Grocery shopping is we have to do but it can be so time-consuming. It also is a large part of our budgets. One way to help save time and money is by grocery shopping once a month. It’s not as hard as it sounds.
For the first years of my marriage, I shopped every two weeks at the local Walmart. At that time we didn’t really worry that much about ingredients. I look back and can’t believe what I was eating. I knew better; I was raised on healthy food, but I was young.
My health suffered during those years. While the food wasn’t the cause it did make my issues worse. In an effort to heal my body I did a lot of research. As any formally homeschooled kid would do and good nutrition came up time and time again.
We started slowly removing the worse offenders from our diet and eating more whole foods. Around this time we also were really tired of Walmart. I don’t like their policies and honestly, the store stresses me out. It’s a sensory overload, they moved things all of the time, and the customer service was lacking.
At some point, we decided to stop shopping at Walmart and shop in a bigger town little over an hour away from us. We couldn’t manage to make this trip every two weeks so we started to try shopping once a month and I’ve been doing it ever since.
I’m not sure when but at some point, my mom (Deanna at Life with Dee) and I decided we make this trip together. We both stay at home so we could go during the day in the middle of the week. It’s nice because the stores are less busy and we don’t have to waste our weekend’s grocery shopping.
When people find out I grocery shop only once a month I get a lot of questions. I’ve been meaning to write this post about how to grocery shop once a month for a long time but there is a lot to share so I kept putting it off.
This post will just be an overview of once a month grocery shopping. Look below for how you can get the full once a month grocery shopping guide for free.
Why Should You Shop Once a Month
- You can buy items in bulk. Even smaller families can buy larger sizes if you only shop once a month.
- You are better prepared for illness or emergencies. If I’m sick or we are having bad weather I know I already have a very well stocked kitchen so I’m not worried about groceries.
- You can save money. The less time you are in the store the less impulse shopping you will do. You also need to be organized to shop once a month. This will help you buy what you need and not just randomly buy things.
- It saves times. My trip takes all day but that’s because my mom and I like to shop together We drive over an hour away to shop. We make a day of it and have lunch together and make other stops we may need in Oklahoma City. We live in a small town and there are a lot of things we can’t get here. However, if you are shopping in the same town doing it all at once will be longer than weekly trips but if you add all the weekly trips together, you are saving time. You also are saving your sanity!
Keys to Once a Month Grocery Shopping
- I recommend that you first organize your food spaces really well. Get rid of anything that needs to go, organize everything and make notes of what you have. Check out my grocery shopping printable pack for some great inventory printables to help you stay organized.
- Once everything is organized, plan as many meals as you can from what you have. Be sure to be saving your food budget money from the shopping trips you skip to use during your first monthly trip.
- Eat as much of what you have on hand as possible. This will help you save up for your first trip and start with a clean slate.
- PLAN! I can’t stress this enough. You want to have a menu plan for the month. I personally just plan enough meals for the month but don’t plan which days we will eat those items. This gives us flexibility but I still know we have enough food for meals all month. The menu planning sheet I include in my grocery shopping printables makes this all so much easier.
- Have some staple items for your families favorite quick meals on hand. I like to make sure we always have the ingredients for things like quesadillas and some quick pasta dishes. This is so if we have a busy day or I’m not feeling well we can throw a quick meal together. Freezer cooking is another great way to do this.
- Learn to shop sales. If you want to do this frugally you need to learn about shopping sales. Planning your menu around items that are on sale will save you a lot of money.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What about produce? How do you keep it from going bad?
First off I buy a lot of frozen produce and at the end of the month, we do more smoothies and frozen veggies. You also should buy produce that lasts longer and makes sure you are eating that later and eating the things that go bad early in the month. For example, I got myself grapes and apples for some of my fresh fruit this month. I’m going to eat the grapes now and the apples will be fine when I run out of grapes. Oranges also are a good choice for long-lasting fruit. Be sure you also store your produce correctly. - Do you really only buy food once a month?
No, I buy around 90% of our food during my trip. I fill in locally at Aldi and a local dairy store called Braums. We can buy some extra produce if needed and milk. We also will sometimes pick up a special snack or if we decide to have people over and didn’t plan that before shopping, we like to get some organic beef from Aldi and make burgers. I also sometimes order from Thrive Market. We order somethings in bulk from Amazon Prime as well. - How do you find room for everything?
