Big grocery shop - where do you go, and what's it costing you in gas?

Got me thinking on the drive back from Clinton yesterday. Thanksgiving week is coming and the stores are going to be slammed, so I'm trying to figure out when to make the big run.

I do the main shop at the Walmart in Clinton about every two weeks, and Heber Springs maybe once a month when I want a better selection of meat. Conway is a bigger trip, so I only go there a few times a year, mostly for Sam's. By my math I spend around $50-60 a month in gas just on grocery runs, and that's before I buy anything. The little store here covers milk, bread and whatever I forgot, but I can't do the whole list there.

So how many of you still drive out for the big shop? And do you get it all in one trip or spread it out?

Also curious what everybody stocks up on before an ice storm. After the last one I keep the freezer full, a few cases of water, and plenty of charcoal and wood on hand. At least I can cook on the smoker if the power goes out. Candles and batteries too, but I always seem to run short on bread and coffee. Anybody got a better list?

I'm out on Lost Creek Parkway and my routine is pretty close to yours. Clinton for the main shop, Heber Springs when I want meat. I don't do Conway anymore, that drive wore me out. Gas runs me about the same as you, maybe a little less because I stack errands. If I'm already in Clinton for the pharmacy or the feed store, the groceries go in the same trip. Otherwise I'd be spending $50 a month on gas just to buy a pork butt.

For Thanksgiving, don't wait for the week of. Buy the turkey and anything canned or frozen at least a week and a half ahead. The Saturday before is a zoo and the shelves look like locusts came through. I go on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning the week before to pick up the fresh stuff, then I'm done and just stay home.

On the ice storm list, you're ahead of most people with the smoker. I'd add a few things:

- Bread goes in the freezer. It keeps fine and thaws on the counter in an hour. I buy two extra loaves every trip and rotate them so they never get old.
- Coffee, same thing. I keep a spare can of ground and a cheap stovetop percolator, because the electric pot is useless with no power. You can set the percolator right on the smoker or a grill and it works fine.
- Keep your charcoal in a lidded tote so it doesn't pick up damp. Wet lump is miserable to light.
- Fill the bathtub with water before it hits if you're on a well. No power means no pump.
- Canned stuff you can eat cold, plus some peanut butter and crackers. My home-canned green beans from the garden have saved me more than once.

I went through the big ice storm back in '09 and we were without power for days. The people who did best were the ones who already had a way to cook outside and a full pantry. I smoked a whole pork shoulder that week just to have something hot, and half the road showed up with a plate. Not a bad problem to have.

The Tuesday or Wednesday morning trick is a good one. I've been caught in the Saturday-before crowd once and never again. I pick up my turkey and the canned goods early too, and then I just stay out of Clinton until the week after.

One thing I'd add to the ice storm list is to top off your gas tank and refill any prescriptions before it hits. Once the roads glaze over, even a short run to town isn't happening. I also keep a couple of battery lanterns so I'm not leaning on candles. A lantern on the table beats a candle when you're tired and half asleep.

And I second the freezer bread. I'm always short on coffee too, so now I buy two cans every time.

Topping off the tank is the one everybody forgets till the pumps are down. Mine is never past half in november, I'm just lazy about it lol. And its a half hour each way to Clinton on a good day so you don't wanna get caught short.

Honestly I'm tired of driving that far for groceries. You'd think a town this size could keep a real grocery open but then everyone wonders why nobody under 50 wants to stay up here for work. anyway.

My freezer is already full of venison so meat's covered, its the bread and milk for the kids that gets me every time. Shelf stable milk is gross but they'll drink it when the power's out, trust me.

The percolator on the smoker is a good call, never thought of it. My electric pot is worthless with the power out, so that's going on the list this week.

Stacking errands makes sense too. I've been making dedicated grocery trips when I could be tying them to the pharmacy run, and that's probably where some of my gas money goes.

I'll try the Tuesday morning plan for Thanksgiving and get the turkey early. I'm not on a well, but the bathtub tip is a good one for anybody who is.

I remember '09 too. Half a road showing up for a pork shoulder sounds about right. That's how you end up with friends during an ice storm.

Don't forget the pets. I keep an extra bag of dog food and some cat food put back, rescues eat more than you'd think when you're stuck in the house. Also a jug of water just for them.

I'm in Scotland so Clinton's pretty close, I just go weekly and skip the big shop.

Good one, pets are the thing I'd have forgotten. My neighbor has two big dogs and they go through a bag faster than he does. I'll add a jug of water for them to my list.

Scotland is a lot closer to Clinton than we are, so weekly makes sense there. From the Bay I can't make myself do that every week, so I just load up and go every other week.

Every other week and you're still running out of bread and coffee, so maybe that's the real problem lol. I put up beans and tomatoes all summer so veg is covered, Clinton is just for the boring stuff. Honestly the farmers market and the freezer are the only reason my gas bill isn't worse.