DH and I both detest going to the grocery store. However my new "plan" is to eat more salads. I have had some very delicious ones lately - and decided I should make them at home, they were so yummy and so filling.
But "greens" seem to go bad very quickly.
And fruits don't last long either.
So....tell me, how many trips do you make to the grocery each week?
We go two or three times a week, primarily to stock up on fresh produce. I'm hoping that the garden we extend this year (we had fruits last year: blueberries, blackberries and grapes) to include vegetables and herbs will help us reduce our trips.
However, we do enjoy the grocery store. We want to minimize trips because impulse buying is our enemy. Ha ha!
I should explain that the number of trips would drop dramatically if I weren't pouring over advertisements from three different grocery stores, looking for the best deal on various kinds of produce.
I go once a week...I plan out our menu(My DH andI I) as well as some meals for the kids. (although I try to make dinners that all of us can enjoy). Next I make a list and stick to it as much as possible!
I dont have time to go more than that. Nor do I want to waste the gas. Lettuce and additional fixings should last at least that long.
If you detest shopping, make a list and rip it in half and meet DH at the register, better yet see who can make it there first! GOOD LUCK!
Luckly I live right next to a Trader Joe's so I can go daily if I wanted to (on the weekends I may make couple of trips).
With respect to greens, are you buying heads of lettuce, pre-packaged greens, etc.? With heads of lettuce or loose greens, I find that if I:
(1) Wash it when I get home
(2) Dry the leaves (I have a salad spinner)
(3) Wrap the greens in paper towel
(4) Put it all in a zip lock bag and suck out all the air (I use a straw)
I go a few times a week. we usually go once to the big supermarket and then there's a smaller market near us and we pop in every other day to grab a couple things.
I hate grocery shopping too. I'm trying to start going after work for my big shop instead of the weekend--I want my weekends left for fun, not chores!
I find it to be a HUGE moneysaver to plan my menus, go once, and leave it at that (with maybe 1 trip mid-week if I forgot something, which I invariably do...I'm perpetually throwing onions into something that are intended for something later in the week, then being out of onion when I need one). My menus tend to be planned such that those using highly-perishable produce (salads, things involving fresh herbs, asparagus) are early in the week, and things involving more hardy produce (like soups with carrot, celery, and onion, cabbages, butternut squash) are later in the week. It reduces spoilage.
I do go to 3 stores, though, to get the best deals on my produce, so i technically shop 3-4 times. But it's all in one day.
Luckly I live right next to a Trader Joe's so I can go daily if I wanted to (on the weekends I may make couple of trips).
With respect to greens, are you buying heads of lettuce, pre-packaged greens, etc.? With heads of lettuce or loose greens, I find that if I:
(1) Wash it when I get home
(2) Dry the leaves (I have a salad spinner)
(3) Wrap the greens in paper towel
(4) Put it all in a zip lock bag and suck out all the air (I use a straw)
The greens remain fresh for a week or more.
Can you just dry the leaves with a towel if you don't have a salad spinner? I have the same problem in my lettuce not lasting long enough.