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Rebecca
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How do you handle grocery shopping in your household? Who does the shopping? Do you bring all the kids? How often do you go?
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MacBeth
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Peapod
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MacBeth in NY
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Dawn
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I do the grocery shopping, usually alone (sometimes with one or two of the kids, but never my youngest who cannot tolerate shopping for sensory reasons).
I go every Saturday morning as early as I can possibly get out of the house. My goal is out by 7 and home by 8:30, but I tend to get out later than that, and then to tack on a run to the library, the post office, the (ahem) craft store ... Of course then I'm not home until lunchtime and I'm beat for the rest of the day. 
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J.Anne
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I go twice a week, with the children. I forget 3/4 of the stuff on my list and we never manage to have anything in the house but yogurt and fruit. I'm curious to see who has wonderful ideas on shopping and meal planning because I really need to improve. Soon.
Jennifer
As Cozy as Spring
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Cheryl
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I usually make a meal plan and a food list on Friday. I like to go alone early Saturday morning, like Dawn, so I can get back before anyone misses me. (Also to beat the crowds.) It hasn't been happening lately. Sometimes things come up on Saturday or my dh wants to sleep late and I get up with the dc. In that case, he'll go to the store alone or with one of the dc.
Another option that we don't do very often is to tear the list in half and each take two dc. Then meet at the registers. I don't care for this method, but my dh seems to think it's fun.
When he shops, it seems to take longer because he's trying to find things in the store (thank goodness for cell phones), but I like when he goes because I can be at home taking care of the baby or doing other chores.
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Cheryl
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Willa
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DH does the shopping, usually zipping off to the stores while I'm at dr's/therapy app'ts for Aidan -- Aidan seems to have about one app't per week on average and they are all "in town" 50 miles away, where the nearest Costco and major grocery outlets are also.
He brings the preschooler and I have Aidan, and the older kids hold the fort at home, and unpack and put away when we get back.
My main challenge is getting enough fruits and vegetables -- buying enough for 8 people and keeping it fresh for long enough to last till the next trip to town. Produce in our local area is at premium prices -- and not much selection either 
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Willa
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stefoodie
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Once a week, usually alone.
Except during Advent because we are usually coming from morning Mass. Then I have them all with me. Which makes me think it's a really crazy plan, because Advent is when it's busiest at the grocery stores, when you need to go really early so you're not battling traffic both at the parking lot and in the aisles, when you're supposed to be loving and hugging your kids more instead of telling them to slow down when they're pushing the cart, they might hit people, or stop playing with the oranges, or not to get that extra can of peaches....
MacBeth, so envious.... they tried a similar service in St. Louis when we were still there, but I guess no one was ordering online at the time, this was about 10 years ago, so the store stopped doing it! I did get one order delivered in the middle of winter, and was so glad to pay the $10 delivery charge because I didn't have to pack up the kids or scrape the ice off the windshield, etc. Can/Do you order perishables like meat and fish as well?
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stef
mom to five
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jdostalik
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Peapod went under here...I think they couldn't handle the demand--they were poorly organized but hey, I was just grateful to NOT have to go to the store.
Our plan for grocery shopping is haphazard at best...Dh would go to the store regularly for me if I let him but it takes him A LOT longer to shop (you're not alone, Cheryl!  ) and sometimes he tries to cut corners and buy strange off brands...sometimes they work, sometimes not! 
I get to the store once or twice a week but usually for a quick run (can you believe I can spend over $100 in 10 minutes??
I need to get more organized before the baby comes....having a freezer in our garage has helped a lot because I can buy meat on sale and almost always manage a quick meal on the fly!
I just discovered that Whole Foods delivers to my area...but you have to pay the person who does the shopping as well as a delivery fee...might be worth it for a few times after the baby comes, though...
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Jennifer in TX
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1floridamom
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I keep waiting for a service to pop up.  In the meantime, it's utter chaos here. My dh usually does the grocery store shopping, and I handle the Costco trips. Still, like Willa said, the fresh food has to be picked up every few days. So far, we don't have a good rhythm or system in place for this part of life.
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Monica in FL
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Servant2theKing
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Monthly. I take one helper or my husband meets me on his way home from work and it turns into a "date night". We use two carts, but it sometimes takes three carts to get the bagged items to the car :) There are some things we always buy, such as TP, milk, eggs and certain staples, but mostly I buy bulk amounts of sale items (ingredients for cooking from scratch, never prepared foods). The sales here seem to go in a rotation every so many weeks, so I end up re-stocking those sale items just about the time we're running low on the last batch. Examples: when pasta is on sale I usually buy 24 packages or if canned tomatoes are on sale, I'll get 24-36 cans. I do make a list follwing the grocery ads for that week, and we have a pretty tight budget to follow, but otherwise there's no real science to how I shop, it just seems to work out! I've always admired those who can plan their menus ahead and stick to it; health issues and DH's work schedule always seem to throw us off! I guess I make up for the lack of menu planning by banking extra meals in the freezer. My husband does pick up some dairy and produce items weekly, as we run out, but it's on his way home and much more convenient since we have a 25-30 min. drive to any grocery stores. We've been doing the monthly shopping for a couple years and I couldn't bear to go in the stores more often than that.
