Once-a-Month Shopping: Save More by Shopping Less
Thursday, 9th October 2008 (by J.D.)This article is about Food, Frugality, Hints and Tips, Money Hacks, Shopping
How often do you go to the supermarket? Could you get by making only one trip per month? What if it saved you money?
My wife and I are both reading America’s Cheapest Family by Steve and Annette Economides. During his time as an ad salesman, Steve was “shocked to read in a food industry publication that grocers expect six of ten items consumers pick up in the store to be unplanned purchases.”
Steve and Annette discovered that scientific research backs up what grocers already knew. In their book, the Economides cite a study analyzing the decisions of 4,200 customers who made 30,000 purchases in fourteen different cities. Researchers found:
- “Shoppers making a ‘quick trip’ to the store to pick up a few specific items usually purchase 54 percent more than they planned.”
- “Forty-seven percent of shoppers go to the store three or four times each week.”
- “Consumers graze at the grocery store, with impulse buys making up between 50.8 and 67.7 percent of total purchase.”
When people shop more often, they buy more stuff.
What’s the solution? For the past 25 years, Steve and Annette, America’s cheapest family, have practiced once-a-month shopping. They only go grocery shopping 12 times a year. This boggles my mind; Kris and I shop every week. (Lately I’ve been making many supplementary grocery trips, and my food budget reflects that.)
Once-a-month shopping
How does shopping once a month work? First of all, it takes time. It also takes organization. Here’s how the Economides do it:
- They make a list of the things they need, which they update continually. They also use meal plans.
- They accumulate coupon and ads for the things they use and the stores they frequent. During the days before their monthly shopping trip, they match sales and discounts to the items on their list.
- They divide and conquer. Steve tackles the perimeter of the stores (meat, produce, dairy, and baked goods) while Annette scours the center (processed food, household goods, baking supplies).
- They leave younger children with a babysitter. The Economides have found that they save time and money by leaving younger children at home instead of letting them distract them from the task at hand. Older children, however, can actually help.
- They hit multiple stores. Different stores have different strengths. If you shop every week, it may not make sense to drive all over town to save a few pennies. By shopping just once a month, however, travel costs are diminished.
- When they have the food home, they prioritize perishables. Certain produce (grapes, bananas) need to be consumed earlier in the month. Other foods (milk, bread) may need to be frozen.
.jpg "There are a lot of bargains in the supermarket; you just have to know how to find them.")
The Economides admit that each monthly shopping trip takes longer than a weekly shopping trip. But overall the process saves time and money. For one thing, it cuts down on the number of opportunities for impulse purchases.
Once-a-month shopping has worked so well for them that they’ve been doing it since 1984!
Putting the plan into practice
“This would never work for you,” Kris said when she and I discussed this concept. “You shop all the time.”
She’s right. Since I started working from home, I find myself at the grocery store several times each week. For example, I might crave a rotisserie chicken for dinner, so I head to the store to indulge my whim. While this sounds nice, it’s actually costing me more money.
- I’m indulging my whims, which tend toward more expensive foods.
- Each time I go to the store, I tend to buy extras. That rotisserie chicken turns into chicken and a bottle of wine and a loaf of bread, for example.
- We’re wasting more food. I’m not eating leftovers, and sometimes (I’m ashamed to admit), I let other food expire.
Could Kris and I get by shopping just once a month? We’re willing to give it a try. She and I have agreed to start by cutting our trips to twice a month (with a supplemental weekly run for milk and eggs). If this works, we’ll make them even less often. The most difficult part, however, will be restraining myself from those quick trips for impulse meals.
Update: Many readers are concerned about how once-a-month shopping would affect their supply of fresh fruits and vegetables. Here’s what Steve and Annette say in their book:
Limiting our trips to the store means that certain fruits and vegetables must be eaten earlier in the month because they are more perishable. Grapes and bananas usually last a week. Once they’re gone, we move on to other fruits. Pears, lettuce, cucumbers, and peppers can last two weeks. Apples, cabbage, radishes, oranges, and celery can last a month.
We are often asked about storing bread, cheese, and milk. How could we possibly make those last a month? Well, we carefully freeze all three.
You should do what works for you. Kris and I are going to try twice-a-month shopping; the key idea is to reduce the number of trips to the supermarket.
Related note: At AskMetafilter recently, nitsuj asked, What’s your secret tip for saving money at the grocery store?”
I’ve tried shopping once a month and once a week. It may be because I’m shopping for two and not a whole family, but I’ve found if I plan out my meals and food needs for a week and stick to the list at the store, I eat more healthily and waste less food.
I think the trick to saving money with once a week shopping is eating all the meals you’ve planned before returning to the store.
To me, it also takes less discipline. With monthly shopping, what do you do when you run out of milk or bread? “Oh, just a quick run to the store,” turns into the same impulse buy trap.
My wife does the bulk of the shopping as she stays at home with our two boys.
In the last year we began only going grocery shopping every two weeks. It’s not once a month like the book touts, but it has made a big difference for us.
First of all, we live in the country and are 35 miles from the best, and most reasonable, grocery stores. So we save one, maybe two, trips a week into town at 70 miles a pop and at $4 a gallon.
Secondly, it ‘forces’ us to use up all of our food that we can.
You know what it’s like to buy a bunch of broccoli thinking you are going to eat it but when you go shopping in another 4 days you just buy something else and cover it up.
Well, when you don’t have a lot left in the fridge and you want to make a salad the lack of choices - and ingredients - makes you get a little creative with your salad choices - or, any other choices.
I liken it to ’scavenging’ in the wild. Maybe that sounds weird to some, but it works.
The point is: its been a great move for us but it does require some fortitude to make it happen. If you can’t make it a full four weeks split the difference and I think you’ll find it can make a huge dent in your grocery bill.
Curt
I would feel pretty bummed if I couldn’t indulge once in a while. I do a major shop every two weeks and will occasionally have to do supplemental runs. I shop with a list though and if I’m tempted to buy something not on the list, I stop myself and have to make an argument for exactly what meal I’ll use it for.
I actually find that I spend more money when I’m trying out new recipes and need to buy ingredients that I don’t already have than when I just go to the store and buy the stuff that I know we use. Finally, since I bring my lunch to work every day I usually eat my leftovers that way. Occasionally, I must admit I find a few mushy vegetables in the bottom of the fridge drawer that I’ve forgotten about.
I sure hope you visit a grocers or fresh food market more regularly than once a month. (Or have a productive vegie garden.) I can’t imagine how gross 2+ weeks-old vegies must be…!
While this strategy may save you some money, it would cost you a lot in the amount of energy that you get from eating fresh food. Eating fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy products is an essential way to stay healthy and energetic. If you are only eating canned or preserved food towards the end of month I would think your energy levels would drop though the floor. I shop once a week and for me that’s a good balance between being able to eat fresh food and not over-exposing myself to grocery store marketing.
Once a month seems like a drastic jump for the associated savings. If I were you, I’d start with every two weeks until you get the swing of it.
The part that I don’t get are the perishables. You won’t have any fruit or vegetables by the end of the month!
It helps me that I don’t have a car and have to ride my bike to the store. It cuts down on the “whims.” I average about every two weeks just because that’s my natural pattern.
http://www.goingcarless.com
I recently have engaged in a new method to cut my costs and restrict my diet. I go to the grocery store on foot or by bicycle - I can have whatever I am willing to carry the two blocks back to my apartment in a backpack and a hand-carried canvas tote, or for bigger trips to the grocery two miles distant, whatever will fit in both panniers and strap on top of the bike’s rack.
Not only has my bill gone down markedly, so has my waistline. Plus, the amount of food that doesn’t get eaten and goes to waste has also dropped markedly. The only modification I still need to make is a small, insulative bag so I can bring home frozen juice concentrates. I can’t manage the full gallons of apple juice by this method. It would also help keep frozen goods from the small amount of thawing on my way home (Houston is hot, even in October).
