the aisles but that sounds terrible. I prefer a fast and efficient trip

And it was downright thoughtful of you to tell us all.

 

[Kaido]

3-step system:

1. Once a week, I spend 10 minutes picking 7 items to cook for the week (one batch a day), pick out what day to make which recipe, and make a shopping list.

2. Once a week, I go shopping. Either I go to the store, or do curbside, or do grocery delivery. I prefer just zipping into the store armed with my list so I can pick out what I want & get out of there quickly.

3. Once a day, after work, I cook a batch to divvy up & freeze (usually in Souper Cube "brick molds"). One batch typically makes 8 servings. Do that every day for 30 days, get 240 servings in my deep freezer. So easy, even a caveman could do it! People wonder why I love my Instapot so much; it's because I can spend 10 minutes a day of hands-on time cooking food & have a huge freezer stash of amazing options to choose from! From the Souper Cube Instagram page:

 

[Muse]

Mostly in tears as I look at all the numbers on my receipt going higher every week or two.

I've been keeping a record of all my food purchases, most purchases, actually. Yes, food's been going up. I think I get maybe 70% of my groceries at Costco. The rotisserie chicken remains $4.99, it's their loss leader. But other stuff's been going up. 3lb of organic bananas were $1.99 ever since I started keeping track in 2015. They jumped to $2.29 about 2 years ago and a few months ago jumped to $2.49.

 

[Muse]

Well more power to you hoards of zombies ambling aimlessly down the aisles but that sounds terrible. I prefer a fast and efficient trip

I've done it both ways, I'm usually quite efficient but many's the time I wandered aimlessly in a supermarket and didn't buy a thing. These days I don't do that.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

I've been keeping a record of all my food purchases, most purchases, actually. Yes, food's been going up. I think I get maybe 70% of my groceries at Costco. The rotisserie chicken remains $4.99, it's their loss leader. But other stuff's been going up. 3lb of organic bananas were $1.99 ever since I started keeping track in 2015. They jumped to $2.29 about 2 years ago and a few months ago jumped to $2.49.

How is their rotisserie chicken? Just got a membership last week but haven't tried the chicken. Anything to get out of cooking right now when we have 110-125 heat index every day until this heat dome breaks up (hopefully) in a week; my AC can only do so much.

 

[Exterous]

And it was downright thoughtful of you to tell us all.

I thought so

 

[Muse]

How is their rotisserie chicken? Just got a membership last week but haven't tried the chicken. Anything to get out of cooking right now when we have 110-125 heat index every day until this heat dome breaks up (hopefully) in a week; my AC can only do so much.

It's fine. I've bought a bunch. Kaido said he gets one every time he goes to Costco and you KNOW he's a foodie!

I've been a Costco member since around 1990, probably earlier.

When was Costco founded?

In 1983, the first Costco warehouse location was opened in Seattle. Costco became the first company ever to grow from zero to $3 billion in sales in less than six years.

 

[Kaido]

How is their rotisserie chicken? Just got a membership last week but haven't tried the chicken. Anything to get out of cooking right now when we have 110-125 heat index every day until this heat dome breaks up (hopefully) in a week; my AC can only do so much.

I like it! It's Costco's loss leader: (they sold 117 million of them last year & probably lose tens of millions of dollars due to the static selling price)

1. They fix the price at $4.99
2. They stick it in the back of the store
3. That way you have to walk past miles of deals to get to it, which usually means you'll buy some other stuff on the way lol

There are hundreds of things you can do with it: (you can also reheat it in your Instapot!)

https://www.pinterest.com/swmfoodie/rotisserie-chicken-recipes/

You can easily break it down:

For me, cooking kind of boils down to 2 things:

1. The executive function required to do it
2. The heart of the meal

I have ADHD, which means that sometimes my brain shuts down when following steps, so even though I like to make good food at home, sometimes I'm just too brain-fried to do it. Which leads to the concept of the heart of the meal. Putting together dinner is one thing, but having to work through cooking a main entrée is another. So Costco created this genius idea to make a small bird that's tasty & ready-to-go & only costs five bucks. A Big Mac from McDonald's costs six bucks where I live! So I can knock out the heart of a meal for five dollars from Costco & then pick up some stuff to use it all week with, like some Costco croissants or a pack of tortillas & some sides & boom, I've got dinner for a few days for cheap! These chicken tacos are pretty good, for example:

Easy Rotisserie Chicken Tacos

These Easy Rotisserie Chicken Tacos are a quick and delicious weeknight meal, and a great way to feed a crowd at your next game day party.

www.afamilyfeast.com

I don't have to cook the chicken...all I have to do is shred it up, mix it with some salsa & spices, and bake it in the oven with the taco shells! Effort level = VERY LOW for REALLY good results & all centered around a $5 pre-cooked yummy little chicken!

