Question of the Day, Friday, December 4

Winchester

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Good evening! :wave3:

Rick and I went for groceries this morning. We used to go every Monday night, so we were used to buying groceries every week. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we only go about once a month. And since we now go so infrequently, I really have to sit down and figure out what goes on the list. I have to walk around the house, check supplies out, and edit the list as I go. Because what I forget to buy will not simply be purchased the following week. These days, what I don't purchase we won't get for another month or so. Overall, surprisingly, our grocery bill has decreased for the month. Even though we pay a high bill when we do go, it's still cheaper than what we would have been paying when we went every week. I don't quite understand that, but I'm happy for it.

How did you go for groceries before the pandemic and how do you go now? Do you go as often? Do you pay pretty much the same as you did before? Have you taken advantage of curb-side pick-up or delivery? Do you still shop for groceries yourself? Tell us about your grocery experience.
 

mani

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I probably shouldn't answer, as things are almost back to normal here now, but during lock-down I still did my own, going to the store and applying all the protocols. I didn't go to big supermarkets, but then I rarely do.
Prices definitly went up and of course there was a lot that wasn't available.
I grew a lot more veggies. :)
 

neely

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Our shopping/groceries is similar to pre-pandemic but like you if I forget something I wait until my next shopping trip. Since I buy a lot of fresh fruits and veggies I need to go weekly. I'm picky about my produce so choose it myself. I always take the proper precautions and don't linger in the store. I go with a list so I can get in and out quicker too.
 

NY cat man

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Our shopping patterns really haven't changed much, if at all. With winter coming on though, we stock up on non-perishables and things like pasta, flour, sugar, coffee, and tea. The middle of a snowstorm is definitely not the time to have to go to the store, pandemic or not.
 

MoochNNoodles

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I have been using curbside pickup for a while; so once that calmed down I continued as normal with weekly orders. I’m sure you can imagine; with growing kids its hard to keep fresh produce for more than a week. The kids and I will sometimes make a trip inside ourselves for odds and ends or more milk. My kids adapted to their masks without complaint.

I have found we spend and waste less when we go once a week. There is a plan for everything and I’m not forgetting to defrost meat.
 

Lari

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I used to go once a week after church on Sunday. I've been trying to spread it out a bit more now, but haven't made the two week mark yet. At first, I wouldn't run back for one thing, but now I will.

I'm probably going to start with curbside pickup now. I like picking my own produce, which is why I was going so long, but I want to be exposing myself even less as I get closer to my due date, so I think that's the next step.
 

lizzie

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The only thing that has really changed for us is that now I usually go to town only once a month and get the items I feel better about choosing myself.He will go in for me once or so and do a basic list...litter,pet food,pharmacy when necessary,cleaning supplies,milk,dairy,cold cuts,etc,and he does an excellent job,bless his heart.I prefer to pick out my own meats,baking needs,sometimes produce.I keep a running grocery list and when it's time for shopping,we decide who's going and getting what.It all works.
 

Jem

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During the beginning of the pandemic when we first went into lock down, I didn't do any significant groceries for over a month except a quick stop for milk and cream and sometimes fresh produce. Then when things seemed calmer, I went every 2 weeks. Now I'm back to my weekly trips. I have been spending a bit more lately, but that's just because of restocking my pantry from our 3 month lock down and also getting my baking ingredients for Christmas cookies (I do a LOT of baking).
I can't do curbside...I have to pick out my own meat and produce. Sometimes I purposefully get unripened things because I know I won't be using it right away, and sometimes I get the discounted items knowing it will get used that day or the next.
I have always, and still do, use a list to do my shopping, but will sometimes get a few extra items if they are in the discount bin/shelves.
Overall, nothing has really changed for me.
 

Jcatbird

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I went from weekly shopping to once every two or three weeks. I do it myself so it’s a pretty big chore shopping for a Clowder. Lol I keep trying delivery but everything arrives in disarray or crushed. I try to shop in off hours to avoid crowds. Mask always! Finding what I need means hunting a lot. I scored big yesterday! I found two cans of Lysol spray! That’s the first time I have seen any since early this year. It’s about the only spray I can tolerate so I was happy! :bunnydance:Even the lady at the register didn’t know the store had it. She shut down after checking me out and bought the other five cans!
 

