How do you food shop?

As there is just the two of us at home we very rarely do a weekly shop which would either be Waitrose, Sainsbury's or M & S. We have a good local butcher for any time we feel like a meat dish. We also buy a few things at Whole Foods.

Most of the time either one of us or together will pop into either of these supermarkets to top up. I do prefer going on my own as DH spends too much time pontificating when I know we have bought all we need and just want to go! At that point, If it's Waitrose, I will go and collect my free coffee and wait in the car, leaving DH to do the check out.

Random - can never stick to lists or lose them & tend to buy whatever is on offer or reduced - soon got to know best days & times. Rarely pay full price for anything, especially meat & fish & specialist bread.
Occasional Waitrose for free coffee & paper but it's on the wrong side of town. Often pop into nearby M&S foodshop at end of day or en route back from childcare in London. A Veggie box is delivered fortnightly, milk delivered 3x a week. Mr Gad pops into Lidl & Aldi, & Indian shops near DD for specific foods & likes to prop up Tesco to help his shares & use points from petrol purchases. I hate food waste so freeze or use left-overs & too good to miss bargains I can't use immediately. We have few independent shops locally but use a few for specialist items. Occasional use of the 2x a week market out of a sense of wanting it to survive but don't always like what I'm sold.

I do an on line Sainsbury shop t be delivered every Thursday and then sometimes do some odd little bits and pieces at the farm shop, the markets occasionally the butchers. I have a fish delivery monthly from Grimsby all fresh but packed in ice so I can freeze it.

Once a month we have all the heavy stuff delivered. Then on an as needed basis. We no longer have a car so shop locally. Fortunately we have excellent public transport. I quite like poodling around on my own looking at what takes my fancy.

I do an online Sainsbury shop every 3 weeks - a month for heavy stuff eg long life milk, cat litter. I buy bread, fruit and vegetables as required mainly from Waitrose as it is near and I can have my free coffee also. I only drink M&S coffee so I visit there roughly 3 4 monthly and I buy items from the food hall which I fancy. If there was a local Lidl or Aldi I would try them.

Meat bought, roughly quarterly from local farm shops. I have a big chest freezer and years of practice means I know more or less what amount to stock up to. Fish is delivered to my door, roughly every six weeks, as and when I need it.

Groceries. I do a big shop every five weeks for all the ambient food that lasts. ie things in tins, packets, jars, items that can go into the freezer like bread, butter, frozen vegetables, I also buy cleaning materials and toiletries. I keep back up stock on the top shelf of every kitchen cupboard.

I plan menus a week in advance and on my weekly shop I buy perishables and anything that is needed for the planned meals that I do not already have. The system is very flexible. When DH was working he often went overseas with only a few hours warning for an indefinite time and that never cause problems.

I find shopping boring and would rather do something else. I do not shop on the internet, it is too inflexible and the value of my weekly order, is often quite low. As it is, on most weeks I am in and out of the supermarket in half an hour and can then spend my time on more rewarding activities.

My children shop several times a week, often in their corner shop. I can never understand it. They are very busy, yet spend two or three times as much time as I do purchasing everyday necessities, they also pay considerably more for a comparable basket of food.

On-line for most things, but I have veggies delivered through a box scheme. A new butchers shop has just opened in our village so if they are half decent I will start using them for meat. If I run out of anything between on-line shops then I use our local shop but it can be a bit expensive.

One good thing about on-line shopping - it generally cuts down on the impulse buys - you know those things that just sort of fall into your trolley.

Online for just about everything, especially while I am not that mobile. I have been doing this since my days of long commutes, and now cannot see the point of traipsing round a supermarket for all the everyday boring things. Theseus eats only chicken and fish, and I'm vegetarian, so that simplifies things. I usually know what we'll be eating each day, though we are put a lot for meals.

I do like a potter round a supermarket (especially a big one that sells clothes!) now and then, and am a fan of M&S food halls for special stuff, but that's just far enough away to need thinking about.

I hate shopping too, so I do a big Tesco online shop. It used to be once a week, now there are only 2 of us most of the time I do a fortnightly one. I pick a cheap delivery slot and don't order much fresh fruit or veg.