My whims are generally easy/junk/stress food– mini weenies, mini donuts, cookies, and Pop-Tarts. They’re meal replacements to some extent– less thinking, less cooking, less cleanup. Problem is, I can’t stockpile them at all. If I have mini weenies, it’s mini weenies for breakfast every day for a week. Pop-Tarts last a little longer, but I’m lazy. I’m not going to make stir-fry while I have much easier food around unless I feel really guilty about not eating well.
Besides, I can go through a gallon of milk in four days if I’m not in a food mood. I may only go to HyVee every week (for the most expensive meal: sandwich with deli turkey) but I hit the farmer’s market for cider and a corner grocery for milk pretty regularly.
Giving up your health just to save some money? Fresh fruit and veggies are so much better (and cheaper!!!) than frozen! Please plan on buying those things at least once a week.
I’m with some of the others…what about produce? I’m not willing to only eat fruits and vegetables at the beginning of the month.
I could do this with our grocery store purchases, but for the produce, hitting the farmer’s market each week is the way for me.
Thanks for a great website! On this post, however, I have to disagree. I think that as long as food isn’t going to waste (which does require vigilance and creativity when it comes to meals), making frequent trips to the market is a good thing. Doing so, I buy more fresh food (which means healthier food) and can be flexible with dinner plans. Since I live in Europe in the city and don’t have a car (a major cost-saver in itself), my only real option is to buy just what I can carry. (I do miss clipping coupons, though, and the satisfaction of saving money that way! Europeans aren’t so big on the coupons.)
And although the statistics indicate that impulse/unplanned buys make up a high percentage of grocery purchases, in this case buying an “unplanned” food item is not necessarily a “waste” of money, and may just as often be a reflection of menu inspiration on the spot. Also, evaluating food costs is a tricky thing, because human health and ecological health should be thrown into the balance. The “cheaper” (and often less perishable) meal is not necessarily the best one for me or the environment.
I totally understand the food cravings, JD, I get them myself all. the. time. I have found, however, that if I go ahead and eat something in the house, with the promise to myself that if an hour later I still want the craved item that I can have it, I want it a lot less.
Doesn’t work every time, but works enough that I don’t view the cravings as absolutes anymore.
It also helps to have some favorites in the house. If I’m craving Chinese takeout, but I have frozen spring rolls, then I just fry a few of them up and I’m good. Most of the time. =)
Some people can do this–they’re always ahead of me in the checkout line–but it does seem to me it requires living on industrially produced processed food with a long shelf life, and having a lot of storage space, neither of which are really intrinsically frugal. Use a shopping list to control impulse purchases. Don’t walk down the aisles you don’t need anything in.
We shop weekly but my wife is amazing at generating a meal plan, coordinating coupons, and staying on the list. She also takes flyers to Wal-Mart (where we do most of our grocery shopping) to price match.
Occasionally we’ll hit a different store for certain items, but overall, this method seems like the perfect balance of convienence and frugality. We rarely go over budget.
Once a month shopping actucally comes naturally to me. It’s what my mom did when I was growing up (they were only paid once a month). It’s easier b/c you buy 3 boxes of cereal instead of just 1. It saves me time/money b/c I can go to the discount stores across town all at one time instead of the neighborhood grocery each week.
In response to the fruit/veggie questions, we eat salad and fresh fruits the first week or two. At the end of the month, we focus on frozen veggies (just as good) or canned fruits. We’re ok with that but it may not work for everyone. I do set aside some money for milk, eggs, bread but also I buy at least 2 of each while I’m doing the big trip.
About cravings, it is tempting for me to stop at the grocery on the way home but I’ve tried to break the habit. First by being prepared–I keep our pantry stocked with items for complete meals and snacks that we enjoy. I can usually appease myself with something we already have. Two, I just tell myself it’s not in the budget and don’t cave. If I really want it, I add it to the grocery list for next time.
We try one new recipe a week for variety while not overwhelming the budget.
I would agree that starting with shopping every 2 weeks would be more realistic.
My grandparents did this. Probably more out of necessity, as my grandfather’s military benefits came once a month. But I remember staying with them and once a month we’d go to the commissary on base for the big shopping trip. They had a chest freezer, so they tended to stock up.
Of course, that didn’t eliminate supplemental trips to the store if they needed milk or some fresh vegetables. Mostly though, supplemental trips were the realm of my grandfather, who had (and still has) and insatiable sweet tooth.
I do a variation of once a month shopping because I live in a small rural town. We have a grocery in town, but it is very small and very expensive, and the nearest “cheap” supermarket is a 20 mile round trip. So, what I do is go to the cheap supermarket once a month and buy the nonperishables and other things that won’t spoil before the end of the month. Then once a week or so, I pop into the local grocery for fruit and other fresh items. I’ve discovered that the milk in the ultrapasturized cardboard containers will last for about 4 weeks if they’re unopened and cheese and eggs easily last a month. So usually I’m just picking up fruit at the local grocery (or farmer market, during the spring/summer/fall). Since I know I don’t need anything else, it reduces the temptation to stray from that objective (although I’ll admit that sometimes I buy a doughnut or two, because the local grocery has great doughnuts).
When I lived in the country I shopped once a month, and it does save money. And no, we didn’t live on highly processed foods; we bought staples and cooked from scratch.
Many people are asking about produce and milk. Fresh produce is eaten during the first week to 10 days (as long as it lasts) after the shopping trip; after that, frozen or canned produce is used. Milk can be frozen, then thawed and used throughout the month, as can bread. Or bread can be made fresh at home every few days.
I now live in a suburb with several stores within just a couple of miles of my home. While I still plan a month’s worth of meals at a time, and I’ve taken to shopping weekly because I’ve grown lazy and don’t want to carry a month’s worth of food into the house all at once. But I have to say, shopping weekly makes it more difficult to stick to my grocery budget. I’m considering changing back to monthly shopping, or at the very least, bi-weekly shopping.
We only go twice a month and have a VERY strict plan. We spend $250 for two weeks of supplies - which seems like we could cut back but really evens out to $5.92 per meal for 2 adults and 1 toddler. (Actually probably less because that amount also consists of things like paper towels and diapers! Our food is more like $200)
I write out an evening dinner for every night of the week and we have it posted in the kitchen. Lots of people think that we eat unhealthy, but even though we may not have fresh veggies and organics with every meal, we do have a small amount of meat, a whole grain (rice or noodles) and a big helping of frozen veggies.
I’d like to ask you JD (or anyone else out there that might use one) what they think of Aldi. ( http://www.aldifoods.com )
We have a bunch of them going up here in Florida and my husband and I are thinking about starting to shop there. But in the past most of these discount stores had very limited selections and seemed very dirty and low quality. Has anyone been to these and what did you think?
@ Rachel: I love Aldi stores. They aren’t what they used to be; they have a much wider selection in bigger and nicer stores, while still keeping their prices low. They are my number one stop when grocery shopping. Any other store I go to is just to fill-in the few items I need that Aldi doesn’t carry…or if there is a really great loss-leader at another store.
@Annie
Thanks! Do the prices seem a lot lower or just like “really good sale” lower? I’m really hoping I like this place! It doesn’t open for another month, but the building looks nice.
I do believe that one way to save money is by staying out of the store. I can’t walk out of a grocery store without spending $75.00 dollars. Times that by 2 or 3 times a week and it really adds up. I have cut back my trips, I would really like to get to once a month shopping, I think it is do able. You would have to rely on canned and frozen produce after the first 1-2 weeks though.
I really need to get better at buying what I need though, I get side tracked by the end caps. And I usually forget something that I had on my list.
Some things that have worked for me are:
I have order a whole hog or a 1/2 beef from a local meat market and found that this alone saves me a ton of money just by keeping me out of the store. It is also much better meat, and a locker plant will stand behind what you buy, if you find your 1/2 that you bought to be less then desirable they will give you a free replacement.
I also by my milk from the gas station, I find the milk at the gas station is actually cheaper than my local grocery store.
http://downwithdebt.today.com/
I’m guess I’m too spoiled by the farmer’s market, and I just can’t bring myself to eat frozen or canned veggies.
Maybe if my husband and I were in bad financial shape and couldn’t cut back anywhere else, I’d have to consider it. But I’d drop a lot of extras before giving up the taste and health benefits of fresh, organic produce.
