So Many Grocery Stores, So Little Time

Since my recent posts chronicling my $1 double coupon day buying at Roche Bros. may give the impression that we subsist on cereal and pasta, I thought I'd write a post about where I buy the rest of our groceries. I buy our groceries at multiple stores. In this Sunday's Boston Globe Magazine an article, How Grocery Shopping Got Personal, said that it's common these days for customers to shop at several stores. The average is five. On a weekly basis, I shop at three stores; Sudbury Farms (Roche. Bros.), Trader Joe's, and Volante Farms. Once a month, I'll shop at BJ's and Whole Foods. That brings me up to the average of five stores. I will also occasionally stop at Stop & Shop or Shaw's if they are having a good sale that I can't pass up.

Luckily for me, Trader Joe's and Volante Farms are within walking distance. I can easily stop at Trader Joe's early on a Saturday morning after they open. The two advantages of going early is that it is not yet crowded and the shelves are stocked so that they are likely to have what I plan to buy. My only gripe about Trader Joe's is that they sometimes run out of what I want to buy. From Trader Joe's, I buy hamburger buns, cheese, bananas, fruit bars, meatballs, mandarin orange chicken, orange juice, milk, and chips. They now have in stock their seasonal pumpkin items including their pumpkin bread mix. I stock up on the bread mix so that I can make it well past the fall season.

Volante Farms is a local farm stand/store. They just recently expanded and are now open year round. They carry their own and other locally grown produce. There is nothing better in the summer than their fresh picked corn. Their homegrown strawberries are the best I've ever eaten. Sadly, they are only available for a couple of weeks. During blueberry season, they sell blueberries from a farm in Chester, MA. I'm not even sure where Chester is, but these blueberries are so delicious that I eat them like candy. Right now, Volante's has over 30 varieties of locally grown apples and  yummy cider donuts. The prices at Volante's are understandably more expensive than other grocery stores. To me, the cost is worth it. Fresh, locally grown produce is worth paying more money for the taste and health benefits. I'm willing to coupon and save money on our staples at other stores so that we have room in our food budget to splurge at Volante Farms. For what Volante Farms offers, I don't think that their prices are that unreasonable. With there expansion, they also now have an ice cream stand, deli, and bakery. I feel so fortunate to have such a great place to shop just around the corner. On a side note, Volante Farms had their annual pie contest this past Sunday. Here is a picture of my entry:

I buy our ground beef and meat from Whole Foods. Once a month, I'll go to Whole Foods and get a month's worth of meat and stock the freezer. If you buy meat in a "family pack" of three pounds or more, they will take $0.50 off per pound. I get our chicken at BJ's. I buy their Harvestland organic frozen chicken breasts. You get about eight chicken breasts for $10.99. BJ's occasionally has coupons for their Harvestland chicken.

That about sums up my grocery shopping habits. I like that I have so many local options for buying our food.  How about you? How many stores do you shop at?