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KC in TX
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I shop once a week usually Saturday or Sunday depending on our activities. I used to shop during the week with all the kids but now I leave them with dh (thank goodness he's home from Iraq) and shop in peace.
I try to have a menu plan in place but sometimes I just fly by the seat of my pants. It's not that difficult though because I rotate my meals every two weeks. For instance on Little Flowers/Blue Knights nights (every other week) we have spaghetti. I have set meals for that particular week. I'm trying to add a try a new meal night, but have not gotten that organized yet. I'm still unpacking.
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organiclilac
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We belong to a food co-op and get our group's order delivered once every 4 weeks. We get everything except fresh produce this way. All of the moms in the group bring their kids, and we take about 2 hours to separate all the orders, but it's a lot of fun. Any little things I need in between deliveries are small enough that dh can pick them up on his way home from work.
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Tracy, wife to Shawn, mama to Samuel (4/01) and Joseph (11/11), and Thomas (2/15)
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amyable
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For awhile dh was doing it all in the evening with a child or two. Then I started taking over for the most part, with everyone with me . But since the string of armed robberies at supermarkets around here, dh is encouraging me to use Peapod or Safeway.com It's only been two weeks, but I'm liking it!  The kids are wondering why people keep showing up with bags of food though.
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Kathryn UK
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Online shopping. Love it  . I save the delivery charge by being able to easily search for special offers.
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Kathryn
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JodieLyn
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small town (though I also did this in a larger town.. just smaller family then), use a pantry system, shop once a week.. first week is the major trip, second week only what is necessary.. back to first week etc.
All the kids go with me.. always have so they've been trained young and while it's a bit chaotic and I can't function without a list.. it's the only way.. dh's job doesn't allow for me to do otherwise.. I do occationally go by myself when he's home.. but I prefer to keep the kids in practise so that I'm not constantly retraining them when dh can't help.
I can get the sales flyers online.. so I can browse those at my leisure while making a list.
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Michaela
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I used to go once a week, however I'd end up frustrated when my children went with me. Usually we would end up having to stop shopping for several bathroom breaks , more junk food in the cart, and a higher bill than expected.
Now, DH stops by the commissary on the way from work. Lately, he's been working seven days a week so he is always right there....and willing. He will ask me to send an email with a list of what we need.
Right now, it works for us.
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Alice R
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I go alone with all four kids. We do the supermarket and the warehouse clubs all the time.
My husband works long hours and weekends so if I waited for help, we'd be starving.
I pay my oldest son fifty cents to push the cart SAFELY and SLOWLY while I push a double stroller with the two youngest in it.
I sound like a Marine in the supermarket. I am VERY strict and they MUST behave or I will flip out. I have to concentrate so they are not allowed to talk. I sound like such a mean mom in the stores but I just cannot have chaos.
The kids unload the truck and put it away. I supervise the activity.
This is one of the few things that actually go pretty smoothly. Don't ask about trips to Target or the library.
Alice R
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marihalojen
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On good days Marianna and I ride our bikes the mile and a half to the Grocery Store and pick up a piece of meat for dinner, some veggies and a half gallon of milk. Add in a loaf of french bread (or Cuban) and bottle of wine and I distract myself on the ride home with sophisticated Euro-French thoughts.
On other days (not neccessarily bad, just other) when I decide that I also need a box of clementines, a bag each of apples and onions, a few magnums of merlot and I fall for the family size packs of meat, I tend to feel more like a bag lady by the time I tie all those plastic bags to my bike and basket. I really should leave that style of shopping for library days when I have the car out!
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doris
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Online shopping here, too. My dc have rarely been inside a supermarket and think that food magically appears once a week from the back of a lorry. Actually, even more magical than that because it comes while they're asleep!
Elizabeth
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Paula in MN
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Luckily, we have a good supply of meat, fish, fruit and vegies in our freezers and pantry, so I don't need to go often. I think I get to the warehouse and grocery store probably once a month. We are almost an hour from them, so I have to keep a list going. Our friends and families are great about calling to see if we need them to pick up anything if they are making the drive to our house, which is really nice.
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Paula
A Catholic Harvest
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Topic: Grocery shopping