This is an interesting idea, but I see a couple major disadvantages. The first is that it takes some of the fun out of life and food…
The second is that it robs you of the bounty of picking up fresh fruits and veggies (when in season of course).
I do my weekly shopping with a very specific list, which I’ve definitely found to help cut the grocery bill. But I must admit to at least 2-3 extra mini-trips to local markets or grocery stores.
What I am embarking on though is bulk buying for meats. I’m starting with Bison. It is a pretty big up-front investment, but I think it will be worth it over the long haul. I’m not sure that I’ll save any money pound for pound, but I’m also looking for the quality of the meat and higher nutritional value than the conventional beef industry can offer.
Cheers,
Adam
@Rachel: IMO, they are consistently lower than everywhere else. That doesn’t mean other store’s sales aren’t as good or better, but other stores don’t put everything on sale all at once.
I don’t want to hijack the comments here, so if you have other questions you can email me at imannies at gmail.com.
We shop at Aldi weekly. I’m not a big coupon person, so perhaps if you were and watched the sales at the regular grocers, you could beat Aldi’s prices. But if you are like me and somewhat lazy, Aldi usually beats other grocers. We are also Sam’s Club people, and Sam’s often beats Aldi’s at the staples, since they are bulk.
I used to be wary of produce at Aldi but now buy whatever looks good. I’ve noticed, though, that their prices on produce vary quite a bit from week to week, so you need to pay attention. For instance, one week grapefruits were 30 cents a piece. Two weeks later they were 60 cents.
I’m not convinced. I think we eat more healthy food (including a mixed green salad every day) by shopping one a week and focussing on foods that are fresh and unprocessed.
It seems there are two ideas behind once-a-month: a) decrease impluse buys and b) get better deals at more stores. Both of these goals can be met with once a week shopping. We rotate stores and know what are the best buys at each. Also, with a list and a budget, I think we aren’t spending any more than we would on a monthly trip…
When we were young and very poor graduate students, going to the grocery store was kind of like a date — after all, we were spending time together and spending money and that’s one definition of a date! It still feels like a pleasure, not a chore, since it is enjoyable to be picking wonderful fruits and vegetables and a good bottle of wine, planning delicious meals that we will cook and eat together… no I don’t think I’d want to limit that experience to once a month!
I tried an experiment last month. It worked very well. I hate to shop, but I do love going to the grocery store. I can fritter away a lot of money there, plus I impulse buy chocolate in particular.
Last month I decided that I was NOT going into the grocery store at all. I get an organic vegetable/fruit box delivery twice a month; have access to a weekly farmers market; and I get a monthly delivery from a beef/pork CSA (way more meat than I can eat in a month). I also have milk & eggs from a dairy delivered every week.
I had various staples in the pantry, fridge, and freezer.
I also agreed with myself that I would do my best not to discard food (other than to the compost heap). I will often pick up veg or fruit in the store on impulse and then not eat it; but when what I had from the box was ALL I had, I was forced to eat it.
I didnt’ miss going to the grocery store, I ate far more healthily with what I got, and I thought about food less. From now I’m going to make this my normal behavior, with monthly or so trips to stock up on staples.
I guess I’m pretty spoiled from living in the South and having a garden gnome for a husband, but I find that frozen veggies are a terrific supplement to whatever we can grow.
We moved this year and didn’t put in a new garden, and I have been kicking myself over the price of tomatoes, corn, cucumbers and zucchini all summer.
That said, I’ve been doing every-two-week shopping trips and am pretty happy with the frozen produce we’ve used.
I shop once a week and stick to the outside walls of the store…fresh vegies/fruit/fish and some dairy….stay OUT of the middle aisles as much as possible. Junk food reaching out to suck you in those middle aisles.
Right now that my son is on campus I am buying for myself and my goal is no more than $40 a week, and I am usually around $35.
I also shop at Aldis for the few items (oats, tuna, etc)but produce can be so-so(usually best to buy and eat within two days).
This is really interesting to me, especially that part that claims: “Shoppers making a ‘quick trip’ to the store to pick up a few specific items usually purchase 54 percent more than they planned.”
I make these ‘quick trips’ often, and I certainly do buy more than I planned. However (and this is an important point), I limit myself to buying things that I normally buy anyway, but which just happen to be on sale now (and which are non-perishable). Cans of diced tomatoes for example, I go through like crazy. So if I’m at the store and I see them on sale, I’m gonna buy them, weather I planned to or not — I think that just makes sense. I’ll do this for virtually any non-perishable item that I use frequently.
Basically, if it doesn’t go bad and I know I’ll use it eventually (paper towels, soap, certain food items, etc…), it makes more sense to buy it when it’s cheap (weather you planned to or not).
I would agree with most everything in this article except for the “leave your kids at home” bit. Although leaving them at home would indeed most likely save headache and possibly money, it teaches children nothing in the long run.
I’m hoping to pass my good shopping and spending habits on to my kids at an early age and the grocery store is a great place to instill these values.
I agree that Aldi is a great place to shop. We started doing the bulk of our shopping there and our food bill immediately dropped by about 40% buying the same things. I’ve found their quality to be as good or superior to the name brands on most things. Especially the packaged and frozen foods and dairy. The produce is great most of the time, but it does pay to inspect it carefully, especially fruit. They even have name brand items occasionally and when I do make an impulse buy and get a box of cookies it costs me $1 instead of $3. Just remember to take your own bags (or grab the empty boxes from the shelves) and bring a quarter for the cart (you get it back).
I can’t see this system working for me at all.. I live in a small city apartment so I don’t have the space to store that much food. Also with two grocery stores and a weekly farmers market within two blocks, planning out meals for a whole month seems like a waste of time..
And I’ll admit, when I go to the store, I buy a lot of things I didn’t plan for such as fresh seasonal produce (gasp!). But as long as I eat everything I buy, I don’t see it as a waste of money.
In fact, finding ways to use up extra fruits and veggies before they spoil has made me a better cook. I am a master of improvised stir frys, soups, salads, quick breads, and smoothies.
I really think fresh produce is important for a healthy diet and to only get it once a month in order to save a few bucks seems kind of silly to me. Health is a long term investment.
I stock up once a month on all the sale items but I do a weekly run for fresh fruits and veggies. Those are important to us and I buy them at any price. If I come across a great sale on toilet paper or other items, I’ll stock up for six months at a time.
I’m seeing a lot of people complaining how this wouldn’t work for them, primarily because nobody wants to eat produce that is more than a week old. I don’t blame them. But that doesn’t mean you should throw out the whole idea.
My wife and I use a system similar to this, but at the beginning of the month we buy most of the non-perishables we will need. This takes about half of our grocery budget. The other half gets spent weekly on perishables and high-consumption items. Milk, bread, fruits and vegetables are a weekly purchase, but just about everything else falls under the once a month category.
It sounds nice to shop only once a month. Unfortunately, it’s not possible for me since I have to share the space with my three co-renter. Also, I’m concerned about fresh food, since I nearly eliminated processed food from diet.
Though, I do make a list limited to a 3$ a meal budget (Being alone, it’s 63$ a week) and I do hit many grocery store (Loblaws, IGA), one butcher shop (Aux Côtes Croisées) and one Drug Store (Jean Coutu). They all are at foot reach from my work office.
My planned meal usualy cost less than the $63 in the end, so it allows me to indulge myself with speciality food like raw milk cheese and experiment with Organic and Vegan food.
Angus is right. There’s no reason that a shopping method can’t be modified to work for a person’s needs, whatever they are.
I think it’s a good idea in theory, but I could not do it. I change my mind far too much to plan. I also just recently went through about a week-long blackout. We had to throw away/grill all of our refrigerated/frozen food. I know this doesn’t happen everyday, but I am definitely re-thinking the grocery philosophy my mother taught me -which is freezing and stockpiling meats, buying in bulk, always keeping a certain variety of cheeses/vegetables in the fridge, etc. I loosely meal plan, watch sales, clip coupons and take grocery trips once a week.
