[mrighele]

I used to make shopping once a week. Since some food doesn't last very long I would plan my meals according to the kind of food. For example on the shopping day I would usually eat fresh fish. Some meat would go to refrigetator for short term consumption, some to the freezer to be used later. Fruit and vegetables are more tricky, since in my opinion the lose a lot if you freeze them. You can though try to get less ripened fruits, in order to consume them in later days.

In any case, according to what my American friends told me, in their case most probably it is because they don't buy much fresh food at all.