If we could all live like my environmentalist mother-in-law in the Black Forest of Germany, making daily trips to the village market on foot with her wicker basket and St.Bernard in tow, green shopping would be a piece of cake. (If only!)

I agree that many of us are using the warehouse clubs as grocery stores, and that there is a ton of waste as a result. I know I have a bag of green mush at the bottom of my crisper drawer that once was a head of romaine -- one of 6 in the warehouse pack.

The key is proper planning, and not going on impulse. I like heading to the Club with a like-minded friend -- we buy the humongous packs of meats, vegetables, cereals, etc., and split them between us. We reap the benefit of the lower cost, and eliminate the waste.

My wife & I had a routine that, like yours, involved multiple stops: BJs (which is a 20 minute drive), Super Stop & Shop, and sometimes Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, or a local fishery.

While I realize this won't work for most people out there, I ended up buying huge saddlebags for my bike which allows me to stop at Whole Foods on the way home during my commute for things that we realize we need, and we've managed to move to a once-a-week trip to a large Shaws around the corner. Putting carbon emissions aside, it's been awesome! So much less time spent in the car, in the checkout line, planning for meals, etc.

My husband and I had a Sams card and baught like everyone else, in bulk. After he died I no longer shopped in bulk and even stopped making a 26 mile trek to A super Wallmart. With gas prices going up I save by paying a bit more at my localgrocery which is less than a half mile away.I wonder now how much we really saved by buying in large quantities and driving 30 miles to do it?

When I need something from the hardware store, it's a real pleasure going to the local neighborhood True Value in Hershey PA, asking for the item and being shown where it is.

I'm in and out in minutes with what I needed without walking the isles and buying things I don't need and might never use, PLUS I'm helping the neighborhood shop owner.

I NEVER get that "rush" going to a big box store.

Slightly off-topic, but related, I joined a local organic CSA this year. It cost about as much (maybe a bit more), than I was spending per-week on produce at the grocery store, but I figured it was worth it, because I get fresh organic veggies and eggs every week, and am supporting a local farmer.

The benefit that I didn't expect was that it has cut WAY down on my trips (and spending) to the grocery store! I used to go at least once a week, stock up on veggies (which often went bad before I could use them, since I'd often buy too much), and end up buying other stuff as well, while I was there. Now that I get a weekly share of produce every weekend, I am only going to the grocery store about once every two weeks -- I've found I waste much less food, and spend less money! Plus I've become much more aware of my eating habits, and my meals have gotten more varied and creative. It's a win-win situation all around.

It's a great option if you have one in your area -- there are tons of CSAs out there now, and a lot of them even have websites now. If you want to try to find one, check out the Local Harvest website, as this has a lot of them listed that I didn't find on other sites. (www.localharvest.org)
Rose.

Actually, I think the issue here has nothing to do with quantity of goods or shopping, but homemaking. Homemaking is considered this outdated thing, but actually, if you take the time to clean your own home, plan out your meals, have schedules for doing household tasks, etc., then you'll easily be able to get all your shopping done at one time. My husband and I split all chores, including meals, so we write out our meals for the whole month on a paper, check the pantries and write the needed ingredients on the other side, then go shopping all in one day: to the farmer's market first, then the grocery store. Plus we order bulk goods with other families from a mail order co-op that is delivered once per month. All this reducing our shopping and planning time to a matter of hours. It's actually the OPPOSITE of tedious! And because we take inventory of our household goods (like toilet paper) BEFOREhand, then we don't run out in the middle of the week! We do have to stop by for perishables (fruit, milk) or forgotten items, but we make sure to do that on the way home from work. The problem is that our society has produced lifestyles that are haphazard and inefficient, because we've forgotten all the basic standard homemaking essentials from just a generation or two ago. Ask your grandmother for more details (Laundering on Monday, Marketing on Thursday) or read Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson. Homemaking improves your health, gives you more free time, and now it can save the environment, too!

All the options available to us take some planning or we do end up wasting time, fuel and money.With some planning I think most of us can avoid the multiple trips per week for special groceries.

I moved to a condo much smaller than my previous home and closer to where I work. This reduced my consumption of heating/cooling and driving fuels and also reduced my storage space. Trips to the warehouse store are a few times a year. My lack of storage space reduces over-buying. Try this: pretend you have very little storage space and then decide if you really want to buy that lifetime supply of Vitamin C tablets, or whatever. Costco is great for inexpensive tires and bulk quantities of those things I really need and have room for. I do also shop at TJ's, perhaps 2 per month. I am very lucky to have a local food co-op right behind my building. I figure the fuel savings (zero cost as I walk) offsets the somewhat higher prices. I rarely go to a regular supermarket.

I went through this same thing with shopping at thrift stores. Since it was so cheap, and everything is on its second or third owner, it was easy to go thrift shopping without guilt. I would wind up with my closet full of clothes I would never actually wear, but at only a few dollars I couldn't pass things up. Picture frames, coffee mugs, mismatched yarn, baskets, multiple copies of classic novels that I might get around to reading again once my one- and three-year old daughters are in college...

I called it quits for six months this year, didn't buy a single t-shirt, book, or scarf. I found other ways to fill my free time, and ruminated on how consumerist I had gotten with thrift shopping.

I look at warehouse store purchases much the same way...do I actually need this case of individually wrapped chocolates? Why is this patio furniture so cheap anyways? Because it's brought to us directly from the friendly overseas sweatshop. I believe these stores are made to entice us to buy way more than we ever intended, and it takes vigilance to hone in on what we actually need.

I live in a city. I never go to the warehouse stores because my husband and I are a family of 2 - no way to use up all that stuff. We go to Trader Joe's every 5 weeks to stock up on things like rice and pasta and beans. We live a few blocks from a butcher, a produce market, a drug store, and a wine shop. Every day I walk around with my wicker basket (seriously, I do have one) and get the few things I need to make my own dinner. I love it - I feel connected to my neighborhood (all the shopkeepers know their regular customers), get a little exercise and fresh air, and feel in some small way I am making a difference. And, yes, I do have a full time job. The point I am trying to make, I think, is that cities are often overlooked as green places - but in fact are often more green than the suburbs because so much is located within walking distance! Another note - I, too, joined a CSA and can HIGHLY recommend it!

I live in Berkeley, CA. I do the weekly shopping at the Berkeley Bowl, riding a bicycle and towing a trailer. I can carry six bags of groceries. Every once in a while I go to Costco, for cheaper gas, but never buy anything there.

A few years ago I decided to make the car the last choice for transportation, rather than the first one. That's a lot easier in a compact urban environment than if you live in the 'burbs. As much as we make individual choices, some of the changes need to be at the level of social policy. Can we wean ourselves from big houses and suburban car-oriented planning? And get we get involved in advocating for more rational land use, not jsut waiting for someone else to take that up.

I joined TerraPass to offset long flights, but I also contribute to the Transportation and Land Use Coalition, because individual action is not enough.

-phil