How often do you shop for groceries, how often do you eat out?
 

I'm curious to know how often you do your food shopping and how often you eat out. Are you within walking distance of stores and restaurants? Do you drive your car or take your golf cart? Also, do you find that you have enough food and paper product storage?

I spend more on food down here, food of same or similar quality/brand is more expensive here than at similar-quality stores back home. For me that would be Publix vs. Big Y, and Fresh Market vs. CT Natural Foods and Produce. Big Y is the "expensive" grocery store back home, and where I used to do most of my shopping. Now, I have to get most of my stuff from Walmart, which I avoided in the north.

We order take-out often here, but that's not much different from how we lived back home. Fast food dinners, sometimes pizza, sometimes subs, sometimes Outback, sometimes prepared "re-heat and serve) stuff from the produce store (they had a catering business too, you could get chicken piccata over rigatoni, home-made in their own kitchen and sold by the ounce - really delicious stuff).

I cooked as well, but ground meat here is insanely expensive. Thankfully I learned that Fresh Market has ground chuck for $2.99/lb on Tuesdays, so I stock up every so often and we have meatloaf or mac & meatballs one night, with enough leftovers to last for lunches for the whole week.

I like being somewhat conservative in my grocery spending but I am not what anyone would consider "frugal."

Re: paper goods: we don't use paper or plastic plates, and I wash and re-use chinese takeout soup containers and take-out containers from Carabba's as well. So I never spend anything on that stuff.

TP and paper towels I still have some from when we moved in November 2019. I had rewards bucks from Staples and used them to stock up a couple times a year, even though we never ran low. So I had around 200 rolls of toilet paper at the start of the pandemic, and around 50 rolls of paper towels. We still have some left, but we're down to our last dozen TP rolls so I started buying again. Up until recently, the last time I paid out of pocket for either was maybe 2014.

Typically go food shopping twice a week and restaurants lately 1x a week soon to go up to 2x. We go by car.

We did not have enough storage so we purchased a good sized pantry closet.

I usually take the golf cart. I have plenty of storage. I shop at least 2 days every week because I don't like milk that's close to the expiration date, so I buy just a 1/2 gallon at a time.

I only travel by car. It may sound strange, but I go to Publix almost every day and buy food that is ready to eat.

Trader Joe’s, (same prices as up north) Whole Foods (actually less cost than up north) every 2 weeks. Produce comes from container garden at our house. Beef, Pork and Chicken we have raised free range. We split with 3 others. What I can’t grow, or buy at farmers market in between driving to Gainesville, is few and far between. Coffee is a big expense, Blue, and Kona shipped in. Only eat out if it’s something we don’t prepare well. I don’t keep budget on food cost but do notice big difference in prices in Florida com paired to Michigan. So we drive a car.

Big grocery run once per week.
Need something run once per week.
Always by golf cart.


Eat out once per month...............outside dining.

Doesn't sound strange to me at all.

We eat twice a day (late breakfast and early dinner). Have for years. We eat out dinner almost every day. Probably cook dinner at home at most once per week. On average, I would say we make one trip to Publix for groceries, less than $100. That doesn't count paper goods and cleaning supplies which I buy at Walmart.

We sometimes take the cart to dinner but more often drive one of our cars.

FWIW.

kathy

2021 0305 Friday @ 13:51
I do my food shopping at:
1. The Villages Grown, 2666 West Torch Lake Drive, The Villages, FL 32163 (352) 775-7866
2. Costco, 2225 Grand Cypress Drive, Lutz, FL 33559 (813) 279-7031 Note: "Straight shot" down I-75 from TV
3. Publix, 770 Kristine Way, The Villages, FL 32163 (352) 259-8244
4. Fresh Market, 3470 Wedgewood Lane, The Villages, FL 32162 (352) 391-9620

Should you opt for the Costco in Altamonte Springs, FL, there is a Whole Foods "just up the street".
1. Costco, 741 Orange Avenue, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714 (407) 786-7802
2. Whole Foods, 305 E Altamonte Drive, Suite 1000, Altamonte Springs, FL 32701 (407) 767-2100

re: (eating out)
I prefer to eat at home. However, my preferences for dining out are Bluefin Grill & Bar and the The Villages country clubs. They are wonderful when dining "off hours". It's not that the other eating establishments are unappealing, it is just that I have not spent enough time in TV to experience anything otherwise (remember, I prefer to eat at home). Also, I am alone. I dine when I have a guest.

