Run to the store for just a few items...who does it?

[kschick96]

I try to limit my Major shopping to just once a week-but there often are several times that I end up in a store almost everyday. I live less than a half mile from Dillons and Walgreens and probably 2-3 miles away from Wal-Mart-so like C&WM, gas isn't an issue.

If a great deal presents itself, I think nothing of loading LO up and doing a quick run. He LOVES to go to the store and ride in cart. Honestly, we have had bad days where going to the store and riding in the cart is the only thing that makes him happy! Then we get home and he cries-just the opposite of most kids!

[nwonder]

I'll stop at a store for a few items also. We have a long daily commute and sometimes on the way home we just need to stop and stretch our legs, so I will stop at one of the many stores on our way home.

[$Saving!]

Since I stockpile regularly and backfill that stockpile with new purchases, I will make a run to the stores (I call it a sweep trip) and pick up a couple items here and a couple items there.

But, having said that, I have the wonderful benefit of having all the drug/grocery stores within a 5 mile radius of my house, so even if I did a full circle of them, I wouldn't be putting on more than 15 miles to hit them all.

Since I no longer need to do a major grocery run weekly because of the stockpile, I do pick off the best deals to keep the stockpile up to snuff.

[abond0017]

Yep, we have to go for just a few items at least once a week sometimes more and if Hubs wants something sweet that we don't have he never hesitates to jump in his truck and go get that one thing. Plus I've gone from fixing 4 lunches every day to only 2 but I still have to have fruit, vegetables, juice, bread and other breakfast/lunch staples every week. I refuse to freeze bread since I was raised on dried out sandwiches and fruit only lasts so long so those have to be refreshed every week and at those times are when I pick up the sale items I want. If there is something highly desirable I'll go a couple of times to stock up on it. My main grocery stores are only about 2 and 5 miles from me and there is a WM in every direction about 6 miles or so away.

abond - don't worry much about how you are doing things now. Everything will change with the baby's arrival anyway. You may find yourself going to the store just to get out of the house.

I wish I needed to run to the stores for necessary items...then I would just pick those few things up when I did. But I go to the farmers market on the weekends for fruits and veggies, and we usually end up at Target on the weekend and they have a little grocery section where milk and bread and stuff are cheaper than the grocery stores anyway so we get that stuff there. Then for anything else that pops up during the week...there is a little family owned store literally on my street corner that we run to. So, I really never need to go to the regular grocery stores for anything.

I guess you are right though...things will change soon enough. Plus I'm not super concerned with growing my stockpile fast or big. I had a small stockpile before...mostly pasta...canned goods..and HBA. That is all I'm really looking to get going again...no room for more than that...so no biggie I guess if I miss a few deals here and there.

[434Teresa]

See that's the thing. No Walmart here so there really isn't a one stop shop place.

I think I am definitely going to pass when I only see about 3 products I want to buy. I can't justify driving 20 min round trip and taking at least 15 more min of my time at the very least in the store just to save on a few items. So, I may not even do the once a week thing if I can't get more than a few items.

I don't really "need" to go to the store for anything else during the month cause I get most of my everyday needs shopping done at the commissary. I was just hoping to use the other stores to help build up my stockpile, but I guess I'll just have to do that on better sale weeks.

what about k mart? they price match also..

and yes onice you have a baby you will fond that you need this and that all the time...sometimes it can wait others it cant..

[KmmCo]

Because I go by just about every store on the way home from work - I usually make a 15 minute stop in at least one for the deals everyday. I figure I am not going out of the way or wasting gas that way. I will do my big shopping trips on one of my days off when I have more time and will try to organize the stops in a big circle in order to save gas.

I live in a pretty big city so there are several of any one store to go to around my house - for example, I have 8 Walgreens within 5 miles of the house plus one right next to where I park to catch the bus to work. Same with Kroger - there are 4 near my house ranging from 6 blocks to a couple of miles in each directions plus the one next to the bus stop. (The park and ride lot is actually behind walmart and and a huge shopping center is right to the south of that so it is really handy to just stop after work.)

The biggest problem I have is that the Kroger here has limits of 3 like coupons, so I have to keep going back if I want to get more of the same item. In that case, I might stop in several times a day while I am out and about anyway. I am "mom, the cab driver" for the teens anyway so I am always going somewhere several times everyday anyway. (My personal tolerance limit is usually about 3 stops at the same store before I decide I will just go back tomorrow - I think that is just me getting bored with it!) If I can get by with it, I drag my spouse in so that we can each get out 3 like coupon items and check out seperate - but I can usually only convince him to go shopping about once a week with me.

[abond0017]

what about k mart? they price match also..

and yes onice you have a baby you will fond that you need this and that all the time...sometimes it can wait others it cant..

Nope, no Kmart either. Only the Target (think they price match now too) but it is small and always super busy and out of stuff cause the sheer amount of people in this city. We seem to end up there each or every other weekend cause we usually need to go there or the other stores in the same shopping center for something, but I haven't been able to get many coupon deals cause when there is a good deal it is gone fast.

[crazy coupon carly]

It really depends on how close the store is... I am very close to basically all the stores I shop at. I'm lucky in that I do make several trips a week. For one, I hate looking like a crazy "extreme couponer" and try not to buy too much at once. For another thing, if I did do that it would involve more "shelf clearing" which I do not want to do to other shoppers. If I lived farther from the stores, I would probably only hit up each store in one day per week and not go back a few times a week like I do.