An Inside Look at a Monthly Grocery Shopping Trip

Considering monthly grocery shopping? Check out this look at a monthly grocery shopping trip and get tips for creating your own so you can save money and spend less time grocery shopping.

Quick Note: This is an updated version of a blog post from October 2012. I’m currently mostly using Instacart for grocery shopping but this is my favorite way to shop and I hope to get back to it someday when I can.

If you have been a reader for very long you likely know I do monthly grocery shopping out of town. For the last several months my mom and I have been doing our shopping together.

We like the same stores, we enjoy spending time together, we have a nice lunch, sometimes with my childhood best friend in college in the town where we shop, and our husbands are happy to skip the shopping trip and send us instead.

Our Monthly Grocery Shopping Trip

Our trip started at 10:15 am. We loaded the car up with all our monthly grocery shopping supplies- freezer bags, reusable shopping bags, water bottles, our glass recycling, and of course our monthly grocery shopping lists. 

When we first got to Norman, the town we usually go to for our grocery shopping trips, we dropped off our glass recycling. Our town doesn’t recycle glass so we like to do this to reduce our waste. 

After recycling we made our first grocery stop at a local grocery chain, Homeland. We usually shop the sales for this store as they often have some good ones. This time my list was two gallons of white vinegar, two containers of salt, onions, and hair ties. An odd combination for sure.

After that stop, we meet at a local restaurant that we love to eat with my childhood best friend. We go often enough that we know the owner and were able to ask if they could make their delicious potato soup as their soup of the day. They are the best and made this for us. We all enjoyed it. 

After a lovely lunch, we headed to Oklahoma City to go to Whole Foods. This was a very important stop as we “needed” pumpkins for the fall season. Whole Foods always has a nice selection. We also hadn’t had a Whole Foods in Oklahoma City for very long so this was only my second time visiting that location.

Our next stop was a really good one! Sprouts was having a sale where you got 20% off anything you could put into a paper sack. I stocked up on all kinds of great deals.

Our last stop was maybe the most important stop of the trip, Green Goodies, a local cupcake shop. If you ask my mom and me, we’d say treating yourself after a long day of grocery shopping is a must! We both enjoyed our cupcakes. 

I’m not sure when we got home but by the time I got the food put up and sat for a few minutes, it was 9:30 pm before I had dinner. My feet were sore and I was tired but my kitchen is fully stocked with food and I had a nice time with my mom and my friend. And if you have ever wondered how much you can fit in a Prius, the answer is a LOT. 

Tips for Monthly Grocery Shopping Trips

I have a full Monthly Grocery Shopping Guide but here are some additional tips to help you plan a successful monthly grocery shopping trip.

• Shop with a friend. This can make the trip a lot more fun and turn a chore into a fun day.
• Check the sale ads before planning your trip and make sure to go to the best stores for the items you need.
• Make sure to have an ice chest or freezer bag to keep your cold food safe during your trip.
• Wear comfortable shoes and clothes. These trips can involve a lot of walking and while I’m all for a cute outfit, this is a good time to put on something comfortable!
• Use curbside pickup. If you are trying to avoid going into stores or have young kids you can monthly grocery shop without even going into the stores. Try to find stores that offer free curbside pickup to keep it budget-friendly.
• Eat before you shop. This is always helpful, you can eat before you go, bring snacks, or if you are turning this into a fun outing with a friend you can stop and eat somewhere. This will help you not overbuy just because you are hungry.
• Always shop with a list! You should have a list anytime you are shopping especially when doing a big shopping trip like monthly grocery shopping.
• Treat yourself. Budgeting for a small treat at the end of your day can make the whole experience more enjoyable.

Do you ever do monthly grocery shopping? Share your tips and experiences in the comments and don’t forget to get the free Once a Month Grocery Shopping Guide below.