There are many ways to save money on food but isn't there one we almost always forget? You are more likely to buy fresh veggies, some milk, etc when you go shopping. Why? Simply because you went shopping. I just learned that one can save quite a lot by going shopping less often. If you went shopping four times a month, cut it to two and note the difference in your debit card balance.
Now that's a thought. I noticed that when I go shopping only once a week, I tend to used up everything that I bought the for previous week, whereas if I shop more frequently, I have some waste and left-over. I don't like to keep half full packets of noodles or rice for too long. I live in a very hot climate and everything here spoils quickly. Even storing it safe and dry doesn't protect from weevils and moulds.
Well that's a simple analysis. The more you go out the more you spend, so it makes sense to just lessen your trip to the store. Plus the supermarket is filled with all kinds of tempting food. No wonder my dad seldom goes to the supermarket now, and he just buys from the fresh market, because according to him, he tends to spend more when he's in the supermarket as compared to when he just buys from the fresh market.
I like to go shopping once a month, I try not to pay so much taxes casue if you look at it the more you run back and forward to a store you spend taxes. So I like to get things all at once. If I forget something that important I go and pick that item up.
Two trips a month to the supermarket are good enough for me. I agree guys that the more you go to the store, the more you spend and the more visits you make, the more the total adds up. It all depends on your living conditions and how much mouths are fed in the house, though. Some people might have to frequent the stores because products finish in the nick of time.
As I tend to walk or ride my bike to pick up groceries, Buying two weeks worth is not a practical solution. Having a limited carrying capacity prevents me from buying that which I do not need. I agree with the concept, however as we all are tempted to make an impulse buy when we are in a store. Avoiding the store avoids the impulse. The best thing that I have found is a simple shopping list. I don't buy things i don't need and I usually don't end up with a surplus of milk or broccoli as a result.
The problem with this philosophy is that you're more likely to buy items that keep longer in the cabinet/freezer, and, in my experience, these tend to be less healthy. I have actually found that I spend less money when I go to the store more often, only to stock up on produce as needed, but keeping bulk items "in stock" for longer periods of time.
You make a good point. The key is to be disciplined and know what you are going for no matter if you shop four times a month, or 10 times. If you are able to stick strictly to a list, it is best to go only a few amount of times strictly because of the gas/time you can save by not making the extra trips to the store and back. I find that buying fresh produce should be done at least once a week, but for other goods that can last awhile, these probably should be bought only about 1-2 times a month. As for me, I luckily had a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market built pretty close to my house, so I'm able to pick up what I need about every other day from the store on my way home from work.
I'm terrible with this. I used to go shopping once every two weeks, on payday, and I would spend a set amount (usually about $150) and stock up on everything I needed. But then I got into cooking for myself a lot more, and started running to the store almost every day to get a few things here and there, and my food budget got way out of hand. My logic at the time was, if I buy stuff to last me for two weeks, I may not be in the mood to eat a lot of those items and would end up wasting them. Whereas if I only bought what I was in the mood for each day I would waste less. But as others noted, it's way to easy to get tempted to over spend. Worse yet, since you are only spending a little here and there you are not really paying attention to how much it is all adding up in total.