We have a fair amount of space for food now. We have a normal size fridge, a small deep freezer, and a modest size pantry. However, at my last home, I had a tiny amount of food space but with really good organization I made it work. I did after awhile making an extra hall closet into a pantry by adding Elfa shelving but even before that point, I made it work with what space I had. If space is very limited and you have a large family this may not work but think creatively to see if you can make it happen.
Free Once a Month Grocery Shopping Guide
If you are ready to try once a month grocery shopping or even just decrease your shopping trips, I have a free downloadable guide to Once a Month Grocery shopping. There was no way I could fit all of the information in one blog post so this is the easiest way to share all of the details.
To get the free guide sign up in the box below. It will be sent to your email after you verify your email. It’s packed full of all the tips and tricks I’ve learned from the many years I’ve been grocery shopping once a month.
Ré Davis says
Have you ever thought to join a co-op for veggies? That way you can enjoy more fresh (and not so much frozen) produce? Granted it’s a gamble what you get in the box, so may make some meal planning tough. Also, not sure where you’re located or if it’s available. I have too many allergies to enjoy an unknown box, but my friends who do it love it. One less thing they have to go out & get, plus lots of fun variety.
Lisa Sharp says
We don’t have one around here. One of the problems with living in a small town. I also have food allergies so random boxes aren’t good for me. I am a member of a local food coop where you pick what you want. I use that often.
Shelby @Fitasamamabear says
I actually love this idea because it makes you use all your food! I find we throw out way too much because we’re onto something new. This forces you to be creative, eat what you’ve bought and save some money. Love it.
Lisa Sharp says
It really does focus you to use what you have and stay organized. Glad you liked the post!
Davi says
Thanks for all the details in this post! I’ve tried one month grocery shopping before, but the issue I ran into was the unexpected days when we eat out (so I had extra food that went bad/never got eaten). You’ve inspired me to try this again, but maybe this time only meal plan for 5-6 days each week so I have some flexibility.
Lisa Sharp says
So glad it was helpful! Let me know if you do try it how it goes. Be sure to sign up to get the free guide, it has even more info. I meal plan for six days a week because we usually eat out once on Saturday.
Lauren says
Planning ahead is really key! Great post. I’ve started buying more frozen fruits and veggies lately too.
Lisa Sharp says
Thanks!
Johanne says
Wow, I’ve never heard of shopping for one month. We always buy for one week, but that partially has to do with the fact that we don’t own a freezer. So it’s not possible to freeze meat and vegetables. How do you do it with the meat btw? Does that stay ok for a month in the freezer?
Lisa Sharp says
Without a freezer you’d have to get really creative. But yes meat will last a long time in the freezer. Usually 6 months to a year for quality but it doesn’t really good bad.
Erica @ Coming Up Roses says
SO good! We learned the hard way how much planning helps…NOT planning was costing us so much more unnecessarily at the store!
Coming Up Roses
Lisa Sharp says
Yeah it’s such a waste of time and money when you don’t plan.
Sally says
I love this & I think it’s so cool that you shop with your mom- I used to do that- enjoy those moments, they are truly precious.
Lisa Sharp says
Thanks, it’s nice to take a sometimes overwhelming task and make it more fun by doing it together.
Lizzy says
Anks for posting this! I moved to a very small town recently. I think I will shop once a month at Aldi’s, an hour away, then fill in at the farmer’s market.
Lisa Sharp says
Let me know how it goes and if you haven’t already be sure to sign up to get my free how-to guide.
Robin says
It’s so true that organization, planning, and correct food storage are the key to making things last longer and not over-buying! Good for you!
Judy says
How funny, I was reading through this post thinking how similar the stores and distance to them was where we lives and then you said you were shopping throughout OKC. We’re in Mustang! Haha
Since I was little, we always did a once a month grocery trip. We were able to only buy necessities because we planted a massive garden every year. We’ve just bought our first house and I am ever so delighted to be started plants for Spring now and have our own garden. The hard work of gardening really does pay off when you start seeing your bounty ripen.
I am certainly interested in freezer meals these days and look forward to checking out your posts on that. With three little ones running around, I find myself having days when I think “Nope, really just don’t want to work hard for dinner today.” LOL
Thanks for the great advice!
Lisa Sharp says
That’s funny! A garden does help a lot I’m sure. And I hope to be doing more freezer meals on here soon. 🙂