I shopped once a month for years when my husband was in the Navy. We lived 45 min. from the nearest commissary (I did a comparison shopping and found that I saved a minimum of 20% at the commissary vs local grocery stores)so we only made the trip once a month. I bought all the non-perishibles and anything that could be frozen. I did still shop my local store for fresh fruits and vegies. It did take a bit of planning. I made meal plans a month at a time and had to keep my pantry stocked well. I had three young children and a deep freeze so it was more economical for me. Now, I shop once a week, keep my eye on sales flyers and shop at one store that will match all the others prices. I make a list and (mostly)stick to it. We also try not to waste any food. I’m still getting used to making smaller meals, so that means leftovers. I’m finding that each new stage of life means re-evaluating my money management on all levels, even meal preparation : )
Fun concept, but I don’t think it would work for a vegan like me. Without fresh fruits and vegetables, I couldn’t get enough nutrients.
It seems that there are many variations on the once a month theme that can save people money. I agree with EscapeVelocity at #7 that to shop the way the article describes pretty much ties a person into the industrial food complex.
However, you can still follow the paradigm of infrequent shopping even if you buy locally produced food. I buy my red meat from local ranchers, one animal at a time (generally a whole lamb or half a beef), once or twice a year. I stock up on flour, oatmeal, rice, etc., from the natural food store monthly, buy wine from local wineries every few months, get produce out of my garden daily, and visit the year-round farmers’ market every two weeks or so. When I eat frozen or canned produce, it is always something I’ve frozen or canned myself. I also go to the regular grocery weekly for things I can’t get locally, but I could cut back to every 2-3 weeks with very little adjustment.
I’m not suggesting that everyone should shop my way. I still spend more money on food than many others (varies between $300 and $500/month for two) but this is the cheapest way I know to eat healthfully and locally. I’m not perfect at this, either; I still keep Trader Joe’s convenience foods around for when I know I can’t be bothered to cook.
I battle the impulse to buy junk with a deal I made with myself years ago: make it from scratch or do without. If I get a yen for cookies, I know that there is a built in delay of an hour or two, and usually the impulse isn’t strong enough to overcome my natural laziness.
You need to hit up the grocery store for basics like milk and bread once a week. We eat fish and shrimp a lot, so we go regularly to buy more when the price occasionally slashes. I go with my wife mainly to monitor the ingredients of the things in say a marinade or in an ‘on-sale’ wheat bread. Basically, if sugar or HFCS is the main ingredient in anything (or if HFCS is in it period), even its its on-sale, I’m training her not to buy it. Yogurt is one you especially need to watch since if it doesn’t have HFCS, it may have aspartme, which is probably worse than HFCS. Milk is the next thing I’m trying to learn to screen, as if I find out the farm from which the milk comes from uses antibiotics on their cows, we’ll pay the extra for milk that comes from a farm that doesn’t use antibiotics. We don’t waste money on any chips, sodas, starbucks or dd coffees (we stick with the foldgers), ice cream, cookies.
And a word on the HFCS, I cut it out as much as possible exactly a year ago, way before it became the current diet-fad (along with all the anti-HFCS articles and whatnot), and the extra fat (face, belly) which I had already been working hard at losing seemed to come off easier than before.
As far as frozen veggies go, some of them are fresher and more nutrient rich than “fresh” that has been shipped who knows how many thousands of miles before it gets to your store. Don’t get me wrong-if your eating local and seasonally all year wrong, than great. Our growing season up here is so short, that we have to blanch and freeze veggies to have them to last through half the winter. It’s such a problem of affluence to complain that frozen veggies are unhealthy and processed. I’d rather eat them knowing they were frozen fresh than how many weeks old shipped to your store.
I read this book and it did very little to change or inspire us to live more frugally than we already do. I wasn’t too thrilled. I agree that if you don’t have to drive too far, then menu planning and weekly shopping can be just as frugal to a frugal person. It’s a constant mental battle to draw the line between what is healthy and best for our largish family and the planet and what will save us money.
So they only eat fruits and vegetables the first few days in a month? I don’t think I could do that.
In fact several things I eat are only good for 2-3 days. Much produce and many meats are really only fresh for a couple days. I have tried very hard to go once a week and even that is very difficult due to spoilage, missing the odd item here and there,and so on.
Some items are unplanned but NECESSARY- my last grocery trip was a late night trip to get some medicine. And no, I did not buy any impulse items. When I need a few items that’s all I get.
This is fine if you eat all your food from boxes and cans. Heck you could shop once a YEAR and be like those people who think the world is going to end and stock up food in their bunkers.
For other people, I think the takeaway is “when you go on small grocery trips don’t buy impulse items” and try to plan well and go as few times per week/month as possible.
I’m now trying to do a big shop once every THREE months for non-perishables. Then, I hit the farmer’s market every week and the grocery store every other week. At the store, I only buy meat and cheese. So far, it’s really cutting down the stress of a big trip each week, and I’ve definitely cut back on impulse buys.
Insightful Post. I’m not sure a month is realistic for our family and current fridge/freezer space. But after reading this, I think we could make the transition from about once every week to once every other week.
Prioritizing perishables is something I’ve been stressing at home lately as well.
I will not be shopping once a month - I like fresh food too much. Besides where would I put all that food? I drink a gallon of milk a week - 4 gallons would take up a third of my refrigerator and it would go bad.
But I will be more conscious of what I buy and how many impulse purchases I make. This article was certainly effective at opening my eyes to that.
Also someone else mentioned this, but I have started biking to the grocery store. Really cuts down on stuff you buy - especially drinks.
I would be curious to hear how this works for those of us that are single. It is harder for me to consume things fast enough without them going bad, so if I only shop once a month I can’t buy as much fresh produce, etc… I think it is harder to eat healthy when you only shop once a month too, eating all that processed food is bad for you so how do you get around that with once a month shopping. I would be curious to hear what people think about that.
Bill
I am not convinced you will reap all of the savings you predict. You are ignoring the fact that the grocer tends to cycle sales and loss leading products on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. By visiting at least once per sales cycle (1 week at my grocer) but buying in bulk, you get the lowest price ammortized over the maximum time (if you are really good at this, the maximum time is the shelf life).
By far, a calculator is the best tool for staying on budget no matter how often I shop.
We’re on the evnelope budgeting plan, so every two weeks (payday) we do a major trip, leave aside $50 or so for fresh produce and dairy, etc. needed during the upcoming two weeks. Being on the envelope budget keeps us from making the imulse buys, we only take so much cash with us, and my 10 year old totals up each item on his calculator as we go.
This does work. I hate food shopping so much that we’ve been doing once a month major grocery shopping + 2 or 3 x month quick trips for fresh produce since mid-2003. Even with prices going up our grocery spending is down by 37% of what we were paying in early 2003 for a family of 4 (now 5). I don’t normally use coupons or follow the ads but we do freeze milk and bread and buy in bulk when things we use are on sale.
By the way, they’re really nice people, but not many people could live life like they do.
@KC–reminds me of grocery shopping in Germany, coming home with a case of beer balanced on the seat of a bicycle. You really need two people, especially for getting the beer onto the bicycle.
We solve the impulse buy problem by cutting down our trips to the grocery store as much as possible. For us, this means:
1. buying milk and eggs at a local dairy weekly
2. weekly veggies from CSA from June - November
3. public market once or twice a month for fruits, etc.
4. monthly trip to wholesale store for cereals, butter, baking supplies, etc.
5. monthly trip to butcher store for meat we then portion and freeze
This system has helped us a great deal. We still head to the grocery store, but we can focus on the specific items we need and eliminate the items we know we have or get from another type of store.
Lisa
What about fresh fruits and vegetables? Maybe I’m missing something here, but this seems like a really unhealthy plan! I can see how one could go shopping once a month for some foods, and that might even be a good plan, but fresh fruits and veggies are just not going to last that long!!
For everyone concerned about fruits and vegetables, here’s a quote from the book:
I’ve appended this to the original post.
Fresh fruits and vegetables don’t last a month. Better to work on one’s self-control and stick to a list than to eat all processed foods.
