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View Full Version : Poll to settle our weekly rant at my house



GSMom385
01-11-2007, 08:34 PM
Ok I need your help ladies to prove once and for all at my house that most people don't sit down and plan out their week in advance like my DH. Please vote with your honest answer and not to simply be on my side, because if I am wrong I am a big girl and can admit it. But inquiring minds want to know at my house what you do when shopping for groceries.

At my house the weekly debate is always over the grocery bill. It seems like I purchase groceries and they are instantly gone in minutes.

DH feels I should pour over the ad, clip coupons, and plan a menu for the week around the printed ad and stick to it. This would help us purchase meal plans and not random snacks that are gone the minute they hit the house.

I on the other hand shop by watching signs and sales in the store, which he feels costs more money and results in more random purchases, not complete meals, making the grocery bill larger.

So I am curious, do you read the ads in advance or do you simply go to the store and make purchases based on the signs in the store.

Spartymom
01-11-2007, 08:39 PM
When the Sunday paper comes out, I look at the grocery ads and clip the coupons and circle the items that we usually buy. We do plan our meals for the week. This meal planning is around dance and other nightly activites. It just makes it easier so that your not stuck with PB & J sandwitch. Then, I have an itemized grocery list from the computer that I print out. I then highlight what we need, take this and coupons to the store. Since Tues, are dance class for DD's, DH usually gets the $5. pizza at little ceasers.

I usually have to go to the store twice, b/c DH likes fresh burger, which drives me crazy. But, there are little things to needed to pick up by the end of the week. Whew...Kim

tojoco
01-11-2007, 08:40 PM
There is no way at my house we could live and plan a weekly menu. Each day is different. Some days I like to cook regular dinners and some days we'll just have soup and sandwiches or we'll have take-out. It all depends on the mood I'm in or how tired I am from the day.

Erin K
01-11-2007, 08:43 PM
I look over the ads then make a list then figure out what I'll be able to make then make a "meue" that I put on the fridge and work off of that till I'm out or just have stinkin hamburger helper on the list then I do it all again. It's a pain but our grocery bill is like half sense I've been doing it.

maxiesmom
01-11-2007, 08:46 PM
I agree in that it is too hard - for us anyway- to plan out a whole weeks worth of meals. It is great in theory and I would like to be able to do it. We do try to think ahead and say ok we'd like to make x,y & z this week, but since stuff always comes up it isn't always gonna happen.

I look at the grocery ads for all the stores nearby and get what I need from each one, also using coupons when I can.

iloveflipflops
01-11-2007, 08:47 PM
BEFORE kids, i would make a menu and buy what i needed ONCE for the whole week. NOW 2 teenagers later, I go whenever I need to ... I am sure this does not help at all. ha ha

Firecracker
01-11-2007, 08:48 PM
At our house we review the Sunday ads and clip coupons. We buy groceries for 2 weeks. If particular items that are on sale are usual items we will buy more to have on hand. We basically plan a menu but it seems like something comes up and things change. Hugs, Heather

Nancy
01-11-2007, 08:49 PM
but only for what I need. Most meals are thought up each day from what I remember being in the freezer. Who eats all the extras up right away. If its your husband - hehehe then don't buy any snacks next week. Tell him it is saving on the grocery bill. OR let him do the shopping and see how long that lasts. The only snacks that are in our house are nuts, pretzels and I bake a lot. We just dont care for a lot of other things. Breakfast is always cereal, juice coffee. Lunch -whatever usually is left over from supper the night before. Supper itself always consists of a meat, potato, vegetables and a canned fruit, if I dont have the real stuff. I change with noodles, rice. Hope this helps. - Nancy A

cindi
01-11-2007, 08:56 PM
I'm the queerest shopper of all!
once a month we go get a big bunch of staples( canned goods, cereals, frozen veggies, ect) then I go to the grocery store several times a week to get frwesh produce & meat, according to what we feel like eating.
I doclip coupons but most times I find the store brand cheaper than the cpoupon prices.
:)

lost luggage
01-11-2007, 09:01 PM
I make a weekly menu and shop once a week via the ads. We stick to it to keep our grocery bills to our budget. This does not mean that I will not buy something if it is not on sale...if it is on sale it helps.

tesschap
01-11-2007, 09:06 PM
DH and I usually shop together once a week and buy supplies for 5 meals (dinners). I scan the ads at our two favorite grocery stores each week and we usually shop at the one that has the most sale items we're interested in. Our sons are 22 and 24 and not always home for dinner but we plan for them (and DS #2's girl friend, who we love and eats with us a few times a week) on shopping day. We usually prepare 3 of the meals as planned each week and the other 2 go in the freezer for the following week or the weekend. We spend so much on groceries it's crazy. DS#1 is planning to buy a house by summer (he's a new teacher and needs to get a year under his belt). DS #2 is living home finishing his Masters so we'll feed him for another year. We go through tons of cereal, bagels, bottled water, and juices. I used to clip tons of coupons and shop at a double coupon store but I just don't have time anymore.