Final Thought
My daughter is married to a wonderful Italian gentleman. They live in Florence, IT. My son-in-law's mother takes her bicycle out daily to shop for the evening meal's ingredients. We would say that the young man's mom shops daily. In so doing, she brings home fresh ingredients and makes just enough to satisfy the family (and any guests). They have lived this way for decades.

I use this method of shopping whenever I can. I buy organic, where available. I cook it the same day or within a very few days. I consume it in the same time frame.

Enjoy. :-)

We grocery shop four to five times a week. Most of those are by bike to Aldi. Aldi prices are the same nationwide except the fresh items, mainly dairy. Aldi also owns Trader Joe's which explains why they do not price gouge either. No reason to pay inflated Villages food prices.

We don't have a storage issue but admittedly our kitchen is pretty large, we have drawers that are empty.

Some how having a destination/purpose makes the exercise seem more meaningful. It is 18 miles RT by bike. Aldi on 466a is slightly 'off campus' so the cart is out.

We eat out once to twice a week.

Aldis does not own Trader Joes (or vice versa). They are two separate companies independently owned. The owner/CEO of the company that owns Aldis is related to the owner/CEO of the company that owns Trader Joe's but those companies do not share revenue, shares, officers, boards, offices, responsibilities, etc. etc. etc.

Thinking they're the same or related would be like me saying I have a cat, and my sister, who doesn't live in my house has a cat, therefore we are co-owners of two cats.

Friday, car, enough paper to cope with a dysentery outbreak, and very seldom eat out.

I assure you it's an innocent question and one that could be asked on any neighborhood forum. We are interested in possibly moving to TV. I am starting to think about the logistics of what size house we'll need, the amount of storage we'll need, etc. In order to make the most of our visit there, I need to think about what type of house we would like to buy because we obviously can not look at every possible possibility while we're there.

It's nice to get a general sense of what to expect once we get there. Another question that I might post is: What is your routine now that you live in TV? I would ask that just to get an idea as to how many activities people actually engage in day to day.

I have no idea where any of these people live and TV is a huge community so this all very general, getting a ballpark feel for what to expect as a Villager.

Once a week by car, since COVID rarely eat out, before COVID ate out for lunch once or twice a week. But when we started staying home became more self-indulgent. Must have smoked salmon for breakfast at least once a week, for example. Don't buy tomatoes unless they are Campari. Guess I figure the money saved by not eating out can supply little food luxuries.

That doesn't sound strange at all to me. We take advantage of the rotisserie chickens, Mardi Gras wings, subs and salads pretty often, too. It's good stuff.

In 1979 Aldi Nord purchased the U.S. operations of Trader Joe’s, which had been founded in California in 1958. Trader Joe’s operates as a separate division of the pparent.

You co-own the cat.

Compari tomatoes are totally worth it. I make garden salads every day and I've tried all sorts of tomatoes. The Compari tomatoes are delicious and I rarely find a bad one in the container. The only tomatoes that are better are the ones we grow ourselves.

2021 0305 Friday @ 16:22
it is 36 degrees outside where I am right now. The wind is only just dying down from a very blustery day.

I am indoors. The laundry is done. The clothes are put away. The cooking is done for this evening. The house is clean. I get online to speak to my family overseas (in Europe) before they retire for the day.

re: nothing better to do
While online, I like to take time to speak to my neighbors in TV. I call it "being neighborly".

re: nothing better to do
I'll ballroom dance this evening for three hours.
:-P

We shop at Publix and Fresh Market 2 to 3 times a week and always by car (I am not a huge fan of golf carts). Prior to COVID we had lunch out about 4 times a week and dinner 3 to 4. Currently, not many luches and dinner out 3 times a week and takeout once or twice. We have no problem with storage. Just wish we had Wegmans, but Earth Fare is opening here 2nd quarter and I'll be very happy.

