# Grocery shopping for single seniors



## JaniceM (Jun 7, 2022)

(this can also apply to couples)

I can relate to what my parents used to say when they become empty-nesters, and only had to grocery shop for themselves.
A difference, though, was they were retired, and had unlimited free time-  I'm not, and I don't.

It's virtually impossible to find suitable-sized packages of anything-  everything, from boxes of cereal (the good stuff, anyway) to meat is only available in "family-sized" packages.  I lack time and space to separate everything into smaller-sized portions.  

Has anyone come up with solutions to this?


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## Gaer (Jun 7, 2022)

There is one little grocery, (quite a ways away) where  (Bless his heart)  the produce manager 
breaks up clumps of celery, carrots, green onions, etc,, in case you don't want to buy a dozen 
carrots at a time or a whole clump of celery.  
Not worth the gas to travel there, but I stop if I'm in that area.  
It's nice for people living alone.


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## hawkdon (Jun 7, 2022)

There is normal grocery about 2 blocks from me...but, since I cannot walk that far, I've been ordering for delivery for abt 3 yrs
now...just get what ever is easy and fast to fix !!! LOL....


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## Geezerette (Jun 7, 2022)

I’ve been lucky in that I think there must be a lot of singles in my community. Because there doesn’t seem to be any problem locating small size packages & cans.  The better groceries have meat depts where can get small amounts. And no problem getting “just right” amounts of fruits and vegetables. Even 1/2 dozen eggs. I just took it for granted, now I’ll appreciate it more


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## Gaer (Jun 7, 2022)

Yes, The 1/2 dozen eggs?  Used to be 78 cents a year ago.  Now they are $2.99.


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## C50 (Jun 7, 2022)

Yeah there's things I don't buy anymore, like loaves of bread for one.  Most other things I can find in smaller quantities but end up paying a premium price.


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## Knight (Jun 7, 2022)

Our problem was storage. For example a 15lb. pork loin at a significant savings wasn't feasible due to bulk. 
But after buying a vacuum sealer, breaking it down into boneless pork chops for stuffing, some for grinding for either pork patties or making sausage, some for pork cubes for a variety of meals, &  at least 2 lbs. for a slow roasted pork roast. 

The vacuum sealing compresses & seals allowing for space saving stacking, easy Id & longer term storage for fresh as the day it was bought goodness. 

That works for any protein, home made soups <---- frozen then sealed, fruits & veggies. In this economy taking advantage of store sales when they are actually sales is made a whole lot easier now that we have a way to store more compactly & for extended period of time.


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## palides2021 (Jun 7, 2022)

I love to buy bags of frozen veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots) and store in freezer. Fresh vegetables don't last long, but these veggies I can use in meals whenever I need them, such as soups and spaghetti sauces.


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## hollydolly (Jun 7, 2022)

palides2021 said:


> I love to buy bags of frozen veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots) and store in freezer. Fresh vegetables don't last long, but these veggies I can use in meals whenever I need them, such as soups and spaghetti sauces.


My tall larder freezer is stocked with frozen veggies, they're still cheap, they are more nutritious than fresh ( unless picked immediately from your own garden)... and they can be used in so many ways.

I mostly have Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Shredded Cabbage, chopped leeks, mushrooms ,  Roast Potatoes,  and more onions than a French man would know what to do with.. ( red & white ) I used to have much more of a variety because estranged O/H is vegan.. but now he's gone I just buy the veggies I like


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## HoneyNut (Jun 7, 2022)

JaniceM said:


> It's virtually impossible to find suitable-sized packages of anything- everything


Yes that is so true, I like tho that the FiberOne cereal at least has the box contents separated into two separately sealed sections.
Even produce is too much quantity.  So I buy bags of frozen cut up fruit.  And I generally eat the healthy type individual frozen meals because then I can have a nice flavorful dish that has like 6 beans and four slices of zucchini, 1 leaf of spinach etc etc.  If I tried to make the same meal from scratch I'd have to figure out what to do with the rest of the can of beans, remainder of zucchini, rest of the bunch of spinach -- pretty sure I'd wind up accidentally forgetting to eat the extras and they would spoil in the refrigerator.