I think all of the Economides’ key points (make a list, use coupons, split up to take less time, hit multiple stores) could also be used for weekly trips. We tend to do a large run once a month where we buy any canned things or non-perishables we’re out of, and then weekly trips for what we’re missing for the meals planned that week. Meal planning weekly seems to make more sense for us, as well- there are times when last Thursday’s meal got bumped for takeout, so it’s now next Monday’s meal. We also hit different grocery stores, although usually not the same day, but say we go to SuperFresh the first Saturday we might go to Weis the next. Meal planning around the weekly flyers keeps prices low, and we never have to waste a full Saturday in the grocery store!
I can see both the advantages and the disadvantages to this.
When I lived alone and on a strict budget, I did my grocery shopping once a week, on a Sunday morning. I had $20 in cash that I withdrew just before going to the store that I kept in an envelope.
Sales circulars came out on Saturday, and I would spend an hour or so perusing them, assessing my food situation, and making a careful and detailed list of what I needed, wanted, and how much it all cost. Usually, I would list about $15 worth of food.
On Sunday, I would buy exactly what was on my list and my rule was any impulse buy on top of that had to be under $2.
I usually had room for one big bulk purchase (on-sale chicken, for example), milk, eggs, and a few other staples. I froze almost everything to make it last longer. I also usually walked to the grocery store as the above poster suggested, so that I wasn’t tempted to buy as much: I’d have to carry it home.
In that way, I probably could have stretched to once a month, but one major problem I see with this is that you’re missing out on a lot of good sales in the meantime. Grocery stores, I learned in that time, are on a cyclical pattern in terms of their sales: I could count on chicken going down to $1.59 a pound every six weeks, and could make my chicken last accordingly. Ditto for other things I bought commonly.
It wasn’t easy, but I also didn’t have much of a choice. In retrospect, it taught me a lot about frugality and what I really *need* out of food and a grocery store trip.
So it’s obvious on here that a lot of people don’t shop this way for the sake of fruits and veggies (although I find it amusing that I can’t recall ever being behind someone in line who was just buying produce…)
But for us, recently we have stopped getting a few things that we have considered ’staples’ up till now. For instance, I used to always get cheese. Not fancy cheese - just cheddar cheese. But now that our bill is SO HIGH and one block can cost anywhere from $4 to $7 - I have suddenly found that it doesn’t make it into my cart as much.
Anyone else find anything that they couldn’t live without up until recently?
This is one of the reasons I avoid the grocery store if at all possible (Mr. Sam normally does the shopping for us). Last night I stopped at the store to pick up some lunch items (6-8 Lean Cusine, PB, jam, bread, Kashi bars) dinner (frozen pizza) and some breakfast items (Kashi cereal and organic skim milk) and I spent $50. I couldn’t believe the cost and I really need to take a closer look at that receipt.
Another tip is to not go the the actual grocery store when you just need milk or bread, go to the convenience store or corner store. While it may be a few cents more expensive you’re less likely to buy things you don’t need.
Like a lot of the postings have mentioned, I also buy non-perishable food items in bulk the majority of the time to limits our trips to the grocery (Walmart). My wife and I also like the produce and dairy but realize it won’t last a month at a time, so we go every two weeks for just those items. We actually have a list of all the prices of the fruit, vegetables, and dairy items. When the next two weeks come around we decide what we need, estimate the price to buy the items, and then take a little extra cash into the store to get those items.
As for toiletry items, we purchase those online. Often you have to buy in bulk but its definitely worth it! For instance, I know that we don’t need to buy 6 tubes of toothpaste at once, but on Amazon.com it is the same price as about 3.5 to 4 tubes. My favorite price is probably razor blades. Last year I bought 30-Mach 3 blades for the price of about 20! Sure it cost about $30 at the time but in the long run I saved about $12-$15…And I still have about 10 or so left.
An unexhausted list of items that we generally buy online: paper towels, dish soap, hand soap, bath soap, shampoo/conditioner, toilet paper, razor blades, tampons (believe it or not), cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, etc. In case you are wondering, by using a rewards card we more than offset the cost of shipping.
I agree with you Rachel, I have cut out some “nice to have items” such as coffee creamer, I love it but I really can not justify 3-5 dollars for a pint size bottle. I’m not sure if I could give up the cheese. I do buy it on sale but we definitely eat less of it. The same is true with breakfast cereals, I quit buying them, the boxes have become so small even with a coupon there is nothing there! Instead we buy hot cereal such as oatmeal, and cocoa wheats, it goes much farther than the ready to eat cereal.
The produce prices have gone crazy in our area, I only buy what is seasonal for produce, and like some one else mentioned a lot of the fruit and produce is not as fresh as you would like to think it is = not worth the price.
I own a home so I have planted apple and apricot trees which I do can and freeze. I can not justify apples a $3 a pound. I do have a garden and grow a lot of produce so we do have an over abundance throughout the summer and fall which I also freeze or can. I know it does not have additives and where it came from, I am not sure this saves any money, growing a garden and tending to it is not cheap either! Maybe next year I will keep track of what I spend and if there are any savings!
I also do grow some stuff in my house, I bought leaf lettuce (it was a round shaped disk with seeds in it that fit in a pot perfectly) so I am hoping to get some fresh lettuce and I also have grown peppers in pots throughout the winter months. They self pollinate and I have had good results with them.
I have a large family so I have to stretch out my dollars as much as I can and I try not to buy a whole lot of convenience items, like bagged lettuce versus a head of lettuce. But I also realize if there is a lack of time it is still cheaper to buy the “convenience packaged produce” if it keeps you from going out and eating.
http://downwithdebt.today.com/
Frozen or canned fruits and vegetables are nutritionally equal to fresh - as long as there’s no added salt or sugar. Not everyone can eat fresh local produce all year - and shipping it from Brazil is neither healthy nor frugal.
We get fresh produce home-delivered twice a month, but we always have plenty of frozen veggies on hand for if we use up our box or if we don’t have time to prepare something fresh, which happens occasionally. Also in winter, the box is filled with root vegetables - if we’re going to get our greens, they’ll have to be the frozen kind.
E,
Just a note. Actually, freezing a lot of fruits and vegetables does alter it’s nutritional content.
Granted, it’s not a lot. But it does happen. I’ll post a reference that will be available in the future.
Best,
Dr. Curt
hm. once a month- i lack the freezer space! i might try what amy from my daily dollars says - grocery store every other week, farmer’s market every week. i agree that the less one shops the less one spends. right now we hit the grocery store and the farmer’s market once a week. we practice “doing without” - if something gets forgotten, we just go without for a week rather than go get it. unless we run out of coffee. NEVER run out of coffee!
Jordan …yep. If you can walk to the store you save on gasoline.
We go grocery shopping every two weeks - i look at the sale papers from the various local grocery stores for the week we’re shopping, make up a two-week meal plan based around what’s on sale or what we know is inexpensive, and then shop for what we need. We both always take lunch to work rather than going out for lunch, and we plan enough for each dinner so that we can take leftovers for lunch the next day. Breakfasts are almost always the same thing (she likes cereal and eggs, and i like oatmeal with milk and an egg). On the weekends, we have special breakfasts - usually pancakes or waffles.
We’ve tried this tactic, but still struggle with things like produce and milk. I haven’t had much luck freezing milk, and most fruits don’t have a long shelf-life, even if kept in the refrigerator. If it weren’t for those couple items we could easily move to a once-a-month shopping trip.
Interesting strategy. But I’d think you lose out on the weekly sales– if you buy 6 loaves of bread one week, and it goes on sale the next, I’d wouldn’t be too pleased with my shopping strategy.
While I think it’s a great point to stock up on items in bulk, the timing may need to be more flexible to make it work for most people.
Also, the “unplanned” purchases they refer to may also be a result of sales, which are quite an impulse draw for many consumers who don’t plan as thoroughly as the GRS community.
Tangentially– you also want to get good value for your money. I feel it’s important to have seafood with lower mercury content, hormone-free dairy, and organic/local produce if possible. A country of origin labeling law for certain foods was passed recently; I did a couple relevant posts here:
http://renaissancetrophywife.wordpress.com/2008/09/30/cool-nutrition/
http://renaissancetrophywife.wordpress.com/2008/09/30/label-icious/
http://renaissancetrophywife.wordpress.com/2008/09/29/label-conscious/
I find this approach disgusting. The taste of stale frozen foods is not even close to the richness of fresh food.