The company that owns the stores you know as Aldis is Aldi Sud. It is a different company. The brothers split up BEFORE Trader Joe's was bought by Aldi Nord. One brother took Sud, one took Nord. The two are only related in that they are both called Aldis. They share nothing at this point, since both brothers are dead.

"The Parent" in your reference is the parent company of Trader Joe's, which is Aldi Nord. The store the USA refers to as Aldi's is owned by Aldi Sud.

And no, there are two cats. One is mine, and lives at my house. One is my sister's and lives at her house. We are sisters, but we do not share ownership of either of those cats.

We use to eat out but not in the past year. I love to eat out but the wife, not so much. We go to Publix once a week but go back once or twice to get things we forgot or need if plans change. Also need to run into Winn Dixie to get Krispy Kreme donuts. Everything is by golf cart, stores, town squares etc. groceries are definitely more in Florida than back home. And it is not pennies it is $1-3 higher for many items.

I understand your questions and had the same before I moved to TV. Getting an idea of the daily flow is helpful. Storage is usually an issue for most, unless you buy a really big house. But people downsize their possessions and get creative.

Precovid I shopped at Publix probably twice a week via golf cart; I put either a big cooler or a laundry basket on the front seat for things I thought might fly out when going thru the tunnels. People use the mesh bags in the golf club area but I find them hard to use-things get squished.

Post covid I prefer Fresh Market curbside delivery, with once a month car trip to Walmart curbside for paper products, laundry detergent, etc.

I haven't eaten inside a restaurant for a year, but do takeout/dine outside or delivery a couple times a week.

Some people live without a golf cart but I find it a joy to joy ride around and essential for the pool-no wet butts in my nice car.

There is an almost endless supply of fitness, card games, art, etc clubs meeting all the time; if you can't find something to do here, check your pulse. Two cars per household probably not necessary unless you still work; one car and one or two carts are good enough for most people, depending on whether you share activities.

Best of luck and see you soon.

Have not eaten out for more than a year but get take out from Bonefish, Naldo's, Beef O'Brady's, Subway, NYPD Pizza, and some other places.

Grocery shop almost every other day at Walmart, Publix, Winn-Dixie, Target, and other places. Go by car most of the time but love using the golf cart.

Use various Publixes to shop depending on what I am doing and would often shop at Winn-Dixie after seeing a movie at the Old Mill Playhouse and this would be with the golf cart.

When donating platelets at One Blood in Lady Lake or using the Lady Lake Public Library would go to the two Publixes on US 441/27.

I'm back to grocery shopping nearly every other day. I go in with very short lists. Early on in the pandemic, I grocery shopped every couple of weeks but that is a thing of the past. I usually take the car.

Hubby and I dine out in restaurants for breakfast, probably on average of two to three times a week. In the afternoon is when we dine out for what we call "lundin", which is a combination of lunch and dinner. We do that about three times per week.

Order groceries online at Walmart. Then just drive up to loading area and they’re loaded into my car. Free service. Very simple, very easy.

I shop mostly at Public on average once a week.
I eat out 1 to 2 times a week half of that I order curbside.
On Sundays I batch cook dinners for the week. This keeps me from wanted to just grab something on the way home.
I prefer eating home cooked meals. When I batch cook I put half in the freezer and the other in the refrigerator so’s not to waste food if something comes up.

I have been looking in the pre-made food delivery Freshly couple of friends use them and love it. The food is already cook you just have to heat it. It runs about $10 a meal......my batch cooking runs about $4 a meal so........

Groceries are very expensive in Florida and quality and selection is not so good. We order some stuff online, make a monthly trip to Costco, and go local shopping about once a week. What would cost me $100 at Wegmans cost $130 at Publix. If you doubt that, take your Publix receipt and go to the Wegmans web site and build the same cart full. Produce here is poor quality when compared to up North. I know that doesn’t make sense, but is true.

