Is "every once in a while" a commonly used phrase? What does it mean?

Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
Yes, it is a very common phrase in English. "Every once in a while" means "not often," "occasionally," or "sometimes." Ex: Every once in a while, I like to wake up early and watch the sunrise. Ex: He likes to go fishing every once in a while. Ex: Every once in a while, our boss will buy us pizza for lunch.