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## hollydolly (Jun 7, 2022)

Around here we can buy individual portions from the supermarket if we wish. One carrot, or one potato , One banana if you so wish.. at the Deli counter we can buy as little as 4 oz of cold cuts or cheese... and equally at the butchers we can buy a small amount of minced beef, or just one chop or one pie..etc....and even on the supermarket shelves we can buy a lot of things for one person...from pies to yoghurt..
#However I do agree if you want to buy pre-packaged foods, then there's rarely one person portion packs, and when there are it's disproportionately priced ...ie, 6 chops £5.00... one chop £2.50....


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## Lewkat (Jun 7, 2022)

We have a huge supermarket close by that sells for large families and singles as well.  Small sized cans, small containers of milk, juices and the like.  Also, 1/2 loaves of bread and 1/2 dozen eggs.  One or 2 sticks of butter, etc.  Very convenient to say the least.


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## Jules (Jun 7, 2022)

C50 said:


> Yeah there's things I don't buy anymore, like loaves of bread for one.  Most other things I can find in smaller quantities but end up paying a premium price.


I freeze the bread right away and just pull out the slices I need.  I’ve found it’s better to pay a premium price for some things.  Going through my cupboard I found 3 items from 2016/17.  They likely weren’t bad (vinegar & a seasoning) but they were taking up space I don’t really have.  The larger size may be cheaper per ounce but when I’m throwing it down the drain, it’s not.  

The vegetables & fruit can usually be purchased in small quantities.  Smaller packages of meat are more expensive.  Sometimes I cook up a larger package and then freeze what I’m not using right away.  Makes for a quick meal later.


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## OneEyedDiva (Jun 7, 2022)

Where are you shopping that you can't find regular sized items?!  My local supermarket has them...so does its larger sister store. Walmart has them as well.


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## oldpop (Jun 7, 2022)

I usually purchase regular size items but some things like rice and beans I get in bulk.. I try to cook things in large portions so I can package it to get several meals out of it.


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## s76l42 (Jun 8, 2022)

JaniceM said:


> (this can also apply to couples)
> 
> I can relate to what my parents used to say when they become empty-nesters, and only had to grocery shop for themselves.
> A difference, though, was they were retired, and had unlimited free time-  I'm not, and I don't.
> ...


I meal prep for the week and freeze a lot. If you buy meat bring it home and separate it into your serving size and then freeze. Many vegetables can be cooked and frozen. 
Time is an issue. I still work full time but spend a morning on the weekend prepping.


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## CinnamonSugar (Jun 8, 2022)

I found one solution:  buy plastic or silicone ice trays, freeze whatever you need in smaller-sized portions, then store in a zip lock bag after you pop them out of the tray.  Works well for things like  tomato sauce or beans that you can’t get through the whole can before it spoils in the refrigerator


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## Lavinia (Jun 8, 2022)

There is a lot of waste because so many things come in family size packages. I suppose it's cheaper for companies to make them that way. I feel very guilty putting so much in the bin. I presume I'm feeding the rats and pigeons at the waste site?
I buy vegetables at the greengrocers because then I can pick small quantities and nothing is wasted.


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## hollydolly (Jun 8, 2022)

CinnamonSugar said:


> I found one solution:  buy plastic or silicone ice trays, freeze whatever you need in smaller-sized portions, then store in a zip lock bag after you pop them out of the tray.  Works well for things like  tomato sauce or beans that you can’t get through the whole can before it spoils in the refrigerator


I do exactly that....


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## JaniceM (Jun 8, 2022)

Thanks for all the input!  it's much appreciated!!!


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## StarSong (Jun 8, 2022)

Every couple of days I try to review my fridge's produce and use up whatever is heading south.  Leafy greens, fruit, zucchini and the like are easy to work into meals or snacks.  

I bake my own bread (four loaves at a time).  The following morning I cut each in half, wrap the halves in Saran, then freeze in Ziploc bags.  A half loaf lasts a couple of days and doesn't spoil in that amount of time.  I reuse the Ziplocs.


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## Blessed (Jun 8, 2022)

I am a bulk shopper on some things.  I break down and freeze the family size meats.  If I open a can, I try to think of what I could have with that in the next day or two or repurpose into a casserole, sauce or topping for a protein.