From a nutritional standpoint, you may be saving pennies but I believe that eating frozen food and a minimal amount of fresh fruits and vegetables will have negative long term health ramifications. This could be more costly in the long run with regard to medical costs.
Try a hybrid approach instead. Shop once a month for your non-perisables (cereals, canned goods, etc). Then shop every few days for your fresh foods and stay disciplined! Don’t buy stuff you don’t need on your regular trips.
Regarding fresh v. frozen vegetables: Rodale Institute’s book Preserving Summer’s Bounty has a great discussion about the nutritional values of fresh and frozen veggies. For many vegetables, quickly frozen foods retain vitamins better than fresh that having been sitting around for just a few days. It depends on how and when they’re frozen, but it’s worth taking a look at the information. Your library probably has a copy of the book.
I agree with the Renaissance Trophy Wife…I like to shop every week so that I can get each week’s loss leaders. I’m fairly strict about not going any more than that though. I plan everything out very carefully and buy everything I need for all of our meals in that one trip.
I like to have bananas around all the time too. ;)I’d hate to only buy fresh produce once a month.
Having to run to the grocery every other day seems like a result of poor planning. However, I think it’d be better to use tools and create habits that support willpower and reduce impulse purchasing (lists, eat before you go, etc.) than forgoing flexibility and freshness. Sure, you can shop once a month if you have to, but you don’t have to.
Here in Portland, I don’t find any of my produce lasting a month (apples and pumpkins maybe). It’s damp and stuff gets funky fast compared to Colorado or New Mexico. Oh, and for the record, frozen milk is vile. It’s NOT THE SAME.
Sure, we stock up on lots of stuff (we have a standing freezer for meat and frozen veggies when we aren’t having fresh) but this just seems like extremism for the sake of avoiding temptation.
Plan meals, shop logically, and go to the grocery store when necessary. Then just don’t buy a bunch of crap. Just don’t.
I grew up in a family that lived this way. My parents lived in the country and shopped 1x per month, just picking up milk weekly. Back then we had a garden, and much of our veggies were home-canned. Remember that? Home canning?
I do love my fresh fruits and veggies, but remember, for years, people didn’t necessarily have the luxury of fresh fruits and vegetables year-round at the store.
also note that the family DOES eat fresh stuff…just by week 3 and 4, it’s apples, oranges, cabbage, and carrots. I have a pretty good repertoire of slaw and cooked cabbage recipes, and don’t forget beans, lentils, and canned tomatoes are nutritional powerhouses. And I’ve learned that fresh, local produce lasts MUCH longer in the fridge than the stuff from the store. I have a head of red leaf that is still crisp after a week and a half. Nutritionists even point out that frozen veggies are often better than their fresh (and sitting in the store for days/weeks) counterparts.
I tried to cut down my grocery shopping to once every two weeks. I was going 1-3 times per week. It was very nice - freed up a lot more time. I just got frustrated when I ran out of something, however.
I also kind of cheated. I belong to a weekly CSA. I got into trouble when I would run out of CSA veggies and fruit, but didn’t have enough frozen to make it through the two weeks. Even with a small extra freezer, we eat 5-9 servings of produce per day per person, and it goes really fast.
With my toddler, though, I like going to the farmer’s market or the produce stand. He is MUCH more likely to want to eat something if he sees where it comes from.
This is a really interesting idea, and probably would be effective for lots of people. I can’t fathom it. I drop into the grocery store every couple days. But, I do make meal plans (while checking the sales) ahead of time, I always take a list, and I’ve been shopping for so long that I think I’ve developed grocery store blindness that enables me to avoid impulse purchases. I never leave with things that aren’t on my list. Shopping frequently gives me flexibility, and I don’t have to worry about buying perishables in advance and then not getting around to eating them.
If you guys try it, I’ll be interested to hear if it helps you.
I just don’t get it. How is it a waste of money to impulse-buy at the grocery store? You’re still going to eat that food. I guess almost all our grocery items are “impulse” — we don’t have a meal plan or make a list other than our staples: frozen stir-fry veggies, cereal, and non-dairy “milk”. I think the best way we save money is by not buying many fresh vegetables — they just end up uneaten and then moldy. We’ve started making side-trips to the market for fresh fruit, since the fruit at Trader Joe’s is uninspiring.
Once a month shopping works if you plan it out. I know of a couple families that are (were) on government assistance and their food stamps would come once a month. They would spend everything at the beginning of the month. They would plan but haphazardly. By the end of the month they would be scrapping together change for milk or bread.
Twice a month shopping works better for me. I can stock up and not go into the grocery stores to much. I dislike grocery shopping but my wife likes me to do the shopping as I know the trick the stores pull on you.
The stores know that people impulse shop and they know how to separate you from your money. I know I use to work for a grocery distributor (wholesaler). The merchandising that is done is well thought out. From the wall of value to end caps to what is by the register. Every square inch of shelf space it maximized to increase profit for the store.
I wrote 3 posts about them. You can start with the last one. It has links to the first two.
http://gettingaheadinlife.blogspot.com/2008/01/grocery-shopping-202-buying-in-bulk.html
We go every two weeks and I have no problem with fruits and veggies going bad. In our grocery stores, there is usually a range of ripeness in the bananas or apples or nectarines. So we choose some to be eaten in the next few days and some to be eaten after the first ones are gone. A lot of my veggies last the whole two weeks, including lettuces. But I also know to plan meals with more perishable foods at the beginning of the period, instead of at the end.
We do this more out of necessity than anything else. We get paid every two weeks, and try as I might, I just can’t save anything from the grocery budget to make an in-between run. It takes about the same amount of time to do the two-week shop as the every week. Actually I save time, because now I am doing a meal plan where before it was “what do I feel like”. There is still some flexibility in when we have certain things. I rarely make it the whole two weeks without swapping some things. But as long as I plan a leftover night or a “pantry meal” night (where the food wont go bad from not being used), I don’t usually have a problem. As for milk- it lasts two weeks. Seriously. It’s fine. There is one brand here that we will not ever buy, because it goes bad in about a day, but all the others are fine. Just check the expiration date and don’t buy gallons that are too close to the date. We freeze most of our cheese and I bake my own bread, so that doesn’t affect us either. And we don’t eat a lot of processed foods. I rarely venture into the middle aisles of the grocery store. So it is doable. Would I want to go to a month long trip? No, not really. This works well for us.
How odd. Traditionally, here in Japan, folks shop everyday and buy small amounts.
[Though this is changing a bit in recent years...]
And Japan is a notoriously frugal society with high savings percentages. So they manage to do both.
Cultural differences, I guess.
I appreciate the advice on this blog for the most part. And I understand that a lot of it is about strategies to avoid bad habits. But it seems a bit overboard sometimes. I think a lot of addictions and extreme personalities end up being permanent things (the alcoholic becomes the manic teetotaler, the crazy reckless frat-boy becomes the born-again Christian, etc.). But it’s all part of the same whole. This particular post strikes me as the same thing. Some sort of wild swing between two ridiculous poles. The motivation behind this particular idea is OK, but for groceries, I think it’s laughable. Just the idea of freezing bread, milk and especially cheese… (!) God, just how shockingly disconnected have we become to sources of real food, slow food, local food. You can’t beat fresh bread. Milk should be fresh, from a local farm. You can’t freeze cheese because then it’s not cheese anymore. It’s a dead lump of fat — even refrigerating is anathema to some cheeses (though to be fair most anything that’s pasteurized is “dead” anyway). My suggestion: read Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma. And join a CSA. Garden. And shop a few times a week at your local artisanal shops and farmers markets. And when you do, practice a little freakin’ restraint. Buy what you intend to. Shopping once a month at the chain grocery store down the street? What pleasure could possibly be taken in anything that you might be able to buy there (bananas shipped from a factory farm 4,000 miles away that’s destroying the rainforest and refirgerating within an inch of their life)?