Just starting to eat out again after dining at home for the past year. Usually use car for shopping, golf cart for golf and squares.

Usual Routine
 

Grocery Shop each Monday 7am Publix then Walmart and any extras come occasionally from Winn Dixie . All mask wearers at that time of day. Car mostly then cart to Winn Dixie at Sumter.

Rarely ate out before Pandemic, its amazing what passes as "food" in some places. Certainly would not eat out now.

You are really putting some thought into this!!! I bought the house that met my first two priority needs and looked great! Once we moved in, I realized there were other advantages I should have looked at - thus, I assume, the reason "many Villagers move an average of three times (within the Villages)"!!

We are going on seven years living here, year round. During the first two years, it seemed we were more on the go with multiple activities and socializing. These last few - albeit we have been grounded by the virus - we have not been on-the-go as much out of the house as before. We've now figured out our favorite routine physical activities and what meetings/table games etc. we prefer. For us, location-location-location seems to be the biggest advantage. We have one car and one golf cart, so deciding where we would need to conduct our physical activity choices and hobbies was the deciding factor in what area we bought in. We settled on a home within a 15 minute golf cart ride to five rec centers, pools, one grocery store, and a town square. As for groceries and eating out - we may only eat out once or twice each month. Maybe a bit more in the slower season (May-November). We belong to Sam's Club, and make that run once every 3-4 weeks for things we like to buy in bulk - paper and cleaning supplies, and some of their higher end meats. Like others said, we make it a habit to visit Fresh Market on Tuesdays, probably every three weeks or so, for the chicken breast and ground beef sale. Many weeks I head to the Farmers' Market on Saturdays in Brownwood for vegetables. The rest of the shopping is done once a week at Winn-Dixie/Publix/Walmart after I have planned dinner menus for the week . Since we tend to put all of our purchases on a rewards credit card, it is easy to see what our spending habits are like, and it does seem we spend more here than before retirement, but I cook every day and we always have breakfast and light lunch food available as well. Good luck with your home search, and hopefully you will love it here as much as we do!!

We grocery shop when we need something. Mainly shop at the nearest Publix which is 7 minutes by golf cart or at the Walmart Neighborhood Market near colony which is 16 minutes by golf cart, or at the nearest Winn-Dixie which is 25 minutes by golf cart. Some weeks we may go a couple of times, and some weeks more than that. We don't shop for and buy in bulk. We almost always go to these three stores by golf cart unless it is raining or forecast to do so. We occasionally shop at Sam's Club, go by auto since we can not get there by golf cart. We occasionally shop at the Walmart Superstore on 466 and usually go by auto since it is a 44 minute golf cart trip. But if the weather is nice and we don't have anything else planned, and if we are not buying frozen items, we have driven there and back by golf cart.

We have eaten mostly at home for the past year. We either cook at home or bring carry out back home. We get carry out a couple times per week. We have eaten indoors at a restaurant only three times in the past year. Once Covid is "controlled" to our satisfaction, we will begin eating indoors at restaurants again probably two or three times per week. Again we go by golf cart unless the weather precludes it or the trip by golf cart exceeds 35 minutes each way. Most of our trips within the Villages are by golf cart.

I shop once a week by car and if I need something during the week I go by golf cart , as for storage I love to cook and bake everything from scratch so I have a lot of different pots pans and baking pans , we had a wall in our garage custom done with tall cabinets for all my cookware ( and I have a large kitchen ) we also had our 3 bedroom and hall closet done and we put the wire shelves in my laundry room where we keep all paper and cleaning supplies, as to what size home you need depends on your needs , do you get a lot of company that will stay with you ,do you entertain in your home often , the size will matter if you do , we get family and friends that stay with us and have a three bedroom 3 bathroom designer home and this size works for us , hope this helps answer your question ( as for dining out we do but I enjoy cooking we also do take out sometimes )

Aldi does not own Trader Joe’s. The connection is 2 brothers who have passed away. Theo left Aldi and bought Trader Joe’s originally from CA

Good answer. It appears the mods deleted mortal1's response.