Teresa

loobylou
01-11-2007, 09:11 PM
We plan about 5 meals and shop for what we need

toao
01-11-2007, 09:16 PM
My idea of grocery shopping is call DH 5 minutes before he gets off work and tell him that we need milk and bread! LOL (And I live like 3 blocks from the store) hahaha

Mary

hbpuppy
01-11-2007, 10:03 PM
I think that you are both right. I have a friend who "walks the stores" searching for unadvertised sales (which btw are usually better than the ads and thus you win on this point) and reads the advertised specials then coordinates them with the coupons that have come out in the paper for the past few months (because it rarely happens that the coupon comes in the paper the same week that it goes on sale). Anyways, she does all the work. I just read her list, figure out what I want which usaull includes a bunch of free stuff, and clip my coupons. There are some websites that do similar lists like mycoupons.com and cutouthunger.com. The latter is a favorite of mine. Also, if there are certain products that you always buy then you can actually "buy" coupons for those products. Ebay is one source but surfcitydeals.com is another. Good luck.

Heather

stampcrazyjulie
01-11-2007, 10:48 PM
I look at the ads, but I don't plan a menu or anything around what's on sale. I also clip coupons. Generally as with everything, if it's not on sale I won't buy it unless we really want/need it & it is a good price.

I go to the Store on an almost daily basis. We have 2 small & one large freezer full of frozen food & 2 fridges. We really could go weeks without going to the Store, but we are impulse eaters!

I memorize prices. We live in the middle of 4 different Grocery Stores boundaries, so I know which was has the best prices & for what....

I really need to plan a menu for a week or 2 & then shop by that. We would probably save more money that way!

purplemel
01-11-2007, 11:42 PM
I do plan meals in my head by what is on hand and buy in bulk -sides of beef,caselots of chicken breasts, soups, etc but buy when on sale. Old habits die hard we have 4 sons so bulk buying was a survival thing still do so as youngest DS is always raiding on visits as he thinks he is supporting himself but my deep freeze says no. Drives me nuts when he takes the spagetti sauce and then we are going to have it for a meal and the frozen stash is gone. Apparently he only likes homemade and was short funds. Oh well just wish he would tell me we are out. Yes I do cook in bulk alot too saves me cooking some nights.

GSMom385
01-12-2007, 12:16 AM
Mary you are a woman after my own heart!!!

suzi_f
01-12-2007, 07:33 AM
My dh used to work in a grocery store & for some odd reason, he LOVES to grocery shop. We don't plan "meals" per se but, we eat the same 5 things all the time so, we usually have the stuff for those meals in the freezer or pantry. DH does go thru the ads & sees which stores have the best buys. We also shop at the "discount" grocery store in our area. Usually saves a bunch on staples. And, when things we eat ALOT are on sale, we buy multiples.

I have found that when dh is out of town & I'm FORCED to go to the grocery store w/o him, I spend tons more & never seem to have any food when we get home. He's the much better shopper.

My3Ds
01-12-2007, 09:32 AM
Sounds like too much work for me. Let DH do the shopping :)

directmailscrapper
01-12-2007, 02:23 PM
I used to have one of those coupon wallets with dividers. It took soooo much time to keep the coupons current and organized that I finally gave it up. I haven't clipped coupons for years.

I shop when I need something and buy what I see. I DO usually buy what's on sale -- and plan from that. Our schedules are so goofy -- sometimes when I do plan ahead or even cook ahead -- I end up tossing it because it didn't get used.

We both work and don't have to pinch pennies. I don't know how some of you do it!!!:shocked:

But I'm always ready to cut a 40% Michaels coupon!:grin:

Nancy

moosemama
01-12-2007, 03:02 PM
I have done both planning a weekly menu(which was already done for me at savingdinner.com) and then not really planned until that day what we would have for dinner. I don't shop by the ads, as I have certain brands I buy (alot of times it's the store brand and they are on sale anyways)and don't have room for storing tons of extra stuff just because it's on sale. I also don't make the time to clip coupons, we don't even get the paper daily-too much paper laying around!! haha I have seen some women at the checkout with tons of coupons and they seem to be very organized.
I have found when I use the weekly menu that is planned out for us, grocery bills are lower. There is a certain good feeling with knowing what will be for dinner before the day is done and I just have to pull out the ingredients, but that requires that I do the weekly shopping and bring the list with me and sometimes I just haven't done that. If I shop each day for food then I tend to be impulsive and that also takes up alot of time that I could be crafting instead of just shopping once per week for the bulk of the groceries. I hope I answered the question-Fern

flyingflower
01-12-2007, 03:44 PM
dh does the shopping, so I'm not gonna be much help :(
he does his list based on what we standardly use and sticks to it (I read ads & signs a lot)

directmailscrapper
01-12-2007, 05:05 PM
When we got to the checkout -- I realized that he had added a ham. I told him "You don't just buy a ham on impulse! You PLAN a ham!" I couldn't talk him out of it -- so we had ham! I've bought plenty of stuff on impulse -- just never before a HAM!

:nod:
Nancy