Food Shopping

I food shopped today for the first time since all the kids went back to school. I kept starting to pick up some of their favorite foods, then realized, no, if I buy that I'll eat it all. Not a good idea. It also made me kiss them a little.

Did you miss your kids while food shopping after they left home?

The good news is that I only spent $80.00. But then I remembered how much money we give two of them who aren't on food plans and how much we pay for the others food plan. I quickly realized that I am not saving a penny! Sigh...

That's a very interesting question...I don't think I did...we weren't real good at eating normal meals anyway...so my shopping probably didn't change that much...or maybe it's just been too long to remember!

I can't believe how much less I spend now eating for one. No one to blame anymore when the occasional cookie ends up in my grocery bag, and then in me!

The money we save on groceries since the kids left is spent on the 2-3 nights we eat out!!

I have surely saved on food shopping costs. My children attended London universities so they were home until they graduated. They always brought home a study partner or would hold group studies at home and it always felt that I was feeding the 5,000 Alongside that, friends would come and go all the time as well and stay for meals.

I work full time and eat out five times a week as lunch is my main meal. The days when I sit and dine at home are rare now and confined to a few weekends when I am home and not loafing about out of town. I still stock the fridge though because my son occasionally drops in within the week and Sunday evenings to have dinner here. And now he comes with his fiancee. A very good thing!

I find it difficult to buy food that will just serve two. There's always leftovers and, while some foods taste BETTER the next day, many do not.

I agree, about the difficulty in shopping for products for 'two', as opposed to shopping for the Family packs. I have noticed though, that in the last couple of years, more and more products are being offered in the 'two-pack', or at least a smaller version of the large-quantity size product.

The biggest difference, for us, is that we don't buy a lot of what I call 'covenience' foods, or snack foods, now that we are empty-nesters. Whenever our grandchildren come over, to spend some time, we usually make a shopping trip, for items we never buy. They like some pretzels, or an ice cream cone, or something like that, and we just don't have that sort of thing around. I also cook differently, more simply, now that it is just the two of us, with an eye toward serving foods that contain less fat, and less sugar, and less empty carbs. Lots of fresh fruit, and veggies, and lean meat and fish.

Jeannine, I am not buying the junk food wither but boy do I miss it. Our cupboards look bare. One cabinet is empty. That's never happened before. But some of this is due to the fact that I've been cleaning out kitchen drawers and cupboards a little at a time.