Food shopping - reducing runs

justforfun87

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 11:06 am

How do you keep yourself from running to market 3x a week. I work full time and I have no time for this. Let's say I go shopping on Sunday, don't get milk. Tues comes along and the milk is gone. I got snacks earlier in the week. They are already finished. We have too much food waste as well so I want to minimize running out AGAIN but we are out of fruit. Each week the kids decide they like this food but hate that food. It is driving me BONKERS! It isn't even shabbos yet.

justforfun87

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 11:11 am

watergirl wrote:

When I am on my a-game, I menu plan for the week on Sundays, shop on Sundays, then again on Thursday. I am not on my a-game, so I've gone to the store every night this week for the few things I need for dinner that night. It's really stressful.

I am on my D game then. I should clarify these are online orders but I still have to shlep out and get them. I also try to save money and order from Target or Costco but that adds more trips. Milk was just an example. Some weeks it sits and then one day they all magically want cereal... which reminds me, we are low on cereal.

mha3484

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 11:12 am

I tend to go once a week (Sundays for the ingredients I need for dinner and school lunch and snacks) and a second smaller trip for Shabbos on Thursday.

But I keep finding my kids blow through the snacks and I end up going again. I want to stop this but no matter what I buy I find that it just goes so fast.

watergirl

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 11:13 am

amother Mocha wrote:

I do one Instacart order on Wednesday (with enough milk for the week) Sometimes I do a second order but that’s for specialty items.

Why wouldn’t you buy milk on Sunday? If your family is milk drinkers you should always buy milk. Perhaps also keep a backup milk in the freeezer

This is helpful only if the items you need are not ONLY available at a kosher store. Where I live, no kosher stores work with instacart.

amother

Mocha

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 11:15 am

watergirl wrote:

This is helpful only if the items you need are not ONLY available at a kosher store. Where I live, no kosher stores work with instacart.

I don’t shop at kosher stores. I use Instacart for aldi and Costco. Maybe once a month or 2 I’ll go in person to a kosher store for fill in stuff (shabbos candles, disposable table cloths Wacky Mac lol and the meat I can’t get at Costco)

watergirl

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 11:19 am

amother Mocha wrote:

Right.... so the things I tend to need mid-week are only at kosher stores like the CY stuff or random chicken or ground beef for the nights I forgot to take the chicken we got at costco out of the freezer, or whatever quick dinner thing I need because I'm not on my game.

amother

Mocha

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 11:22 am

watergirl wrote:

Not keeping cy and py definitely helps make my life easier. Also most weeks I cook for the week on Sunday.

dinglehopper

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 11:33 am

If your kids are old enough, ask them to write foods they want for snacks and lunches and such. Plan that into your weekly shopping (kids x snacks needed). If they change their minds mid week, well, they need to wait until next week. No one will starve and your life will be simpler. Menu plan, menu plan, menu plan. When I had little kids and worked full time this was the only thing that kept it manageable.

justforfun87

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 11:47 am

dinglehopper wrote:

I try this and I warn them not to eat school snacks and they stay away from some of the mini bags but they are big snackers/grazers and that is a whole nother issue. Do all kids come home starving?!

Duh

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 11:53 am

Some kids will take more snack, if there's more available. So buy extra but keep the "refill" snacks out of reach.
For non perishables I find helpful to have an extra package of foods like cereal, pasta, basic baking ingredients. Add it to your shopping list when you're out of the second one, not when you're down to zero.

amother

Navyblue

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 12:40 pm

You buy what you need and if you run out then people eat something else.

Milk is now ultra pasteurized and so if you check the expiration dates, it can last for a few weeks if not opened so there is no reason to not get extra milk when you shop.

With respect to actual meals, you do need to plan out all of the meals and then make a shopping list.

If you are regularly forgetting to defrost food needed, then make a check list which you make a habit of checking the night before. I am absent minded so I will scotch tape things to the door if need be as reminders.

Keep several frozen meals which you can cook when all else fails by simply taking them out.

And keep some pantry stuff that produces good meals. Nothing wrong with spaghetti (dried) with tomato sauce (jar in pantry). The bagged salads also generally keep very well - especially the ones that are cabbage based.

Some fruits like apples and citrus last a LONG time. I always have the mandarin oranges in the refrigerator because they are there when the more perishable fruit is gone. And there are some very good frozen fruits as well - I love to eat frozen pineapple or other frozen fruit like an iced dessert. And the frozen fruit also obviously lasts for a long time.

Also plan meals - especially the produce - in terms of using the most perishable first. Winter squash lasts a long time. Mushrooms can go bad more quickly. Take a bit of time to store produce so that it lasts as long as possible - some stuff like berries need to be dry to prevent mold - other stuff needs to be damp like fresh herbs to prolong freshness. Even relatively hardy veggies like green beans can get moldy if kept in the plastic bags if there is any moisture trapped.

amother

Outerspace

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 12:41 pm

I've tried markering the dates on things when I open them to learn how long it really takes me to use them - not a forever task, but for awhile to learn the shopping cycles. I also buy one ahead on the must-haves, rather than play catch up. I switch to a longer-lasting brand if necessary as well (certain milks for example seem to keep better, and that's worth 50 cents more than if it spoiled and cost me an extra trip)

amother

Khaki

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 12:53 pm

justforfun87 wrote:

I try this and I warn them not to eat school snacks and they stay away from some of the mini bags but they are big snackers/grazers and that is a whole nother issue. Do all kids come home starving?!

Warn them that you've bought the weeks supply of snacks, and when they are gone, they are gone. There won't be any more until next week.

Try to have fruits and cut up vegetables ready in the fridge or on a plate when they get home from school.

NotInNJMommy

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 12:57 pm

I go to Aldi 1-2x a month and TJs 2-3x a month, and stock up on some particulars.

I have a weekly Walmart delivery order.

Other specialty kosher items I get at 1-2 stores in person, and I usually also stock up.

The #1 thing I needed to do years ago to not be constantly shopping was have storage space---pantry (other than active pantry) and extra freezer.

I also get some things on amazon S&S including nosh, so those come once a month or every other month and when we're out, we're out. We wait until the next time.

mha3484

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 12:57 pm

amother Khaki wrote:

I have tried this before and then I get emails from the school saying I noticed no one has a snack is everything okay. So it just reflects badly on me and the kids don't really get the cause and effect.

Amarante

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 12:58 pm

amother Khaki wrote:

Accessibility is key. If kids come home hungry for a snack, then have stuff that is as easy to grab as snacks in a bag. Also there should be a mixture of fat, protein and fruit/veggie so there are certain classics like peanut butter on celery with raisins (the ants on a branch); or hummus with pita. Depending on what is on the menu most kids love string cheese and is comes in single servings easy to grab.

Depending on what kind of snacks you get, don't keep all of them in the kitchen but stash them where the kids can't get to them and only put out what can be eaten - or give to each kid individually. Costco and Amazon and Walmart as well as other places sell large boxes of single serving boxes and the boxes are easily stashed in a closet. Also with amazon, they essentially come within 2 days or less from when you order if you are running low.