When you get here, try to find a map of TV. There are several places you could live that would be within walking distance of grocery stores, if that's what you are wanting. Just north of CR 44 there is a Publix with housing behind it, also walking distance to the town square in Brownwood with restaurants, a produce store, groomer, hairdresser, spice shop, gym, a couple of clothing/knickknack stores. It's also just a few minutes from that area up to 466A where there is a huge non-Villages string of grocery stores (Aldi's, Publix, Winn-Dixie), gas stations, Walgreens, Lowe's, restaurants, nail salons, banks, soon-to-be full-service car wash. Part of that area is not golf-cart accessible. We rarely need to go anywhere else to shop, unless it's a rare trip to a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, an hour or so away.


Maybe others will chime in with other areas close to shopping. There are several.

We tend to forget. looking from the bubble to the outside real-world. First of all we have
been here for eight years. Far as inflation, rising prices, food prices have risen dramatically. That is both in the villages and the outside world.

I/we do not really budget so much per week. We do spend more on grocery shopping
but when we were working we both at lunch out that alone was roughly $100 a week.
At most, eight years later we are spending $20 or so more a week at the grocery stores.

Toilet paper? Truth. fact, the rolls have gotten narrower and the cores have gotten bigger.

get what we need when we need it, No rhyme or reason. Sometimes stop on the way back from golf,
We shop at different stores for different things. I refer to Winn Dixie as WD50. Unlike WD40 every time I "use" it I can't seem to get out
without spending 50 bucks! ;o(

People tend not to realize. A fair guess, your car costs you about .65 a mile to drive.
That is all costs, insurance, depreciation, repair etc. Most of us only think of the fuel.
To drive an hour to shop at .......... if we figure 60 mph it is 60x.65 so thirty nine dollars.
Fuzzy math, of course it is but that 39 if it is both ways then.........

Best to rent for a month in a house, not a lifestyle
 

GC, rent a house for a month or two, like a designer, get a feel for the type of house you might want to buy or design, and then that money will be the best knowledge investment you can make to avoid making an impulse decision and a mistake, if you are risk adverse, or highly structured in lifestyle.

If you PM me, I can direct you to a very nice designer to test out. . . It will have almost everything you might like, or not, but best to just test drive to see, that way you will know, versus guess or make assumptions

sportsguy

There is a science to grocery stores. They get you in by running sales. You go there to buy ????? cottage cheese which is on sale and buy a cart full. I think of it like Vegas.
It is impossible to find the restroom without passing hundreds of slot machines. The smells. Roasting chickens, baking breads and cakes. Even where stuff is on the shelf
all designed to sell you.

Winn Dixie-they seem to be the only store that still uses the original two tier smaller shopping carts. That was the original design. While the bigger carts do need wider isles other store have all decided that with a larger cart you will buy more.

I order online for dry/canned goods, cleaning supplies, paper products and cases of dog food from Wal-Mart, free delivery to my door on purchases over $30.
I order once a month.
I use Win Dixie at Bichara Blvd. to shop for fresh produce, dairy, meats, and items unavailable at Wal-Mart at time of monthly order.
I shop there every 2.5 - 3 weeks.
Like their rewards card and specials.
Their pharmacy (and grocery) personnel are very nice.
It's a convenient and nearby location.
Aldi's every once in awhile.
I find Publix pricy so don't shop there.
I dropped my Sam's Club Membership.
When I still had it, shopped there or did PU once a month.
Haven't eaten inside a restaurant since last March but do order take out a couple times a month.
I drive my car when I shop as easier to lug groceries.
I am not keen on grocery shopping.

Re: home size
Storage is limited in all of these homes. Translation, I sorely miss my basement under our previous northern home. Here you will not get one and if you did it would quickly be a swimming pool.

A great salesman's line when we were trying to decide what size TV to buy. "No one ever says, I wish I bought a smaller one." A bit of a spin. He did not mention that the bigger one costs more and I expect uses more electricity.

My point is our home is also 3 bedrooms two baths a two car garage and a golf cart garage. Not everyone can spend the money, the upkeep, the bond etc etc etc.
Fortunately there are choices.