When & how do you do your grocery shopping?

[Trillian]

When the kids were little I would always shop on a tuesday - don't know how it always happened to be that day LOL but it just seemed to be the day I was going into town the most. Then once they started preschool shopping day was always the day they were going to preschool so I saved myself an extra trip into town (we are 42kms out of town, so that's why I say 'go to town' LOL) and it filled in my day. This year I have no kids at preschool so I am back to Tuesday again because it just seems to suit me best. We only do one weekly shop and I get enough to last us till the next shopping day because not only does it mean i don't have to make a trip to town for one thing, it also saves us money and helps us budget better.

I have always taken the kids with me - sometimes all 4 of them if I am doing it after school or during holidays because DH works long hours so isn't able to come with me but sometimes if he is home and not busy I will leave the kids with him - not because they are a pain to take, in fact they are really well behaved and I am very lucky in that respect - but just because its nice to go on your own sometimes.

[Hollybolly]

I do it Sunday afternoons - I wait until around 4pm as thats when the rest of the shops shut, & so only the things like coles, woolworths, bakers delight, butchers & fruit & veg are open.
Saves me having to shop with the rest of the world when they're all still out & about

Luke goes to work with DH for a couple of hours while I do it - he earns some pocket money helping DH do some prep for work.... and I get to do groceries on my own - and without it costing double by having DH & DS tag along

A lot of the fruit & veg & meat I order when we do our orders for the shop - so I'm lucky, it just gets delivered with the work stock & DH brings it home for me.
The only shopping I really do is the household stuff from woolworths/coles & the bread from the bakery, so it usually doesn't take me very long at all.

I pick DS up on the way home & he gets to unload it all from the car while I put it away!
(This little job is included in the jobs he gets his pocket money for for helping DH on Sundays)

[Bumperstump Cummerbund]

A friend of mine orders them through Coles online, and sits back and waits for them all to be delivered on a Friday morning - sounds so easy!

[Tinks]

I LOVE my grocery shopping time!

My sister and I go every 2nd Wednesday night by ourselves. NO KIDS! We stop off and have tea on the way then stroll around Kmart (it's 24 hr) looking at anything and everything we feel like. Then we go to the supermarket and take out time. There's no 'mum I want this or that', it's great! Then we load up the car and go home. It's a late night for me though because we live so far away from the shops but I enjoy it.

[*Ali*]

I shop once a fortnight for groceries and meat, usually on a tuesday afternoon by myself. Now that DD is a Kindy I will go during the day on a tuesday once a fortnight with DS. Fruit and veggies we tend to buy at the local farmers market on a Sunday morning, we usually go about 7 am before it gets too busy, we all go and do this as the kids like to help 'help' but it gets a little difficult if we leave it too late, as it is very busy.

[Life is Good]

Two words: COLES. ONLINE.

I would not be able to manage without having the groceries delivered. DH works crazy hours so grocery shopping is a solo activity in our house. I would not be able to manage a large weekly shop with my boy and the pram in tow! Let alone carrying everything and everyone up the 15 stairs just to get to our front door! So I place an order on a Tuesday and get delivery on a Thursday morning. The quality of the fruit and veg is far superior to that in our local outlets (which is probably why we pay a premium for the privilege!) so we have absolutely no wastage and the fresh food lasts so much longer.

That is not to say that I don't pick up some odds and ends when I am out with my boy - but it saves me having to carry anything that can't fit in the pram which, in turn, saves me from a great deal of impulse buying! I also make a a special trip to buy his organic food, but that again, is just a pram-load full at a time.

[YoYo]

We do our food shop on Saturday mornings.....

It's not great! DS HATES sitting in the trolley, but gets a ride on Thomas after if he's been good.

We have to go together on a Saturday as we only get around by taxi and a 6 month pregnant lady and a 2 year old toddler and a boot load of shopping carrying bags one by one from the Taxi to the front door just don't mix! Man I wish I had a car!

You gotta do what you gotta do though....we just persist. I would do it regardless of whether DS was screaming to get out of the trolley or not!

[Vixstar]

I do it weekly and attempt to stay around the $100 (not inc bread and milk) ALONE!!! It is not the kids I don't like taking it is DH.......I like my ME time, even if it is only for an hour!

xxxx

[Sequoia]

Like Trill, my nearest Coles is 38km although we do have a tiny supermarket in town that I buy milk and bread etc.

I go once a week with DS (he's almost 2), either after swimming lessons or before FDC. I'm lucky the butcher and baker (but no candlestick maker) are close to Coles as well. It was so busy the other day that DS made it through 2 vegemite sticks, a small packet of sultanas and a piece of polony, it was a full trolley though.

I have to freeze all my meat so I do a basic menu plan in my head, arranging meals around netball and football training.

Does anyone elses butcher still give out polony to kids? This used to happen when I was little so was pleasantly surprised when DS was offered. Actually, this is the only time he ever gets polony so he needs to make the most of it!

If DS is good, we have a "date" afterwards at a cafe/nursery/gift shop, I have a coffee and he has a milkshake.

[kawazuki]

i do mine on wednesdays now. used to be sat morning with the whole family. but nope im over that i want my weekends for weekend stuff lol.

i take DD2 with my as the others are at school or work.

todays wasd over A$300 but that was a once every month pantry stock shop..
we buy meat bulk every 3-4 months and then its bread and milk, but i am trying to bake my own bread.
first loaf seems to be a success so thats great

[Cally]

DH and I take turns on a Tuesday evening - one does swimming lessons, the other does the groceries. Means that it happens more quickly if we don't have a little one and it means our weekends are free and we don't HAVE to go into town (although we seem to all the time anyway, we can look at other things without DD loosing it).

[ezymay]

We just received our very first coles online order last night and I have to say I am converted!!! It was so easy!! I missed a few things when I ordered but I normally do that when I go to coles myself. They did leave 2 things off my order that I've emailed about and am waiting to hear back. But the all over experience was very good. The delivery driver was lovely and I could even order wine!! It was so much easier than going on my own and lugging it all or with both DH and DD being PITA's

[Tinks]

Does anyone elses butcher still give out polony to kids? This used to happen when I was little so was pleasantly surprised when DS was offered. Actually, this is the only time he ever gets polony so he needs to make the most of it!

My local Safeway does. The kids were offered a few times and now if they're not offered we ask. They are always more than happy to give them a slice.

[smiles4u]

My DP loves, loves grocery shopping ... he is the SUPERMARKET KING !!!!

....... and i ain't complaining as i did the weekly grocery shopping for my family from the age of 13 as my Mum had agrophobia (can't go far from her house) and believe me when i met DP i was MORE than happy to give him the grocery shopping reigns & say GO FOR IT babe, lol