We are only two, but we shop from a list and use cash to shop, not even debit cards, because with debit it’s been shown (and with me, proven,) to buy more. We do shop almost daily - but We almost never lose food to spoilage. Today I made tomato soup from some leftover sauce with added water plus vegetables and chicken base and pasta.
Being broke helps in this way alot~!
And they can keep the rewards - they’re too expensive to accumulate. my debit card. goodbye.
We go once each week, with a list. We only deviate from the list when: a) we realized we forgot to add something to it b) an item we normally buy is on sale, allowing us to stock up.
There’s no need for an elaborate once each month trip (nor a book purchase) if you have discipline.
Which I guess is the point here, if you don’t have discipline, only go once a month. But if that’s your only way of having discipline, you’re still going to buy stuff you don’t need.
About the produce, I have the largest non-industrial fridge you can buy and there’s no way I could fit a month’s worth of produce (veggies, fruits, etc.) in there. And there’s only two of us. I can only imagine that these people eat a lot more prepackaged foods than we do.
I don’t find the once-a-month shopping extreme. I used to do it when I was a teacher, because I only got paid once a month. It was the easiest way to be sure we stayed within our budget. I would pick up milk and bread more often though, and occasionally make a special stop to stock up on loss leaders like chicken breasts. We always used up produce before it spoiled. Even now apples can keep for a month and I can keep iceberg lettuce for a month (my husband’s fave, not mine … just keep a wet paper towel in the hole after removing the core and wrap the head with foil and you are good to go). In the summer time, we took advantage of free produce from my IL’s garden and I did can and freeze excess. We used the freezer a lot, not just for produce, but also for loss leaders and subdividing bulk/economy packages. I still use the freezer a lot with a list of the contents on the front. I also freeze bread because I’ve gotten very frustrated with bread going bad. So I place the bread slices on large cookies sheets and pop them in the freezer for about 90 minutes. Once they are frozen, I put them back in the original bag. When we need bread, I just take out slices and toast them which thaws them. We also like venison and while we do not hunt, family members and friends do. We get about 40 lbs of free ground venison each year, plus roasts, and tenderloin. (We pay for processing, but that is far less than $1 a lb.) I used a lot of coupons then and we did eat more processed food then. (Eating less processed food is due to eating better in general, but also I found out I am gluten intolerant so many processed foods are out. I enjoy cooking simply anyway.)
Now I shop about once every two weeks, but not on a regular schedule. Sometimes I go longer, which doesn’t bother me. I am not a fan of grocery shopping. When grocery delivery comes to my area, I will take advantage of it if it meets our needs. Even with a shipping fee, I am convinced it will save me money.
J.D.-I forgot to say that I think you are using grocery shopping as another way to interact with people since you are working at home. That’s understandable. Plus, it’s actually nice to go to the grocery store when the masses are not there. Shopping less often might save you money, but it might not save your sanity.
LOL
I’m surprised you guys don’t have laying chickens yet, JD. I built a coop out of random lumber I found from a condo conversion on burnside last year. We’re getting about 10 eggs a week from 2 chickens. Although Portland law says you can only have 3 chickens, I’m going to break down and buy a 25-pack of chickens (already sexed as pullets, of course, since roosters are illegal in town) in the spring and keep maybe 3-4 of them for a total of about 6. I’m going to sell the rest of the chicks on craigslist for five bucks a pop but you can have 3 of them gratis if you’d like them. I’ll even throw in some coop plans.
Oh, and Josh R. is right with his comment: Freezing dairy or bread is just plain wrong. There is honestly no point in buying cheese if you’re just going to chemically alter it by freezing it.
@Josh R (#83)
I can see how some of the ideas presented here might seem extreme to some people. They seem extreme to me sometimes. But please don’t confuse discussion of an idea with an actual recommendation.
There are many things published on GRS (especially from guest authors) that I don’t necessarily follow myself. Why then do I share them? Because others may find value in them. I recognize that what works for one person may not work for another.
There are people who find “extreme” methods useful. I’ve found some of them (not all of them) useful in my own life.
I view GRS as a forum for sharing and discussing ideas. I don’t view it as a definitive source for answers.
Going shopping once a month is depressing and unrealistic for me. I love eating vegetables, and fresh cooked food. But to hoard like that is something I can never do, because I come from Ukraine, and there, like in most of Europe, people go by the market after work, pick up some food for the day or two days. You’d think this would get expensive, but actually, since you’re very aware of what you have and you buy in such small portions, you don’t waste much. Also, you have leftovers if you buy a bit too much and can skip shopping the next day.
I have to admit that I am grossed out by frozen milk. It ruins the texture for me. We don’t really drink a lot of milk though so that is not an issue for me. I also don’t freeze cheese except in very rare instances and then I shred it and only use it in cooking (freezing changes the textrue). Really though…what in the world is wrong with freezing bread? It comes back out of the freezer and tastes just as good as it did before it was frozen (assuming you don’t freeze it for months). I make a point of buying bread without HFCS and often buy it from a vendor at the farmers market. I can’t make it there every week so I buy a couple of loaves at a time. If I did not freeze it then it would go bad before I could eat it.
I do once a month grocery shopping and it works out pretty well for me. Granted I’m currently a college student so it’s a lot of just Hamburger Helper, and such for meals. But it defiantly saves me money.
I think doing once-a-fortnight shopping is the best bet. We’ve always done that, though albeit with the weekly run to stock up on some items. We also usually resist most temptations–my weakness lies on insisting on stocking up on beer whenever my six-pack runs out.
Once a month shopping, though? If he is really eating month-old apples, he must have a stomach with more steel in it than that guy from Bizarre Foods. Freezing fresh produce is a no-go; I’ll continue with once-a-fortnight, because most produce can still be fresh that long if you just refrigerate it.
I just love a good plan. The book sounds like a good read for the tough times ahead that the plunging stock market is predicting.
We usually do one large shopping trip per month, on average, and one or two small trips just for milk, veggies and maybe bread.
We use a calendar and plan meals based on what is ready to eat in the freezer, what we have on hand in the closet, and what is fresh/getting ready to spoil. I have a list on the freezer of what I have in there for meals. We have been doing great on not wasting food.
We have a 2 person household. We usually will make a meal and freeze the leftovers in the 2 cup serving size Glad plastic containers. Then we take those to work for lunch (we usually fill them only half way which is plenty for lunch for one person) or we have a ready-made microwave dinner for another night. We label everything with masking tape and a sharpie with the food item and date.
I use the crock pot a lot. I also make a lot of homemade soup.
When we have veggies that are starting to get old, I throw them in the freezer in a freezer bag labeled “VEGGIE SOUP MIX.” When it gets full I make a veggie broth out of it. Throw it in a pot with a chopped onion, fill with water, boil and then simmer for only 45 min (too long and it gets icky) or so. Then strain and put the broth in a freezer container to use in your next homemade soup. Old bananas go in the freezer in a bag with bananas (peel first) to use for banana bread or smoothies.
I will buy milk usually two gallons at a time when it’s on sale and freeze one.
We make almost everything homemade. While I do buy prepared cereal occasionally, I make homemade granola cereal with store brand (CHEAP) whole oats. I make corn bread, pancakes, biscuits, etc from scratch. (I enjoy doing it and it saves money.) I stock up on loss leaders when they are on sale and always compare unit prices. I only use coupons for stuff I buy anyway. I shop at the commissary whenever possible, but when it’s not I watch the store flyers and buy what I use on sale. We only spend about $250-$300 per month on groceries on average, I think, if that.
I agree with the posters who’ve said that the takeaway here is just watch the impulse buys at the store. With careful planning, you can go as often as you want. I go to the grocery 2-3 times a week, and I average about $20/wk (single) on food. I don’t bike or walk to the store as it’s just a little too far, but I don’t allow myself to get a cart unless I’m getting a tub of kitty litter. The rest of the time it’s a basket, and if I’ve only come for “one item” then not even that. It’s a lot harder to make an impulse buy when it simply won’t fit in your arms!
