Need tips on staying OUT of grocery store.

[jennypenny]

I meal plan on week at a time because we are always in need of milk, bread, and fresh produce.

What can I do to lessen my trips? It would be fantastic to only go one time a month.

[staciah]

Start using more powdered milk. If not to drink but to use in your recipes.

I freeze my bread. I have two loaves in my freezer now. Usually I have 4.
Start putting more in your freezer or start making your own.

Produce the only thing I could come up with is start to dehydrate or state canning.

[jennypenny]

Each trip just costs more than I originally planned. I am going to really have to brainstorm on this one. I am also moving away from canned food, and pre-packaged food.

[Squirt]

You could buy most of your produce frozen. Supposedly it can be more healthy to eat as it is frozen while at its peak. Or of course you could freeze your own, but that can be quite time consuming.

[ladykemma2]

i go every two weeks. 4 loaves of bread in freezer, 2 gal of milk, one milk goes in freezer, salad and fresh produce for week one, frozen, canned, and long lasting veg like cabbage, carrots, and celery for week two. grated cheese for fresh, cheese in freezer, tortillas fresh, tortilllas freezer.'

get it?

[perSue]

actually I'm quite the opposite.
i go a couple times a week... we eat a lot of produce and virtually NO "premade"/prepackaged/bad foods.

it's healthier and cheaper IMO to go more often, and get the foods that spoil faster and that are in season.

but if you want to cut down your trips... try buying in bulk.
if you can keep produce for longer that's still fresh, by all means.
research the best way to store produce so it lasts the longest possible (ie, some fruits/veg's spoil faster in the fridge than on the counter or window-sill).

otherwise, lots of canned/frozen foods and basic staples - again in bulk.

[Radish4ever]

Do you have any local farms nearby or farmer's markets you could buy produce at??? Or do you have CSA boxes available with produce??

I was also going to suggest freezing bread and milk - we do this quite a bit and it saves a LOT on going to the store!

Also, we get food once a month from Angel Food ministries - that keeps me out of the store a good couple of weeks, too!

[Contrary Housewife]

Some fresh veg lasts longer than others. Some stores sell fresher vegetables than others (which in turn last longer for you). It's worth it to me to pay more for some vegetables at Whole Foods because I know they won't be rotten in 4 days like things I can get from the local cheap grocery. Lettuce especially. I've found that those 3-packs of romaine lettuce last a heck of a lot longer than any other type of lettuce. We had salad tonight with a 2-week old bag of romaine heads and it was still crispy and fresh. Try that with iceberg.

Vegetables like carrots, beets, winter squash, and turnips can last a long time in the fridge if kept cold. Weeks to months. Pick the freshest unblemished vegetables and fruit you can, even a small spot can go bad quickly and take the rest of the lot with it. Save these vegs for later in the month, and use up the more perishable broccoli, green beans, asparagus, etc first.

Same with fruit. Bananas and grapes go in about a week (or less.) Apples and oranges survive longer. Eat the softer fruit first, bring out the others in the 2nd or 3rd week.

Bread is so variable. It keeps longer in the fridge, but there is only so much room there and you can fill it fast with rolls, raisin bread, sandwich bread, hotdog buns, etc. Still, better there than moldy. I've noticed that brand name breads tend to last longer than the unlabeled store generic bag. More preservatives? Experiment with different brands to find one that lasts, that you like. I just changed the brand of white bread I buy because it had a tendency to suddenly sprout green mold after about 10 days.

Keep a list for things you are out of, and wait until shopping day to get it. Around here if we run out of anything (except milk) we suffer until Saturday. It helps to know that if we hog it all down on Tuesday there won't be any more, so it's better to stretch out whatever it is for a few more days.

[jennypenny]

Thanks!
I need to tweak my list organization.

[cheles2kids]

Well, you *could* freeze both your milk and your bread.
But for the fresh produce, you just have to be super careful how you store what you buy and it can usually last 1.5-2 weeks.

I can usually store tomatoes close to two weeks, one of two ways.
Either put them directly into the refridgerator when you bring them home, or you can put them out onto the counter, use what you can within about a 5 day period and then put them into the fridge.
I've always had good luck in storing my greens, carrots, peppers, etc. in the fridge for well over a week.

I also have good luck with my apples, oranges, etc. for extended periods of time.
Berries are just kinda luck of the draw. Some of them keep better than others. But you usually can't go wrong with frozen with the berries.

I tried the once a month thing and what I noticed was:
I missed alot of great sales by only shopping once a month
I still had to make a trip or two out to pick something up
Some fresh veggies just taste better if they are um, fresh as possible
It's also a HUGE pain in the rear to carry all those items in and put them away for a once a month shopping trip (although once you get it done, it will be done for awhile)
Also having a MUCH larger grocery bill all at once. (I like to shop bi-weekly because that's how our pay schedule falls.)

I'm not trying to dissuade you, I'm just speaking from my experiences.