MonaLyssa33

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I primarily shop with curbside pickup. I did that fairly often before, but now I do that almost exclusively. I will sometimes go into the store if I know that the shoppers will screw up the order (which has been happening a lot, unfortunately) or if I want to go to a place that doesn't offer curbside pickup.
 

denice

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I didn't really change anything, still weekly usually early Saturday morning. The only change is that I am more aware of where I am at with disinfectants and cleaners. I always check out that aisle.
 

Tobermory

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We still go to the grocery store every Sunday morning. We eat a lot of fresh fruit: The spouse eats three kinds of fruit every morning for breakfast, and we each have an apple at lunch so that’s 35 total. That means weekly. But we have a list, we know exactly where everything is, and we get in and out in about 20 minutes. The store is huge so we don’t come close to anyone, and we use self checkout. Everyone is wearing a mask.

We also go to Costco every three weeks or so, again, a quick trip. It’s more crowded, and we see more masks below noses, but we’ve started wearing KN95 masks which are supposed to be better than cloth. We detour around crowded spots and maintain our distance.

What I haven’t done since March is to go to Trader Joe’s. Sadly. I love to shop there, but there’s nothing I need, only stuff I’d like to have. But I’ll wait. :sigh:
 

Mia6

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My helper goes a few times a week. There is just me, Big Cal, and the visitors. I like the fresh fruit salad
but that must be eaten quickly so I get it twice weekly. She shops inside and goes to several stores.
 

denice

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We still go to the grocery store every Sunday morning. We eat a lot of fresh fruit: The spouse eats three kinds of fruit every morning for breakfast, and we each have an apple at lunch so that’s 35 total. That means weekly. But we have a list, we know exactly where everything is, and we get in and out in about 20 minutes. The store is huge so we don’t come close to anyone, and we use self checkout. Everyone is wearing a mask.

We also go to Costco every three weeks or so, again, a quick trip. It’s more crowded, and we see more masks below noses, but we’ve started wearing KN95 masks which are supposed to be better than cloth. We detour around crowded spots and maintain our distance.

What I haven’t done since March is to go to Trader Joe’s. Sadly. I love to shop there, but there’s nothing I need, only stuff I’d like to have. But I’ll wait. :sigh:
I haven't been to Trader Joe's since this started either. I am the same way, I don't go for necessities but I always came out with a bag full. I always got a couple of bags of their Mandarin Chicken. That store is too small though, there is no way to maintain anything like social distancing there.
 

muffy

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I would love to be able to go grocery shopping again. I used to go once a week in the middle of the week when it was less crowded. Sometimes I would make a second trip if there was something else I wanted. If I was able to go shopping again I would try the home delivery. I don't like the idea of them substituting something for me and I like to pick out my own fruit and vegetables.
 

maggiedemi

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I don't like the idea of them substituting something for me
Aldi & Walmart let you pick a substitute on most things. They are out of a lot of stuff. It will say in stock, but it really isn't. It's kind of annoying. I wish they would mark it off on the computer when something goes out of stock.
 

posiepurrs

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We did delivery for awhile, then I started going again. The numbers are increasing again so now we are back to delivery. Our frequency varies. Sometimes once a week, sometimes 2 weeks. I hate delivery. Once I ordered 1 bag of oranges and got 1 orange! Now when I place my order I am VERY specific in my instructions. Of course it just depends on if the person reads them! All pet food is ordered on line and delivered once a month. Litter is done curbside.
 

Xraystyle

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They just started a curfew for stores here, so up until now nothing different happened when I went for groceries (which I actually haven't done much since COVID, but not because of the virus...because I got Puar the same week Korea had its first case and since I got him, my cooking time after work became play/feed Puar time instead. )

But now stores close at 9 for the next few weeks. I typically liked to go at 10pm-ish when there were fewer people there. Lol...so for me specifically, it is now actually more "dangerous" to go shopping since my only time to go really is going to be Saturdays (the big marts close every other Sunday to allow smaller marts to get more business) which is when whole families crowd the stores (there are no capacity limits still)

Someday I hope to get ahead of my schedule and do meal prep/cook more, but it was already hard cooking for one person when I had the time and no distractions. :sigh: the only things I really get at the grocery store is Puar's food.
 
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