When & how do you do your grocery shopping?

[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

[feeb]

It was hard work with 1 child so will be crazy now with 2

We dont have off street parking so case of bring DS1 in put him in hallway go back and get stuff from car problem is he unpacks bags all down hallway!!! Cant be bothered waiting till evening when DH home as by then I am too tired. Otherwise will shop on weekends and leave DH home.

Since DS2 was born DH has been going to get groceries but never does a big shop just what we need for that day and if lucky the next day!!! Drives me nuts, I am now thinking of trying coles online but DH thinks its too expensive but 2 kids and no off street parking I dont see any other way to do groceries during week.

[AnyDream]

In the early days I thought that getting the groceries done with a baby in tow was a marker of my success as a busy mother

Infinity - I was like that a long long time ago! Mind you it helped that I was fit & strong enough to be a baby wearin grocery shoppin super mumma back then!

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

I hear you Kawazuki - in fact I've been thinking about this and wondering if ppl manage to keep their weekends pretty housework-free or not.

To the home shoppers - I've only ever had Woollies home shopping - I agree in terms of convenience of having it brought to your door (well in my case right into my kitchen) - but geez it used to gobble up my time. I had a problem with the fact that you couldn't book your delivery until you'd finalised your order BUT if you don't know which day your delivery was gonna be you don't know if you're going to need to grab something (emergency purchase at the local shop) in the meantime!

I"m LOLing at the ppl who are fessing up about doing it themselves and enjoying the peace & quiet of the shops...BTDT!!

[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