Faster Grocery Shopping

Question: Why do some people bring there whole family grocery shopping? do u really need 5 people to shop. and how come they don't split up to make it faster. they all walk to gether around the store

Answer: I will never understand that one myself. The more people you bring the more $$ you spend and the bigger hassle it is too.

Question: Want to go big grocery shopping soon not sure what i should get...? I would like to get a number of things for meals from the grocery store , my fiance and I are starting to hate that we have to repeat meals like spagettie, hamburger helper, hot dogs and grilled cheese those are all great but get old FAST , so a few things to get too last , use more then once and some recipes would be awesome

Answer: What do you like? Other then hamburger helper, spaghetti and hot dogs? Your list should consist of plenty of fruits and vegetables. You can buy fresh cucumbers, canned corn & peas (or frozen), fresh baby carrots, celery, etc. Whichever vegetables you prefer. You should also buy a choice of fruits. We always have apples, bananas, and strawberries. You should consider purchasing some Ramen noodles since they're so cheap and would be really helpful on night where neither your fiance or yourself would like to cook. Canned food should be on the list. I mean, Tuna, Spam, and Canned Chicken. With the tuna, you can make tuna sandwiches, tuna salad, or make Tuna Helper (which would be a change instead of Hamburger helper). With spam, you can fry it and serve with eggs for breakfast, or you can have it on toast with ketchup for lunch. It goes well either way! And, with canned chicken, you can make chicken salad, or fry the chicken with some fried rice (I like to purchase Vittaroz yellow rice for only 99 cents which you can cook in a pot, all you need is water, and cook the canned chicken in a skillet seasoned with one packet sazon seasoning by Goya and when the rice is done, i add the chicken and it's like a perfect hispanic-style meal) or chicken sandwiches. Also, what about steak? Most men do love steak and I can speak for all women that love steak when I say it's delicious! You should buy some top sirloin (you can season it with a steak marinade and some steak seasoning-i like McCormick, and then don't forget the A1 sauce) that you can fry in a skillet and along side of the steak you can have baked potatoes (which are inexpensive + you can make them in the microwave). And a veggie with that? Steam some fresh broccoli, heat up some canned corn, steam some fresh carrots, or heat up some baked beans, I mean whatever you like! Ground Beef! There's more that you can do with ground beef other then helper and spaghetti! All you need to do is purchase a Taco Kit and it's cake from there! Just don't forget to buy some sour cream, lettuce, tomato, and shredded sharp cheddar cheese for the tacos! You can also do ground beef with beef gravy and elbow macaroni. Or, you can make sloppy joes. All you need is a can of Manwhich sloppy joe sauce.. they're quite delicious, and not really as sloppy as they sound! Simple boxed meals would be boxed mashed potatoes, Pasta Sides (by Lipton) or Pasta-Roni (both brands are a dollar!)/Rice Sides or Rice-A-Roni, Macaroni & Cheese (and I prefer macaroni & shells). I like Pasta.. so I buy different types like Rotini, Fettucine, Ziti, Elbows, Shells, etc and I buy Knorr Pasta Sauces (one packet is only a dollar) and they have so many kind! I love to make the pasta and sometimes I add cooked chicken or veggies like some corn or peas! Soups! Buy Campbells Hearty soups. I love Sirloin Burger! My mom, on the other hand, prefers Italian Wedding soup. Salad! You can purchase Dole salad in a bag.. just buy a dressing to go on top and other toppings (like shredded cheese & eggs, so you can hard boil them! and croutons), and you can even add chicken or ham chunks. Minute Steak. We make our own cheese-steaks with minute steak. You can also cook it and have steak & gravy, with mashed potatoes. Do you guys like Pork Chops? I love them. I cook them (in a skillet) and serve them with sweet baked beans and sweet potato fries (yeah, I buy the bag. Sometimes I make my own, but I like to buy the frozen bag because it's so much easier). Also, there are tons of kits. I like the Shrimp Scampi kit! Oh, and ... I like to buy Sam's Choice Fireside Gourmet Black Angus Burgers. It comes with 6 in a box and they can be microwaved. They are so delicious. I put them on a hamburger bun with ketchup, mayo, mustard, lettuce, onion, and a jewish pickle. Also, you can spicen up some of your already used to meals.. like grilled cheese.. you can grill that sandwich with a slice of ham, tomato, or turkey breast. With the hotdogs, you can dice them, fry them, and serve with hashbrowns and ketchup. It's quite good. I also like to have eggs handy because I make my own breakfast sandwhichs. I cook an egg with cheese and bacon bits (or chopped sausage-if it's already cooked and in the fridge) and put it on an onion bagel. It's sooo good. What about B-L-T's? I love to cook some Oscar Mayer bacon till it is nice and crisp and serve on toasted wheat bread with mayo, lettuce, and tomato. You can also do bacon sandwhiches with ketchup on toast, or along side some eggs! I make Pasta Salad frequently because the weather is nicer now. I use Rotini noodles, boil them till cooked, then drain and place them in a large mixing bowl. I add a can of stewed tomatoes, chopped onion, chopped scallions, and then a whole bottle of Zesty Italian dressing. Then I add McCormick salad seasoning and place in fridge...allow to cool and serve with burgers, hotdogs, and all that fun BBQ food. You can make simple chicken parm. Just cook some boneless, skinless chicken breast, and then add some breading and sauce and cheese on top, and place in the oven until the sauce and cheese are cooked onto the breaded chicken and serve with a plate of fettucine noodles and prego pasta sauce. I like chicken. So I buy chicken wings, drumsticks, chicken breast, etc. Sometimes I serve with spanish rice (arroz amarillo con gandules) or mashed potatoes and corn, it ultimately depends on my mood. Ah, the list goes on.. but hope that I've helped!!

