Food shopping

My husband and I go shopping at Aldi once a week, on our way home from going out to medical appointments, the beach and lunch out. I only get the things on my list that I like at Aldi. My husband likes to explore the centre aisles there and likes gadgets and sometimes buys. I will look but don't usually buy. I do another shop on my own at a local supermarket and stick to my list with an occasional luxury item like strawberries or grapes. I don't like him doing shopping if I'm sick as he buys the wrong size things or the wrong brand. Once he bought some diabetic fruit salad in a tin and didn't like it. He did the same thing another day and he's never lived it down.

I do our grocery shopping online and then DH looks it over to see if there is anything he thinks we should add. DH is very good at shopping and he does the cooking really well too.

My DH drives us to the supermarket then sits in the car and does his sudoku and crossword while I do the shopping. He turns up to help at the check out and carries the bags to the car and unloads them when we get back home. I have trouble lifting heavy bags which is why this regime started about 4 years ago. It suits us.

Like others I do have concerns about how he would cope if I die first because he hasn't a clue what I buy and he doesn't cook. I suspect he would either go to the pub for lunch, get fish and chips or a ready meal. I think DD might act in an advisory capacity too!

The housekeeping always lasts longer if he does the shopping, but he only buys what we need for our midday meal and we sometimes scrat around a bit for suppers if I haven't laid in supplies! We've always worked as a team as for many years we worked in the same field so it seemed only right that everything else should be equal. At least I know he would cope on his own if I were to go first.

As I do not drive we normally shop together but hubby can spot the bargains whilst in store. He will look for reduced items to see if there is anything we use. This weeks bargain were the large packets of branded ginger nuts for 20p. As they are dated till September he bought 6 packs. We have 10 boxes of 240 branded tea bags that he picked up a short time ago priced at £1 reduced from £5 and with a sell by date of 2018.
He sometimes pops out for top ups on his own and will only buy what is on the list unless he sees a good deal. He knows the prices of most of the items we buy and even who has it on offer.
I think it is good that men can cope with the shopping in case we are ill.

On another occasion, knowing full well that the local supermarket had a good stock of aubergines, I asked him to bring a couple back. On returning home, he told me categorically that they didn't have any. Off I go and Lo! there they are in the hopper where I'd seen 'em a couple of days ago.

Whilst you're out, get me a mango, I said. OH comes home with butternut squash....

Any time!

Oh I did giggle at the wine creche........ Thanks for making my day!

I'm the cook and also the primary food shopper - one seems to go with the other. No criticism of DH, he cooks very rarely but does so many other things, mostly the ones I don't want to do in fairness. He does come to the supermarket but doesn't remember the regular items and no, I wouldn't want him to do a major shop alone. Goodness knows what would come back. We usually go together, sometimes I would prefer not but he enjoys coming so I keep a tight hold of the list and the contents of the trolley. It's fine - how it is - not sexist just what works for us.

maryhoffmann, this needn't be a sexist conversation, but it doesn't look as though any granddads have posted about their partners/wives. The rest of us may be making a sexist assumption, though, by imagining that 'partner' is simply another word for 'husband'. And to be honest, I've only ever seen a handful of posts by men on Gransnet. Do dads ever post on Mumsnet?

My husband is a good shopper, but I'm the one that likes to try new things. He goes for things we regularly buy - I'm more of hunter-gatherer. If it looks interesting I'll buy it to try out. If it tastes good (assuming it's food), it may become a regular and he will look out for it when he does the shopping on his own. He does much more of the shopping than I do, as I have to use a wheelchair, but it's probably just as well, as we tend to buy more when we're out together!

I must give DH praise when it comes to shopping. He visits a number of supermarkets looking for good quality as well as price. He goes to the quay side for fresh fish, makes friends with the butcher to find out what good cuts are available, visits the Chinese supermarket, great for frozen prawns and other seafood. Buys good fresh veg and avoids pretty but tasteless or sour fruit. He Spends a lot of time shopping and cooking. Me, one supermarket looking for bargains which are not always the Best Buy.

DH has never shopped since we married, so has no idea of prices - I was a kept woman.
However, since he retired he comes shopping because "I know you don't like driving"... . At first he used to drive me absolutely mad because he would look at the shopping and be horrified at the price, the size, the quantity. Eventually, I told him that I didn't like shopping with him if he passed judgement on what i purchased. I had managed for nearly 40 years with no problems, what was different now? He is as good as gold now, pushes the trolley and reminds me of the odd thing, goes to his "creche" [wine section], and generally is fine - but it took a lot of re-training.
On his own, I don't think he could because he never takes notice of what I've bought, nor could he get something similar if what I usually get is missing.
He admitted to playing at being an idiot because it suits him. I do worry what would happen if I were ill or die.

Because my DH did shiftwork and I worked 9-5 Monday to Friday, he always did the shopping in the week so we didn't have to go at the weekend. He's really good at shopping. Now we're retired we nearly always shop together and hopefully, between us, we do manage to get the bargains. I always bulk buy when things are on special and find, by the time I've run out, they're often back on special again.

