Two food shopping trips a week?

[Coffee234]

Hi. I know this isn't a big issue.
Just wanted to see what people thought and what you will be doing.
I usually do one big click and collect shop and then a small (fruit and milk) shop a few days later. No chance of getting a click and collect slot and I'm thinking it should go to the more needy anyway.

So do you think one big shop and one little shop is ok with the current lockdown.
How are you going to plan you essential food shop now?
?

I’m amazed at some of these responses- the ones that assume that our families’ eating preferences aren’t going to have to change.

‘How will I buy the fruit we like, as often as we want to?’ You won’t. Move to frozen fruit, or get a bit when you can and feel lucky.

‘My kids eat loads of fresh bread, how will I get that?’ You won’t, they’ll have to manage with something else. Something filling and carby, that lasts better. Or buy what you can of fresh bread and freeze it. Consider it a treat.

But fundamentally, all meal prep will need to change to suit the new restrictions and to keep your family healthy. Every time someone leaves the house to do a shop, they spin the wheel of corona-roulette for everyone. Where they go, what they touch, and the surfaces of everything they bring into the home. Do you really think it’d be worth the risk, just because little Olivia ‘prefers’ red apples or grandad ‘can’t be without’ his evening Bovril?

The carefree days of ‘we like’ are over for a while.

I do two shopping trips a week. There is no other way of doing it.

DH had to give up his driving licence just after New Year. I dont drive and usually come home in a taxi but if they arent operating i shall be walking back too.

If shelves are bare people will have to go back.

Well maybe shops should make sure they not 50% bare 30 mins after opening as that cut down on repeat visits.

Nicola sturgeon said no more than once a day
I've just played it back and that's definetly what she said

We normally order online because neither of us can drive due to health issues. Got our next one booked for Monday but who knows if it’ll be cancelled.

Neither of us are strong enough to carry much home in one go.

Arguably a friend could drop stuff off to us I guess? That would be ok under the “helping someone vulnerable” reason for leaving the house too. But due to all the (understandable) rules about not buying more than two of anything, that would mean they had to do a whole separate shop for us.

Indeed, and not everyone has a whole freezer at all @Angryrant55. I live in a houseshare and have one (small under-counter) freezer drawer, one (small under-counter) fridge shelf, and one cupboard. That's my storage space. I do what I can but it's going to be difficult to get food for a whole week with just that.

If the shops were fully stocked I could do it definitely. I could prepare a meal plan and go and get everything I need.

As it is, what the shops have is hit and miss. Preparing a meal plan is futile. I have to go with what the shops have and if that means I can only shop for three or four days then that's what I'll have to do.

Bear in mind I'm not talking three or four days of new and exciting meals and fresh summer fruits. My meals for the last 3 days have been cereal for breakfast, an apple and some crisps for lunch, and the same meat and vegetables for dinner. The days before that my dinner was chicken picnic bites and salad for four days running.

I'm not going hungry by any means, nor am I particularly bothered by having the same thing to eat repeatedly. Not complaining about what I'm eating in any way.

But it's very difficult to do a full weekly shop when the shops have been decimated and you have limited storage space. If I see something I can't just grab it and store it for next week's dinners - I don't have the room.

Veg are in pretty good supply - with most people having more time on their hands, just MAKE soup - leave the tins for the elderly and infirm?

I wouldn’t be able to buy enough food for a whole week at the moment - our supermarket shelves are still so empty.

My meal plan would have to be something like:
Monday - birthday cake and humous
Tuesday - jam fritters
Etc,etc!
Also, with the limits on food, even if it’s there, we couldn’t buy enough for a whole week.

@happymummy12345, yes, your DH can go out for food shopping. It's expected.

We're discussing how to reduce the number of food shopping outings, as instructed by the government.

But unless your family have a need to self-isolate (or are "shielding" a vulnerable household member), there is no expectation that you will stop going to foodshops completely.

Amiable The shelves are the same here too so it’s taking repeated visits to actually buy near enough food for what we need as a four adult family (which includes three males with fast metabolisms and healthy appetites). Today and yesterday, so that I can reduce the amount of food I’m using in the hope of not running out, I’ve cooked for them and had a yoghurt for my main meal.