We have a twice-weekly market in Thetford and a twice-weekly market in Bury St, Edmunds so tend to buy fresh fish, meat and veg at either of those, we live halfway between the two. If we don't fancy that then I pop to Aldi or Sainsbury's. If I get carried away at either of them, I simply don't do a shop from Tesco that week. I am not a loyal shopper at all.

Basically I am a pick and mix shopper who only shops when it is convenient to me, where it is convenient, and only if the price and quality is right. DBH likes shopping so he is far more likely to be wandering around Bury buying the veg while I read my kindle over a hot chocolate in Thornton's!

I loathe shopping for just about everything. I food shop after my swimming lesson firstly in Lidl and then Tesco if I need to. I tend to buy what is on offer and base meals around it along with whatever veg are in next doors garden (I do have free rein !). If I forget anything it is too bad or will get my bike out for the 10 mile return journey. I use a local butcher and market for meat and fruit/veg. My neighbours and I are also very good for borrowing from or lending/giving to whenever we run out of something half way through a recipe.

I do a big weekly shop, having planned out my menus in advance, both for reasons of economy and my waistline. I visit Aldi, where I get most of my fruit and veg and then to Sainsbury's for the remainder. In between I go to the local shops for fish and other fresh items. Occasionally I go to Waitrose or M & S for 'treat' items. Doing it like this also keeps the cost of petrol in check, although I often take a friend with me who has no transport and who will often treat me to lunch as a 'thank you'.

Main shop weekly with Ocado. Their website is so easy to follow. Waitrose do deliver free but I can' t tackle their awful website. And they have a 2 hour slot. With Ocado it's one hour so more convenient.

It does mean I don't get out on my bike quite so much, but it was getting bit dodgy being over-laden. Still pick up bits and pieces as and when. M and S or Co-op.

On-line, Sainsburys - they deliver. Also meat from our local Farm Butcher and occasional forays to a Farm Shop at Lyne near Chertsey - mostly because they supply pies from The Real Pie Company!

thefarmshoplyneuk.com/

I keep a running list on my mobile phone and will usually only go in a shop in between big shopping if I'm low on milk. Use what's in cupboards and fridge/freezer for as long as I can, then I either do an online shop or pick a supermarket to stock up. At the moment, it's Waitrose because they sent me some £10 vouchers off £40 shopping. If I've got lots of heavy stuff to buy, I get it delivered. I heard the other day that those shoppers who like to switch to save money and are no longer loyal to one store, but go from one supermarket to another, are 'shopping tarts!'

Waitrose for a £5 shop every day for bits and pieces and a free newspaper and I'm even prepared to go the whole hog and spend £10 or more if we are having a roast on Sunday so we get the Sunday Times £2.50 thrown in for free. I also go to Marks sometimes for occasional things, at the week-ends, we love their curries and if we are staying in with Strictly or a Scandi (sadly not on at the moment) a curry saves faffing around cooking.

I have lately discovered Lidl and shop there for quite a lot during the week for items such as smoked salmon, cold meats, chicken fillet, fresh smoked cod and fresh salmon, crusty bread if they have any, muesli, porridge, honey, salad ingredients, Greek yogurt all good stuff.

I also get fed up thinking of new meals Gagagran, last night I bought some Leeks wrapped them in Parma ham made a cheese sauce and sliced some potatoes for the top. Tonight I'm making home made fish cakes, loads of prep, I think they are appreciated, but hence the Saturday night curries just shove them in the oven and I make my husband put the Basmati rice on and then present it to me for a change!

I keep a running list throughout the week, as I run out of things. DH and I do a big supermarket shop early (7am) on Thursdays. I seldom need to top up but if I do it is easy enough to call in the local shops.

I do get fed up trying to think of new meals though and DH doesn't help. If I say "what do you fancy?" he'll just reply "Oh anything - I'm easy". He thinks he's being accommodating. I find it iritating!

I do a big supermarket shop on a Friday. Lately we meet DD in the cafe for lunch to take charge of DGS so she can start work. I make a list of what we need and DH and I pick out things we fancy as we go round.

I then do a top up on a Tuesday. Occasionally we need to buy milk on other days too.

OH and I usually do a main shop together, OH is a picky eater so I gave up trying to 'guess' what he would fancy and insist he selects his own meals so both being in the shop is good for us, but I also do have a wander round lidl or the co-op during my travels in the week and look out for things that we might buy during our main shop but cheaper or on offer. IYSWIM?