How did I fit 3 buggies of groceries in that little car?!
@PointlessQuestions (15397)
United States
July 2, 2011 10:32am CST
I saw a discussion that someone wrote about hating the first of the month because of people getting their checks that day, and everything is crowded. Well, I got paid on the first this month also, and I went shopping too. I don't like shopping in a crowd and I don't like driving in heavy traffic, so I went shopping as soon as it got daylight.
I was out of the house by 7:30 in the morning on July 1. My daughter and I went to Walmart and did our shopping. We got 2 and a half buggies full of food and paper products to last a month. Spent $560 total, and I never gave it a thought that I was driving a compact car.
When we got the 3 buggies out by the car, and I opened the trunk there was an open box with some emergency stuff in there like jumper cables and stuff. Well there wasn't a whole lot of room in the hatch back anyway... it's not really a trunk. I filled that box up and filled in all around it, but tried to keep the back window still visible, so that I could drive and look behind me.
Then my daughter took a cart and I took a cart and we started filling the back seat. We started from the floor up to the seats and had the back filled up level with the back of our head rest. I didn't want any sudden stop to cause us to get hit in the head with anything. Then we still had a little more and my daughter put that between her feet in the front seat. We made it!
The great thing about shopping so early was that I could do it in ease. Now both my freezers are filled to the max and I shouldn't run out of food for the whole month. I got 2 packs of 48 toilet paper and one pack of 12 paper towels, and stuff we need for cleaning and doing dishes and laundry... it's all not food.. you know how it is.
So have you been shopping yet? Have you ever bought more groceries than your car could hold. If we had any more than what we had I don't know what I would have done! It pays to think about the size of your car before going wild buying groceries for a month. I'm proud of myself though... I shouldn't have to go back except for milk and possibly some bread.
Now your thoughts?
5 people like this
11 responses
@RitterSport (2451)
• Lippstadt, Germany
2 Jul 11
hi Pointless, we dont do such big grocery shopping. For us it works better to put the weekly sum for groceries into the wallets and then see what happens. At the end of the week we put the surplus into an envelope and then at the end of the month we can calculate what we really do need for the following month.
But astonishing things like this happened when I moved from my old hometown to where I am now living with my husband. We didnt hire professionals for my move but did all the move bit by bit using the car. I also was astonished how we fit the bookshelves into there. LOL
2 people like this
@PointlessQuestions (15397)
• United States
2 Jul 11
Hi RitterSport.
Now that had to be a job! I've moved before using a car and it took forever. I feel good though that I shouldn't run out of food this month.
2 people like this
@manleyjoe (1597)
• United States
2 Jul 11
One would be surprised as to how much one can get into small places if you just stop and think about it. I see people who get upset and try to force it into area that is tight asnd end up breaking things.
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
3 Jul 11
WOW!! That's alot of groceries. Glad u made room for all of them. I have never bought that many groceries in my life at one time, lol.I don't see how u got them all in there.Enjoy every bite of them. Hope u have a good holiday.
@PointlessQuestions (15397)
• United States
3 Jul 11
Thanks, AntiqueLady,
About $100 or more was non-food stuff... like I mentioned above... but I paid my loan off this month.. 4 months ahead of time.. made 4 payments so I had to buy the whole month of groceries at once to be sure I had them. I don't want to be stuck with no food in 2 weeks like I have been before when I didn't plan well enough. Now I will need to depend on my online earnings for the rest of the month... so glad I have that to fall back on.
1 person likes this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
3 Jul 11
U did great. I like to plan like that to. As the old saying goes, u don't want to get caught w/your britches dowm, lol. I know how high that non food stuff goes.Glad u got that loan paid off. Know that gave u a good feeling. I hope u do well online this month.
@PointlessQuestions (15397)
• United States
3 Jul 11
Exactly. I live close to the expensive stores, but about 8 or 9 miles from Walmart.. it's nearly 20 miles round trip. SIL doesn't like me burning up his gas. I put $20 in gas for him, so he shouldn't mind this time..
1 person likes this
@Shellyann36 (11383)
• United States
3 Jul 11
Sounds as if you had a great shopping trip. I have done this a few times. I try to do all of my major shopping once a month and that way I can make the shopping trip coincide with my OB appointment each month. I also like to shop at my local Save-A-Lot and when I do I often buy flats of canned veggies at a time. This really eats up the space in our vehicle. I think your tp and paper towels really ate up your space. Fortunately we have an Isuzu trooper right now and it holds quite a bit. I did use my SIL's tracker once to go grocery shopping... hmm doubt I will ever do that again!
@PointlessQuestions (15397)
• United States
3 Jul 11
Hi Shellyann36! Yep, the TP and PT did take up lots of space. We never run out when I buy a lot like that.. we had used the last roll when I went shopping that day.. so it was time to buy more. I like save a lot too, but my family doesn't. It's good to get canned veggies there though. Maybe next month if I get to go again (SIL and daughter usually go for the groceries now) I will go there and tell my daughter to hush up about it..
