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How do you food shop?

(70 Posts)
kittylester Fri 21-Nov-14 10:38:12

We have long be exhorted to make a list of the meals we intend to cook over a week and only buy what we need. This has been mostly in the interests of economy and less waste.

Recently, the big supermarkets have been losing market share to the like of Lidl. Aldi and smaller local shops because people seem to be shopping more 'little and often'.

I'm stuck in the rut of doing a big weekly shop with just odd top ups and wonder how many of you do a big shop or just buy as and when you need things?

rockgran Wed 26-Nov-14 10:39:14

I keep a running list of things we have finished and DH does the shopping once a week usually at Aldi. He has taken over this chore and is getting quite good at it (after a few disasters.) The main problem is when he helpfully adds something to the list that he also bought last time (we have a lot of pickled onions!) because he thinks I forgot. He really enjoys spotting a bargain and has more patience for this job than I do. (Also it gives me a couple of hours of "alone" time - you can have too much togetherness after retirement.) smile

apricot Tue 25-Nov-14 20:01:47

Yes, butter is much better than spreads, and yogurt should be made from whole milk. When fats became the demon about 20 years ago, masses more sugar was added to processed foods. Even bread has far more sugar and salt than you'd use if baking it at home.
I avoid anything listing more than very basic ingredients.

rosequartz Tue 25-Nov-14 10:56:07

Butter is better than hydrogenated, coloured gunk which they try to sell us as 'healthy spreads'. According to this week's findings hmm we should be dipping our bread into olive oil.

DS always enjoyed a bacon and egg breakfast when he came in from his paper round before he went to school. He was as thin as a rake. I was lucky to get a yogurt and banana into DD (equally skinny)!

We used to have delicious sticky buns with our morning milk at school. Trays of them freshly baked from the local baker's. Kept us going until our cooked lunch.

gillybob Tue 25-Nov-14 09:59:04

I shall rephrase my thoughts about butter kittylester and janeainsworth

Butter that you can see your teeth marks in is absolutely delicious but the health food police may not approve. smile

Children have packed lunch this week as they are all on late (1pm) school lunch which is far too late in my opinion given that they had their (very healthy and fulfilling) breakfast at 7am this morning. What a carry on. Two like tomato, one doesn't, all like ham (not that thin stuff and not with orange yuk on the ends), one likes pear, two prefer oranges, one likes yogurt, one doesn't, one likes those little custard pots, two don't, all three like carrot sticks (yeah)

hildajenniJ Tue 25-Nov-14 08:05:12

My DGC have weetabix or porridge for breakfast, with toast or bread spread with either jam, peanut butter or nutella.

My mother always sent us out with a bacon sandwich.

As for food shopping, I don't do it, DH does. (He works for the Co-op) smile

MiceElf Tue 25-Nov-14 07:49:05

When my children were teenagers I used to put out three things.

A bowl of almonds for calcium and protein

A bowl of fruit

And either a rice pudding which has cooked verry slowly overnight or porridge.

It kept them going until lunchtime

janeainsworth Tue 25-Nov-14 07:34:07

You beat me to it Kitty smile
Good source of fat-soluble vitamins!

kittylester Tue 25-Nov-14 07:18:57

Whilst agreeing with most of your post gill, now I'm taking issue with butter not being healthy! confused

rubysong Mon 24-Nov-14 23:49:14

I believe Weetabix and Shredded Wheat are whole wheat cereals, made from unrefined wheat and therefore healthier than other cereals. I have one or other of them with All Bran, a very small amount of sweetener (stevia) and semi skimmed milk. Now the clocks have changed we are having more porridge, made from semi skimmed milk with sweetener and a few sultanas. I wouldn't eat cheerios, coco pops or frosties, even though I have just bought myself a Tony the tiger frosties onesie.

Elegran Mon 24-Nov-14 23:13:29

You asked "And what's really so marvellous about oats?", Jings, so I told you. It helps lower cholesterol

They are also filling and satisfying. You know you have had breakfast with a plate of porridge in you.

jinglbellsfrocks Mon 24-Nov-14 23:07:54

But is that what breakfast is about? confused

Ana Mon 24-Nov-14 23:07:23

Do schoolkids need to lower their cholesterol? confused

Elegran Mon 24-Nov-14 23:05:53

I think oats are good for lowering cholesterol.

Ana Mon 24-Nov-14 22:49:16

Or scrambled egg...(got it in my head now)

jinglbellsfrocks Mon 24-Nov-14 22:47:36

Tuna fish on toast makes a good breakfast for a child.

Or sausage sandwiches.

jinglbellsfrocks Mon 24-Nov-14 22:46:29

Shredded Wheat. Just wheat. hmm

jinglbellsfrocks Mon 24-Nov-14 22:45:27

And what's really so marvellous about oats? hmm Apart from the fact that they taste nice.

jinglbellsfrocks Mon 24-Nov-14 22:44:12

It used to be streaky bacon too.

jinglbellsfrocks Mon 24-Nov-14 22:43:53

I often wonder just how nutritional two Weetabix can be. They're just wheat. Same as wholemeal bread. No protein. No calcium.

Perhaps we should go back to the days of bacon, egg and tomato. Sigh!

rosesarered Mon 24-Nov-14 21:44:57

Food is food. As long as children [and adults] are not eating too much fat/sugar etc it doesn't matter what form the food takes, so no such thing as 'junk food' . It wouldn't be great to eat burgers 3 times a day, but sensible eating includes all sorts of things and a few treats as well.

gillybob Mon 24-Nov-14 21:31:19

Oh dear not the breakfast police as well as the packed lunch police. shock

You did say porridge,toast and eggs were healthier apricot you also said that "breakfast cereals are junk food" (which they are not). What kind of eggs were you thinking of? Fried or boiled? Toast with butter and jam or just plain toasted bread? After all butter is not healthy.

For the record mine eat a combination(depending on how they feel) of ready brek, Rice Krispies, weetabix and cornflakes. Eldest granddaughter has developed a taste for a croissant and I hardly think one croissant per week will do her any harm whatsoever. Children as active as my DGC do need quite a decent breakfast as they use up heaps of energy and often have to wait 5-6 hours for school lunch.

apricot Mon 24-Nov-14 20:44:27

I didn't say cereals were unhealthy, just that there are better foods. Most children don't eat the plain unsweetened cereals, they're eating the equivalent of chocolate bars for breakfast. Chocolate croissants must contain a huge amount of fat and sugar and no nutrients. Nice for a treat.

rosesarered Mon 24-Nov-14 18:12:59

If it looks like snow then we will buy more things in for the pantry and freezer. Hopefully, we won't have any snow [wishful thinking.]

rosesarered Mon 24-Nov-14 18:11:27

I love weetabix, talking of cereals.

rosesarered Mon 24-Nov-14 18:09:55

My shopping is much like that detailed by Gillybob[including the choc croissants!]Little and often seems to result in less wastage, and I try to combine the food shopping with trips to the local towns to do/buy other things/appointments etc to save on petrol.