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## Jules (Jun 9, 2022)

Thought this was a good idea and it can be done quickly.


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## Marie5656 (Jun 11, 2022)

Used to live near a small meat market that was okay with the smaller portions thing. 1 ribeye steak. 2 pork chops. A 1/4 lb ham salad. Had many seniors nearby


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## timoc (Jun 11, 2022)

*I'm thinking* about getting a new freezer, there isn't enough room for more than 48 tubs of ice cream in the old one.


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## Blessed (Jun 11, 2022)

That is just a tragedy, how you will every survive.  Get the new freezer now! LOL


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## katlupe (Jun 11, 2022)

I buy the larger size packages of meat and vacuum pack them into one person size helpings. I changed my old family recipes for one person for more than one meal. I was wasting vegetables that I did not use up. I didn't want to buy frozen ones because they take up the space in the freezer that I need for meats. So I bought dehydrated ones, onions, peppers, celery, carrot dices and green beans.


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## JonSR77 (Jun 13, 2022)

Gaer said:


> There is one little grocery, (quite a ways away) where  (Bless his heart)  the produce manager
> breaks up clumps of celery, carrots, green onions, etc,, in case you don't want to buy a dozen
> carrots at a time or a whole clump of celery.
> Not worth the gas to travel there, but I stop if I'm in that area.
> It's nice for people living alone.



I think that this brings up the point, that if you do have good relationship with a store and with the store manager, you can always ask for some kind of special treatment. Whether that is them delivering food to your house or other things.

Certainly, they will nearly always do it for compensation.


And sometimes, you know, you will just pull at their heart strings and they will do it for you..

No matter what, people do love the feeling they get from helping other people...and will sometimes surprise folks with what they will do to help.


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## JonSR77 (Jun 13, 2022)

timoc said:


> *I'm thinking* about getting a new freezer, there isn't enough room for more than 48 tubs of ice cream in the old one.



Ben & Jerry for President!


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## JonSR77 (Jun 13, 2022)

Just thought I would mention this here.

If you or someone you know has a real problem affording enough food...

Here is the website for Feeding America. It is the big national organization that many foodbanks join. They can help folks find foodbanks and food pantries in their area to help:

https://www.feedingamerica.org/


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## katlupe (Jun 16, 2022)

In NY state there is the Farmer's Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) that runs from June through November 30th. They distribute coupons to be used at your local farmer's markets. It is income based. If you are interested in it and wonder how to apply for it contact your local office for the aging.


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## OneEyedDiva (Jun 18, 2022)

katlupe said:


> In NY state there is the Farmer's Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) that runs from June through November 30th. They distribute coupons to be used at your local farmer's markets. It is income based. If you are interested in it and wonder how to apply for it contact your local office for the aging.


They were distributing the vouchers at the senior center I attended for our local farmer's market. I wasn't eligible due to my income but those vouchers helped those who were, for sure. An organization also distributes boxes of produce and some canned goods right around the corner from me. A couple of my neighbors, who's are both blind take full advantage. One of them shared some fruit with me a couple of times, because I had gotten him on the list of seniors who were getting free dinners a few times a week during COVID. After accepting the fruit a couple of times I told him to share the produce with others (who need the help).  Very thoughtful post Kat.


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## Michael Z (Jun 22, 2022)

If you go to a raw food/whole food diet, you may find it easier to manage the foods. I buy produce for the week and by day 7 it is all used. I make a giant salad made of spinach, kale, onions, peppers, tomatoes, avocado, curry & pepper, olive oil, and unpasteurized apple cider vinegar, split in two for dinner and lunch. I supplement this with cooked rice, beans, chicken or fish. There are no leftovers each day other than some cooked chicken or fish to be portioned out throughout the week. Also eat Whole Foods such as oats, nuts, chia, honey and other dry items that keep. This diet can work wonders for your health as well.


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## Mitch86 (Jul 1, 2022)

Stop and Shop plus Amazon's Whole Foods allow one to order food online and then will deliver the food to your house.  I'm 87 and my wife is 83 and neither of us drive anymore.  We get all our food online.


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