Anyone who doesn’t have a car and has to carry their shopping home should get on amazon and order a shopping trolley. Well worth the expense as if careful packing you will be able to bring home a decent sized shop of heavier tins and bags of potatoes.

My local Lidl is limiting each customer to one Fresh meat item each so rather than buying a couple of chicken breasts go for the larger pack of chicken thighs and drumsticks. This pack can then be divided up to make several meals if you can pad it out with extra veg or pulses.
We are just going to have to get a bit more inventive with what’s available and make what we can get stretch as far as possible.

Veg are in pretty good supply - with most people having more time on their hands, just MAKE soup - leave the tins for the elderly and infirm?

I have no idea where you are but there was zero fresh veg or potatoes in my local shops.

If everybody just shops a bit less frequently. So if you usually shop 4x in a week (carrying shopping home, no car) then try 2 or 3x instead. If you usually shop 4x in a fortnight then try 2 or 3x instead etc.

Could you do a meal plan where the start of the week it's fresh produce and end of the week it's longer life stuff?

@perkingFaintly, thank you. I just wanted to make sure I was understanding correctly, especially as I've seen in other countries people have to have papers detailing why they are doing and when, was just making sure there is nothing like that here (yet at least) and he can just go (adhering to all necessary precautions).
And we will be going shopping as infrequently as possible, and going to the closest shops we can.

I'll be shopping twice a week. No car, have to carry it all myself. Plus some things go out of date so quickly, and with only myself and one DS in the house I want to limit food wastage.

I've lost my job for the foreseeable future so every penny counts right now. I can't afford to waste extra on paying for delivery, not that there are any slots anyway at the moment.

I don’t get some of these comments. If you’ve no room in your freezer, eat what’s in it! If you couldn’t get eggs on your shopping visit, don’t have eggs have something else. We have to realise that having enough to eat will suffice, whether or not it’s your favourite thing or is tinned/ frozen rather than fresh doesn’t matter in the present situation. Develop some common sense and resilience.

@JustInCaseCakeHappens... once a month? There’s NOTHING on the shelves so, we’re a family of 4 and I’ll need to shop when I can. That means delivery to supermarkets will need to be upped massively.

Lots of people assuming owning a freezer is normal too. I don’t have one. So no option to buy frozen food or prep food in advance to freeze.

I’m amazed at some of these responses- the ones that assume that our families’ eating preferences aren’t going to have to change.

This!

I've started getting a delivery for dairy, eggs and a veg/fruit box from our local farm. It's a bit more expensive but organic and local so I don't need to go out.

I've also started using the food in my freezer/cupboards so I don't have to add to the queue in the supermarkets. I'm buying local where possible and baking more so we have a fresh supply of bread & cakes.

I normally shop most days however I’m not planning on going out at all for the next 2 weeks.

I will probably run out of bread, not the end of the word.
I have got some long life milk, it will do for tea/coffee once the actual milk has run out. Eggs last forever.

Nobody will die from eating freezer food/tinned food for a week or two and going without a piece of daily fruit. People will die if we don’t stay indoors

That sounds great Fazak will contact local farm.

@MadisonAvenue what? You cooked for them but you only had a yoghurt for your main meal? Because they are men and “have fast metabolisms”? You say yourself they are ADULTS so they all need to adjust. I can’t believe this. That’s being a martyr to the extreme.

I think people need to be aware of their privilege & remember it's not the same for others. We are lucky to
have a car, lots of shops within walking distance, and a large freezer. I also already get my milk delivered & to get over the next few weeks I have now ordered a meat box & fruit & veg box & some pasta delivery. However these things are expensive so not available to everyone. I managed to get a click & collect for mid April but in a shop 5 plus miles away.

I was talking to DH about freezing milk only yesterday, but we both thought it might expand as it froze and burst the plastic carton. Does that not happen?

No, it doesn't happen. We routinely (pre-corona) always freeze our milk on day of purchase. Defrost overnight on draining board. You'll need to shake it before use as the fat/water may seperate. Then store in fridge as usual.