Question: Which saves money: Eating fast food every day OR going grocery shopping for the month? My bf and I just got into a heated argument about eating fast food and buying groceries. He is CONVINCED that eating fast food saves money. His math was as follows: 3 meals a day for $3 = $9 a day per person. (Which btw we never spend $3 dollars each. It's always at least $5 each. ) I tried to tell him to take that number and multiply it by 30 days a month (because people usually go grocery shopping for the month). ($9 a day times 30 days a month equals $270) But that's not how he wants to calculate it. His logic is: "why do you think people with lower income are heavier set?? Because they buy fast food. It's cheap." or "what do people who are in college eat? Fast food. Because it's cheap." I think it's cheaper to buy groceries and cook at home. Because you could take that $10 you spend a day for fast food and put it toward items that can be used for more than one day/more than one meal. (i.e. milk, cheese, bread, salad, fruit) What do you think? Please be honest. I don't care if you disagree with me, I just want this solved. we are both well aware that fast food isn't heathy. That part we can agree on. The only thing we are arguing about is which is cheaper. Eating fast food? OR going grocery shopping and cooking? It's just so annoying because all this started over me saying that I wanted to go the entire month of March without eating out at fast food restaurants. I'm just so irritated because I know it would save money. And neither one of us can agree to disagree. ugh! I hate it.

Answer: You are correct. It may be easier, and more convenient to eat fast food, but in the long run it is cheaper and healthier to stock up on groceries and eat at home. In the beginning there will be the up-front cost of stocking your pantry, but after that making meals will be simple. If you buy non-perishables in bulk, or buy the no-name items, you will even save yourself more. Keep an eye on sales of protein products( beef, chicken/turkey, pork, seafood) and buy enough for two or three meals, and freeze them in meal portions. If you like to cook in bulk then you can also make things like home-made chilli's, stews, spaghetti sauces and soups and freeze them in meal-size portions. Frozen and canned veggies are often better than fresh, as they are picked at their best and preserved then so as to not lose any nutrients, so you can save by buying them to cook with instead of fresh veggies, but don't give up totally on the fresh stuff, you need that too. Just about anything you want to cook or bake yourself will always be healthier and tastier than what you can buy prepared. Also tell your boyfriend one of the reasons lower income people are heavy set is because they have never had a proper education in buying nutritious food for themselves. Sure it is cheap, but it is also what they know and understand. Sorry to dump on your guy, hope he doesn't get mad at me. Good luck with your arguement.

Question: Do you do the grocery shopping when you are hungry? I just did the shopping... I'm in the middle of fasting for 24 hours AND I AM REALLY HUNGRY! lol. You should see the junk I bought hehe... I haven't bought M&M's, jelly snakes and chocolate cookies for years! I won't eat it of course but just goes to show that my body knows it wants sugar!