I simply can't relate to this question or some of the comments above

That's fine, maryhoffman37, feel free to relate to other issues if you prefer, taking part in every discussion is not compulsory!
The thread is no more "sexist" than your observation that your husband "took over" the shopping when he did.
Some men enjoy shopping, some don't, but it does help if s/he who plans the meals also has the oversight of the shopping. Horses for courses

We do our grocery shopping together most of the time and thankfully our shopping habits are similar we both like a bargain, check dates (he's better at that than me) but if there is something that catches our eye or we fancy for a change we just get it and enjoy it. If he picks up something that brings a sharp intake of breath he'll just say lets just spoil ourselves for once..

I live on my own so I get to please myself what I buy. I don't really have room on my life to compare unit prices. I get a monthly delivery from Tesco and top up necessary items in between. I certainly works for me.

My husband does our food shopping and has it down to a fine art. He is great at demystifying bargains and chooses good fruit and veg.

Saves me the faff. He does get a bit pedantic at times but such is life as we get older I suppose.

I don't see why it's sexist maryhoffman. If this were a forum mainly populated by men, I'm sure they would cite a few examples of women overspending - my SIL being one of them! She will ONLY buy brands, the more expensive the better.

DBH always did a Saturday top-up shop, and was pretty good at spotting bargains, but would then buy the weirdest and most expensive beers he could find, and all sorts of expensive little snacks.

However, he has been at home for some months (ill) and my careful budgeting, as we have less income, has gone out of the window. It's driving me mad, I have to explain exactly why I choose what I do. As I have always been really careful to buy for quality rather than brand, it's galling having to go through the precise meat and fat contents of various sausages every week because he doesn't believe me at first, and seeing him come home with teeny pots of expensive olives that he considers a tasty nibble between meals, rather than having them as an extra with salads and meats. We have veg growing in the garden, but he will go out and buy leeks rather than pick what we have. I have had to explain, as if to a child, that if he eats two of a (bought) cake in one day, there won't be a replacement, he will have to go without one day, until the next shop, as if he is a child.

This isn't sexist, it's just what happens when one person has always realised they have to stick to a budget, and the other person hasn't.

My husband sticks to the list and buys wisely.When I go for a pint of milk and
a loaf I spend £40.He is a very good cook and does the cooking which is always plain but tasty.

My husband does the weekly supermarket shop which works really well with the exception of meat and vegetables, when he always buys the cheapest and doesn't check vegs, fruit and salad stuffs for freshness etc. I got fed up with this so now I shop separately to him for meat and vegs etc. and present him with the bill, which he promptly pays. Problem solved.

I don't see why it's sexist maryhoffman. If this were a forum mainly populated by men, I'm sure they would cite a few examples of women overspending - my SIL being one of them! She will ONLY buy brands, the more expensive the better.

DBH always did a Saturday top-up shop, and was pretty good at spotting bargains, but would then buy the weirdest and most expensive beers he could find, and all sorts of expensive little snacks.

However, he has been at home for some months (ill) and my careful budgeting, as we have less income, has gone out of the window. It's driving me mad, I have to explain exactly why I choose what I do. As I have always been really careful to buy for quality rather than brand, it's galling having to go through the precise meat and fat contents of various sausages every week because he doesn't believe me at first, and seeing him come home with teeny pots of expensive olives that he considers a tasty nibble between meals, rather than having them as an extra with salads and meats. We have veg growing in the garden, but he will go out and buy leeks rather than pick what we have. I have had to explain, as if to a child, that if he eats two of a (bought) cake in one day, there won't be a replacement, he will have to go without one day, until the next shop, as if he is a child.

This isn't sexist, it's just what happens when one person has always realised they have to stick to a budget, and the other person hasn't.

Mine is better economy wise if he goes alone just gets what we need I tend to greet tempted with offers and new products we still have too much stock ?

Lucky, lucky me! My DH does the shopping - and the cooking - and has done since we got wed thirty years ago. He's much better at it than me, he's a more adventurous cook too and can conjure up a really nice, tasty meal out of what seems to be thin air. His roast potatoes are to die for, as are his honey roasted parsnips. His lasagnes are always creamy and he can make an ordinary salad seem exciting. If I go shopping with him I tend to get bored because it takes him ages, comparing prices and products. If we are in a big supermarket I go off and play amongst the non foody sections and then find him again when I've finished. No wonder I'm shaped like a Rubens' nude! My DD used to phone him regularly for recipe advice when she first set up her own home, but nowadays she can almost beat him at his own game. Chip off the old block, it seems

DH is a good shopper and always comes back with good quality fruit and vegetables.
I never buy dishwasher tablets or cleaning materials unless they are on offer, I do buy the best stuff but bulk buy when they are reasonable.
When it comes to fresh produce, both DH and I, buy the best quality and never query the price. DH has had to do a lot of shopping lately and I know I can rely on him to get exactly what we need.