1 person likes this
@PointlessQuestions (15397)
• United States
3 Jul 11
Thanks for responding... hope you are having a good weekend.
@Professor2010 (20156)
• India
3 Jul 11
Wow sister, that is really a grand shopping for the full month, i am happy you could do that
Well our grocery is deliverd at home every sunday, i or kalyani just make a call to the grocery shop owner, give the list, he sends the same day at no extra charges..
Same procedure we adopt for medicines..
Hugs
Happy mylotting, cheers
Bhuwan
1 person likes this
@PointlessQuestions (15397)
• United States
3 Jul 11
That's great Professor! Wish we had that.. it's so expensive though, even if we could afford it, or there was an option for that.. it would be too much. I have to shop when I have the money, and I knew I would be out of money soon so I got all I needed for the month.
I'm fixing to go make some stir fry veggies right now... you and Kalyani come and have some! 
@KrauseHome (36445)
• United States
28 Oct 11
Wow!! This is a lot of stuff at one time. I would never have this type of $$ to just spend on groceries and such, and probably $560 in groceries, etc. would definately last us more than a month. Usually at least once a month we do just our meat shopping for one night, and it can get spendy. But it is always a good feeling when you know you have food in your house that will last a while.
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
10 Jul 11
I also bulk up on UHT milk and powdered milk. I also freeze my bread and take out several slices at a time so it stays fresh.
You did pretty well for 3 people. I probably spend about the same but the dog food is separate...the mince I buy 3 months at a time for around $20 and the dry cat food (about $45) lasts about 6 months or more and the dog food (about $25) lasts about 2 months. I feed 3 dogs and one always hungry cat.
I know just what you mean...I also like to shop early for the markdowns and I also have a compact car but there's only one of me...lol
@PointlessQuestions (15397)
• United States
10 Jul 11
Hi Ms Tickle,
I freeze my bread and take a loaf out and put in the bread box. I've never thought of leaving it in there and just taking out a few slices at a time. I'm the only one that eats it regularly through the week.. my daughter and her hubby eat if if I make it for them on weekends. If they fend for themselves they usually eat something other than toast or whatever.
Oh my dog food is expensive. I have to buy two bags which is about 17 pounds each... that's about all I can lift at a time. I buy a popular brand, so it is about $12.50 each bag and that lasts our 3 dogs about a month. So it would be about $75 for 3 months.
I think I did well too. My freezers are still pretty full. My little side by side freezer is still packed. Not much taken out of it at all. I can't wait to go on August 3 to go again. My family won't drink powdered milk. I still have some that I bought some a few months ago. They never drank it... I was the only one to drink it.
@hardworkinggurl (37062)
• United States
2 Jul 11
Hi PQ! 
We have two vehicles here and mine is usually the one we use for errands and or social rides. Mine is a fairly big size Jeep so the extra room is always there. It is only my boyfriend and I at home so we tend to shop for groceries every 2 - 3 weeks. We do however, go to the specialty stores once a month and buy stock of toiletries.
I don't think we have bought more groceries then the car can hold as mainly because I no longer have the space I use to when I owned my home. We live in a small apartment now so space is an issue here.
I am glad you stock nicely for the month as grocery shopping for me is a pain. lol, my boyfriend as of late as been going it on his own. I was busy for almost two months volunteering at the theater so he had the time to do it himself. 
I was not always this way but since the kids are no longer home I don't have the thrill of doing it as I did before. So I guess I deserve the break. lol
We have two vehicles here and mine is usually the one we use for errands and or social rides. Mine is a fairly big size Jeep so the extra room is always there. It is only my boyfriend and I at home so we tend to shop for groceries every 2 - 3 weeks. We do however, go to the specialty stores once a month and buy stock of toiletries.
I don't think we have bought more groceries then the car can hold as mainly because I no longer have the space I use to when I owned my home. We live in a small apartment now so space is an issue here.
I am glad you stock nicely for the month as grocery shopping for me is a pain. lol, my boyfriend as of late as been going it on his own. I was busy for almost two months volunteering at the theater so he had the time to do it himself. I was not always this way but since the kids are no longer home I don't have the thrill of doing it as I did before. So I guess I deserve the break. lol@PointlessQuestions (15397)
• United States
2 Jul 11
Hi HWG! That's great you have a jeep. I bet you can fit a lot there if you have to. We don't have much room either at our house.
@ravisivan (14082)
• India
2 Jul 11
More than the shopping it is the job of arranging things in fridge is boring. I volunteer to do it. I have never had the experience u mentioned of buying more than what a vehicle can accommodate. Interesting. 