Answer: You know, fasting is a discipline of mine that I am pretty good at, although there is one thing I can never do without: coca-cola. The longest I ever fasted--with the exception of coca-cola, of course--is 22 days. It sort of helps me focus my mind, I have found. The first three days are the hardest, but after that, it is a breeze. These days, fasting is sort of out of the question, of course, although I have plenty enough days where I don't feel like eating, lol. ((((((Gaz))))))

Question: I Need Ideas for a Shopping Field Trip to Grocery Store? I've been asked to conduct a shopping field trip for a few groups of children (ages range from 8 years to 17 years) with a focus on nutrition. During these field trips I need to help them identify the difference between what really is and isn't good for them to eat. Of course I'll be talking to them about fast foods, saturated fats, trans fats, etc., as well as hyper processed foods and the like. What I really need help with is creating field trips that will be FUN. I'm already planning a scavenger hunt through a major supermarket but I'd like some other ideas -- they don't have to be focused solely around grocery stores either. If you have any suggestions, please provide as much detail as possible. If you're a teacher or someone who has done this kind of thing before and you wouldn't mind, please email me at: [email protected]. Thanks! Lonnie Honeycutt, C.N.C. Better Life Today www.betterlifetoday.com

Answer: Just for fun, ask the kids to check out the prices at a local restaurant or fast food place. (Many restaurants will let you borrow a menu for a project of this type) and have the kids select a dinner for two, or for their whole family, complete with dessert. Then bring in some recipe books so they can find out exactly what ingredients they will need. On one field trip to the grocery store, have them check off everything on their list and give prices and quantities. When they get back to school they can figure out how much it would cost to buy the meal in a restaurant (or make banana splits at the soda fountain) versus how much it would cost to buy the ingredients and make the meal at home. Sounds like you have an interesting range of kids -- that's quite an age span!

Question: My husband is addicted to grocery shopping!!! Ideal Budget? I know this sounds bizarre but he has to go like every other day to the supermarket, sometimes every day. The problem really is our grocery shopping budget, its ridiculous. Its only him and me and he shops like we have 6 kids. He also eats a lot and goes through our food FAST. And a LOT of food goes to waste cause either he bought too much OR he won't eat leftovers after the second day. Also sucks because sometimes I go looking for my snacks and they are missing. : ( WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK THE MONTHLY BUDGET SHOULD BE FOR JUST GROCERIES? (ITS ONLY 2 PEOPLE) AND I DON'T EAT THAAAAAT MUCH. THANKS! He is not overweight. .........He says that since he is a big guy he needs lots of food.

Answer: With rising prices of everything you can spend anywhere from $150 to $200 a payday (every 2 weeks) easy. Groceries in my book also means cleaning supplies from laundry detergent to body soap and shampoo, NOT just food. You need to take the keys from your hubby AND tell him if he is going to the store, he needs to buy stuff fresh AND in small quantities, that way it doesn't go to waste. jk

Question: Any input? Male 71 was feeling fine after grocery shopping, helped unload the car and stated I felt fine shop- ing I'm going to sit down for a minute I am feeling dizzy. He was conveyed to the hospital and passed later after removing breathing apparatus. Cert stated acute myocardial infration, severe hypotension, sever metobolic disdosis. Other signicant...Perpherl Vasular disease. How could this happen so fast.

Answer: I am a heart patient. So fast?? It only takes a few minutes for the heart to die. They listed an array of heart failures... Probably the actual cause of death was the Myocardial Infraction(heart attack) I hope mine is that fast. Sorry for the loss

Question: Grocery Shopping Question...? OK, this problem has been frusturating me for a while now. My boyfriend and I go shopping at least once a week, but we never seem to have food or ingredients to make a meal. We don't buy junk food or fast frozen food or whatever...but we never seem to have food for longer than two or three days. My question is, how do you deal with this and what is a good grocery list that solves this problem?

Answer: the problem might be that maybe you guys eat a lot of food. if its not that, maybe you guys arnt getting enough food. it also depends on if you have children or not. children are big on snacks. if you guys eat too much food, try to eat smaller portions. then you wont have to go shopping every two or three days. here's a basic simple grocery list that you might like to have: 1). Milk 2).Bread 3).Eggs 4).cheese 5).fruit 6).yogurt 7).vegetables 8).snacks 9).soups i hope this works for u. if it doesnt, i would love to help. if you have any questions or concerns, please call me at 509-481-5191 my email is [email protected]

Question: Grocery shopping tips? for a family always on the go, hubby and I work different shifts and boys are in middleschool and highschool and I need to cut back on the fast food. Want to start having more healthy snacks and meals.

Answer: Mt best recommendation is to get organize with a recipe software program, that simplifies everything once initially set up. Most software programs, besides having thousands of recipes in them, also have the ability to add your own. But the real benefits for you would be the menu and meal planning menu's, once you have that you can create shopping lists for the week based upon the menu plan you created. Some programs also offer the pantry inventory feature where you can enter what you already have in your pantry, and it eliminates it from you grocery list, and you can also find recipes based upon what you already have. Other perks are: Most have nutritional breakdowns off all the recipes, serving conversion calculator. and the ability to import/export recipes. I love mine, and it makes everything regarding feeding the family so much easier... The link below is the one I use (they run about $20-$50) and in most cases you can download the software. Hope this helps, and good luck.