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I thought so

1. I don't amble. I pimp walk -
2. Aimless is subjective
3. I don't appreciate you calling us zombies. We prefer reanimated Americans.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Lots of the grocery stores here sell those chickens, usually around the same price. But they're small. About 2/3rds the size of whole uncooked chickens, sometimes smaller. And of course, you're paying for their time and energy, and all the bones ... and the packaging. Those fancy clamshells ain't free.

I get packs of boneless skinless thighs or breasts for around $2/lb usually. All meat, no bone, much better value and quick to cook.

 

[DigDog]

i never ever go to the restaurant because i make better stuff at home.
i got a bunch of "ethnic" grocery delivery websites, be it african, oriental, italian, etc and i buy in bulk.

 

[sandorski]

I Grocery Shop like I watch Porn, Online and Naked....

 

[nakedfrog]

It's fine.

I'd say this is a very accurate review.
Overall I prefer to get the 2lb bag of Tru-Grill chicken breast strips, but I don't particularly care for dark meat (yes, I know I'm a savage, I don't care that dark meat is superior, I concede that I'm bad and wrong for liking what I like kthxbai)

 

[Captante]

Lots of the grocery stores here sell those chickens, usually around the same price. But they're small. About 2/3rds the size of whole uncooked chickens, sometimes smaller. And of course, you're paying for their time and energy, and all the bones ... and the packaging. Those fancy clamshells ain't free.

I get packs of boneless skinless thighs or breasts for around $2/lb usually. All meat, no bone, much better value and quick to cook.

Never had a Costco rotisserie chicken I'm assuming? (those are NOT "small")

Frankly the chickens @ my local Stop & Shop while slightly smaller then one I roast myself are just fine... I think stores keep an eye out for YOU walking in and stock the smallest birds especially for you!

 

[NuclearNed]

Our breakfast/lunch diet doesn't vary much at all, so if something required for either is low, I'll pick it up on the way home from work as needed.

Dinner - the wife often makes a large meal Sunday night or Monday, and we eat leftovers all week. For this, we'll usually go to the grocery right after church on Sunday.

 

[mugs]

We use the Wegman's app for our shopping list, which is awesome because it groups everything by aisle so when I'm in the store I can get everything in about 20 minutes. My wife puts the list together, which often consists of her copying stuff from the previous lists without checking if we actually need it, then I bring the groceries home and wonder why she has been putting 2 cucumbers on the list every week when we have 7 cucumbers in the fridge.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

^^ That could be a real pickle.

 

[Chapbass]

I utilize the Whisk app for meal planning and grocery list. its amazing.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

wonder why she has been putting 2 cucumbers on the list every week when we have 7 cucumbers in the fridge.

Yes, what could a woman possibly want with all those cucumbers? 🤟

 

[nisryus]

I go to HEB once a week for weekly grocery shopping. Since our diets don't change much, items on the list rarely changed.

We also write down what we need from Costco. When its near the end of the month we will do the Costco run.

 

[Muse]

We use the Wegman's app for our shopping list, which is awesome because it groups everything by aisle so when I'm in the store I can get everything in about 20 minutes. My wife puts the list together, which often consists of her copying stuff from the previous lists without checking if we actually need it, then I bring the groceries home and wonder why she has been putting 2 cucumbers on the list every week when we have 7 cucumbers in the fridge.

I have a data management system for my personal data. My data table for Costco includes a column for location, it's integer type. 0 means it's where I enter my journey through the warehouse. 5 is by the freezer aisles. 6 deli aisles. 7 meats. 8 is produce. 15 is for my jaunt over to Trader Joe's, which I usually hit before I head home. Of course, I order the entries for my printed report not alphabetically but by the location data.

I have a separate table where I record what I bought on any particular grocery shopping trip. I include the names and descriptions of items, the cost, the discount if any and any other pertinent info. If I hit multiple stores, I stuff all receipts in a pocket. I update the data when I get home off the receipts. If I'm curious about my food shopping on any level I can search my data. For a few years I kept details from which I could determine the average cost of my eating, but I stopped doing that. I have a general idea, though.

 

[nerp]

Wife and I have one of those grocery list notepads with a magnet on the back so we can keep it stuck on the fridge. We write things down during inevitable conversations about what we need from the grocery store. Occasional random thoughts and discoveries are added over the course of a few days. Eventually one of us tears off the top sheet and goes to the store. Or it is forgotten and the spouse at home takes a photo and sends it to the storebound spouse. The trivialities of adult life but i find enjoyment from it.

 

[BudAshes]

I just eat it and pay for it.

 

[nerp]

I just eat it and pay for it.

Eat, pay, love!