Usually Always. Well which one is it—usually or always?

Hey, (oxy)moron.  Stop using "usually always" to describe how often you do something.  Because I can't tell if it's something you usually do, or something you always do.  There IS a difference.

Usually describes a frequency of varying degrees and is not an absolute.  "I usually buy my groceries on Mondays."  That may mean I normally buy my groceries on Mondays but not always. It's more of a description of the frequency at which I shop for groceries.  Once in a while I could be buying groceries on a Tuesday instead of a Monday.  Who knows? I could be unpredictable like that.

Always is an absolute.  You either always do something or you don't do it every time. The same goes with never. You either never have done something or you've done it at least once.  "I always buy my groceries on Mondays" means groceries aren't getting purchased on any other day but Monday.  (OCD much?)

So to say you usually always do whatever it is you do is an oxymoron, a contradiction in those words.  You can't "sometimes always" do something.  If you always do it, that means you don't do it sometimes.  If you do it sometimes, then you aren't doing it always.  So stop using that phrase!  Use “often” or “typically” or even “usually,” but leave out the absolutes like “never” and “always.”  (This is also good if you’re in a marriage.  “You NEVER do the dishes” is not what you want to relay to your spouse.  “You hardly do the dishes” is grammatically better, but you’ll still be in a spat.  So I guess it’s not really good advice.  It’s just something to keep in mind.)