Question: grocery shopping - anxiety? I just moved out for college and i live by myself but i cant do basic things like go grocery shopping or go to walmart to pick up something such as medication, household products. I cant even walk into a fast food restaurant so i always go through drive thru... so i've been eating fast food for pretty much two weeks now becasue i cant even fucking go grochery shopping as much as i want to... I just have this fear of people looking at me and ive had it since i was a kid... but now i moved to a prominently white area and the situation gets worse (im not white) =( any advice.....

Answer: This might be a case of "foreigner" syndrome - not necessarily a mental illness, but you feel like an outcast so much that it's causing you anxiety. I get the feeling this is what is standing in your way of taking care of yourself? You're afraid of people staring at you? People often feel this way when they are in the minority, when they move to a new location and are not accustomed to being a minority, or they feel "out of place," like they don't belong. I strongly suggest you visit your campus counseling center. You need help in coping and adjusting to the environment, and being able to take care of yourself - living on fast food for two weeks is incredibly unhealthy, and when you run out of necessary living supplies, what will you do? Your campus counseling center is free, anonymous, and only you will know about it. They can help you tremendously! This is something that CAN be helped and you can take care of yourself with their help. Just call, make an appointment, and explain what's going on.

Question: How much spending money to bring for St Thomas Vacation? I'm planning a vacation to St Thomas. How much spending money should I budget for each day. I don't plan on dining out expensively often, maybe once or twice, the rest will be like grocery shopping or fast food. I would like to do one or two activities like parasailing or snorkeling. Other than that it would be just money for alcoholic drinks and souvieners. How much money should I plan on bringing with me?

Answer: Figure on $100 a day per person the very least. If you come home with money, that will be great. A snorkel excursion like going to the BVI can cost $110 plus customs,plus lunch.Para sailing for 10 minutes can cost $75 dollars. Here is a link to prices. http://www.adventurecenters.net/rates.htm A nice dinner out can cost any where from $25.00 to $75.00 a person. (not fast foods) St Thomas is Americanized so fast foods will be available. I have been to the USVI quite a few times and drinks can get expensive. Better to buy some soda, beer, rum or what ever you drink and enjoy at your resort before adventuring out. We pack a lunch and drinks for the beach. Eat breakfast at home. This saves some $$$. Have a great time and enjoy) p.s. bring the credit card just in case something catches your eye.

Question: Grocery shopping advice needed!!plz help..? I am new to America from Asia and I haven't seen 90% of the brands in the grocery store before... Could you tell me which brands are good (you usually buy)for these following items so I won't waste money on the expensive and bad quality ones. Thanks so much! Detergent Toilet paper instant noodles (or any other fast food that I can store just in case?) mayonnaise (for sandwich) canned tuna mineral water cooking oil shampoo Tempons Oh and milk and cheese!

Answer: Detergent -- Tide (the best by far...) Toilet paper -- Scott (It works really well, lasts a long time, and doesn't flake apart) instant noodles (or any other fast food that I can store just in case?) -- "Top" Ramen mayonnaise (for sandwich) -- Best or Hellmans canned tuna -- Get the "pouch" tuna -- any brand mineral water -- Klarbrunn's or Perrier cooking oil -- Any brand is fine. I prefer to cook with Extra Virgin Olive Oil shampoo -- AVOID SUAVE. Most other brands are fine. Tempons -- You'll have to ask someone else on that one :).

Question: when grocery shopping do you often ride on the trolley outside, and pretend its a car ? i do this a lot at Sainsburys, if i am on the ramp out the shops carpark it is very amusing, I pretend its a car im driving like a souped up subaru impreza, in as i hurl myself over the trolleys handle to go fast, and proceed to take it home pretending smugly i have passed my driving test. it hasnt got good brakes .does anyone else? and i am aged 28..i always return the trolley the next day so it isnt ever reported as stolen, i even have my personal favourite trolley, the smaller types. they go faster. *this question has been slightly exaggerated to look better

Answer: i like to fill my trolley up with baked beans and tampax then leg it as fast as i can without paying pretending i've gone blind with panic so i can get away with smashing my laden trolley into loads of badly parked cars on my way home i always return my trolley also

Question: Grocery shopping list for family- what are your staples? I need some new ideas... I'm bored. I like to cook for my husband and myself and now my 10 month old is trying out new foods. He is getting tired of his baby food, and so far I give him oatmeal, fruit, noodles, meat, etc. Healthy foods. I have a hard time getting to the grocery store more than 2 x a month, so I am looking for foods that store well, healthier, like some canned and frozen things. I do like to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, but we don't always eat them fast enough and they spoil. Things I keep on hand: canned tuna/chicken, some soups, like cream of mushroom to cook with, some canned tomatoes, sauce and paste, noodles of all sorts, assorted cereals, crackers, rice, spices. In the fridge I usually have milk, juice, some soda waters, butter eggs, cheese and bread. I like to eat salads as often as possible, buy fresh tomatoes and peppers, potatoes, bananas and apples. In the freezer, usually frozen fish, chicken, ground beef and frozen veggies. What kind of staples do you store that I don't have and what kinds of foods can you make for your family with the staples onhand? Thanks everyone :)

Answer: I keep lots of kinds of beans on hand. Beans are so healthy and versatile. I keep fat free or vegetarian refried beans, canned beans, baked beans and dried lentil and split peas. I can quickly make up a bean and veggie salad or lentil soup or lentil and rice, black beans and rice or soft bean tacos or bean dip. Tip: rinse and drain canned beans well and they are much easier to digest. I make large portions of homemade chimichurri sauce and freeze it in ice cube trays and store the cubes in freezer baggies. I use the cubes to flavor rice and beans or marinate chicken, fish or skirt steak. I always have onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, spinach(frozen and fresh) and mushrooms on hand. Along with bagged salad and seasonal fruit and veggies. I keep frozen blueberries and raspberries in the freezer always. I use them in smoothies, on oatmeal and on plain yogurt. I buy jarred chopped garlic and jarred grated fresh ginger. I only make my own soups so I keep healthier "better than boullion" buillons in the fridge. Along with the beans and root vegetables and maybe some barley or pasta, I can whip up a filling soup. Sometimes, if I have it, I'll start the soup with turkey sausage or ground lean beef. Canned soup is expensive and has more salt than is healthy and homemade soup is cheap, easy and healthy. I keep powdered milk and condensed milk on hand for shakes, soups and in case we run out of the fresh stuff. I buy brown rice(both quick cooking and long cooking), whole wheat noodles, barley, oatmeal, some pasta in interesting shapes like orzo, ditilani. I have raisins and dried cranberries for stuffings, cookies, trail mix, salads Several kinds of flour, yeast Several kinds of vinegars like rice, red wine, white, cider for salad dressings, marinades Sugars--white, brown, honey and maple syrup Nuts-almonds, walnuts,pecans, seeds like pumpkin and sunflower. I use the almonds for asian salads and yeast coffee cakes. I use walnuts on my yogurt with the blueberries. My husband bought bagels and I whipped up a cream cheese, raisin, maple syrup, pecan spread for them. I also have poppy and sesame seeds for salads, cakes, cookies. I keep lots of different types of canned tomato products to make all kinds of soups, chilis, pasta dishes, vegetable sautees and even cold salads. I love having basic ingredients so I have the freedom to make whatever I want. Let me know if you need more info!

Question: How often should you grocery shop? I'm trying to save money and I come to realize I spend the most money on fast food. So I was wondering how often should you go to your grocery store?

Answer: you shouldn't shop when you're hungry.

Question: Help WIth my Grocery List? I live alone and am trying to eat healthier, but I'm also on the go alot so I've been eating too much fast food. I'm grocery shopping tomorrow and I wanted to get some stuyff that would encourage me to eat at home more... Any other ideas would be appreciated! I'm on a semi-tight budget and I'm also not the world's best cook, so please keep that in mind! :] Canned Turnip Greens Pasta and Spaghetti Sauce bananas grapes milk steamed veggies (frozen) grilled chicken michelina's microwavables tuna and crackers Thats all I have.. I think I need more like snacks? idk. I'm not fat and these answers aren't helping. I don't even live anywhere close to my mother.. Geez people.. read questions before you answer.

Answer: I, too, live alone...and I tend to buy lots of fresh fruit and veggies. I like raw cucumbers and carrots...easy to eat and portable. Stay away from canned foods...they have lots of sodium. Frozen foods also have tons of sodium (salt). Once in a while is fine, just try not to live off them. Keep jello, applesauce, pudding in your fridge. I like the individual portions so I don't overeat and they stay fresh longer. My alltime favorite is cheese and crackers....and a fresh apple. Yogurt is also good, but try to make sure you get the one with live culture.