We do two large costco runs each month. We also do a biweekly grocery trip (in between costco) for smaller meals and incidentals. We spend the lion’s share of the grocery budget during the costco trips and then as we get to the end of the month we’ll spend extra on treats if we have it.
We also try not to blow our eating out budget too early in the month. That way it can be used to supplement groceries if necessary. The price of basics is rising… we don’t have the patience to buy, cut and sort coupons. Eventually we may have to rethink that.
Walk… ( do have three major chain stores within walking distance - Check the specials each week, make a list, grab the shopping bag and walk. Purchase control by weight, buy it carry it. Get some exercise and save on transport costs.
I am not much of an impulse shopper at the grocery store. I stick to my list. The store is on my way home from work, so I find that if I stop frequently for fruits and veggies, I have better tasting produce and I throw out a lot less.
I am definitely going to check out the book though for other ideas.
Hmm. I am a very bad grocery shopper as I’m normally there nearly every day. It’s on my way home so doesn’t take too much time, and I can have whatever I fancy. Probably not very frugal.
I was so excited to see you put this book on your site! I picked it up quite a while ago and fell in love with it. I have read quite a few of these types of books and by far this is the one that is most practical to daily living. Easiest to carry out.
My favorite thing is using scads and scads of coupons for sale items and getting them all for free. The checkout gal is always stunned at the total of my bill and she has started to recognize me now when I come into the store. A few times she has had me put up the “Next register Please” sign after me on the conveyor belt because the coupons take a minute or two extra. But for us it’s worth it. To have our grocery budget whittled down to peanuts.
We only have one wage earner in the household and this month we were slapped with a letter from the bank saying we owed $800. It was not the end of the world (it pinched a bit) but we were able to pay it because we cut corners with coupons ans live below our means in so many ways.
Sorry that got a little lengthy:)
Your site is great, keep it up! I enjoy it every day.
While it may save money, I would be worried about the inventory that I will be holding on for a month especially vegetables and fish that are refrigerated. It may not be really a healthy idea IMHO.
We actually buy most of our food from a store (building 19 to new englanders)that buys and resells stuff from other companies problems (bankrupcy, flood, etc). When they have something nonperishable that we’ll eat, we buy all they have. We’ve been known to buy 20 lbs of pasta at a time there, cheaper by far than anywhere else. The catch is it may be months before they have anything else we want, or they’ll have something that looks interesting, but we’re not familiar with (bean threads anyone?)
The discount rack at the grocery store is much the same. Sometimes there’s stuff we eat a lot of, and we clean them out.
Typically, we have a stash of stuff we use often, which we get mostly at deep discount, as mentioned above. The downside is that we can’t replenish it at the same price at will — if we run out, we have to use another staple (rice for pasta for example) or actually pay retail price (cheapskate new englander, hate to pay retail). We got a chest freezer for the special sales (corned beef at half price at St Paddy’s day, for example, never as cheap any other time of year here).
We go to grocery stores each week, but typically just buy the loss leaders and whatever we want on the discount rack, and sometimes fresh produce. Most produce we eat, at least in summer, is from the garden. Before we bought our house we bought this stuff mostly at farmer’s markets. Have lots of frozen tomato puree from the garden (about 10 gallons) to simmer over the woodstove for sauce this winter.
It’s difficult to give a weekly food budget as the hoarding technique causes it to fluctuate greatly from week to week, but it’s approximately $50-75/week for me and my wife by these and the usual techniques.
Its funny, I immediately thought you would still make a weekly trip for fresh stuff. I didn’t even think of it as an amendment.
It seems a lot of people have locked on to this one detail, could it be because its a convenient excuse? Surely the whole idea is that some of your consuming will have to be sacrificed. This is a good thing yeah? Consume less, reduce your impact on the world. It isn’t going to happen if we all sit around say it wouldn’t work for me because…..
My family is going to give it a go, there is a farmers market not far from where I live on Saturdays we can go there for our fresh stuff once a week without having to face the temptation of potato chips and chocolate bars.
Great post, great blog, thanks
Fresh fruit and vegetables for me (organic farm and grocer) and fish. I could not care less what it costs. I have Type 1 diabetes and I get to eat only 3 times a day and the amount of carbohydrates I get to eat is limited. So … skimping on food is just stupid to me.
Skimp on something else that is non-essential to life ( cable, phones, movies, magazines, newpapers, etc ).
I started doing this recently and it has saved us on average about €150 a month. We don’t have a car (Brussels has good public transportation) and I was getting irritated at having to cart all the heavy groceries back to the house. I started by ordering only the heavy stuff like milk, juice, canned goods, etc. but then decided to get everything that we will eat for a month (except fresh which we get at the Sunday market - we’d go there anyway for a weekly pastry). Then it is just a matter of doing inventory. The delivery charge is only €4 (or free if you order over €300) and then I usually tip the delivery person a little as well. In fact, this is one of things that has helped us organise ourselves into weekends where we have nothing to do.
Back when we lived where we had a garage devoted to storage, a second refrigerator and a second freezer, I did monthly shopping all the time. And for feeding my family of 7 it was great. I was even able to order from a health-food co-op and get organic foods for grocery store prices. But now that we’ve moved to a smaller home and lost our storage space I am using other strategies instead. I do insist on weekly fresh fruits and veggies, and get them from a CSA program (community supported agriculture) where I save a bundle on organically-grown-picked-today foods!
I find I do NOT save by going to multiple stores unless the price of gas is under $3.27 a gallon. Took some pretty fancy calculations to get there, but that’s the fun part of my job as CFO.
I find that bulk shopping really really doesn’t work for me.
1. I don’t really have storage space - I live with roommates and my chunk of the kitchen space is pretty small.
2. If I have a lot of food, I eat a lot more. So I just need to buy more anyway, and it’s not great for my figure.
I would like to work on trying to plan meals though, and eating more fruits and veggies.
One way to get fresh fruits and vegetables regularly without grocery trips is to sign up for a home delivery service like bostonorganics.com - I’ve been using this for almost a year, and I love that the produce comes right to my door and is the same price every time.
To cut down on milk runs, check the expiration dates - we’ve found that Stoneyfield milks tend to have a full month of shelf life, so we buy a few each trip.
Great post! I’m a once/week shopper, but would LOVE to do it less often because I just hate it. I actually recently cut myself back to once per week from stopping here and there to pick up whatever I was craving for dinner, because I was wasting a lot of food and money.
Here’s a short article I wrote about the grocery shopping rules I’ve recently adopted:
http://hubpages.com/_emtpt/hub/WeavingMyFinancialSecurityBlanket_GroceryShopping
Joel - your post about month old apples made me smile. How old do you think the apples are that you buy at the store? There is about a 2 month apple harvest in each hemisphere, so 8 months out of the year the apples you buy have already been stored for months. This is an example of how out of touch most of us are with our food supply.
I think that once a month may be pushing it to an extreme, and it really takes a certain mindset to accomplish this goal. I personally believe I could handle only shopping twice a month or so.
I shop about every other day at the grocery store with my boyfriend. We are both pretty disciplined and have found that if we try to do even a week’s worth of shopping, things end up spoiling or going to waste. We generally buy enough for one or two meals, average cost of a trip for us is between $5 and $10. I’d say we spend about $40-50 a week on groceries.
The result is that we have hardly any food in the house at any given time, even snack food. I have gotten out of the habit of boredom-munching.
Dana, I’m curious how you have time to go to the store that often? I realize that I’m bit more booked up than many people (work full time & part time student and my partner is very busy in law school) but if I go to the grocery store after work I always end up standing in the longest slowest moving lines so that I spend 30 minutes getting items for one dinner versus my hour to hour & 1/2 weekly shopping trips early Sunday morning where I get enough food for 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 7 dinners, I would think shopping several times a week would kill me for time.
I guess if you have a partner that helps out with grocery shopping instead of actively avoiding it it would be helpful.
What I was trying to do when I was the stay-at-home parent was make rare big shopping trips, and then make smaller shopping trips to speciality places in between where temptation is smaller - like produce stands, farmer’s market, corner stores, etc.
Also, walk to the store and back when possible - carrying the goods, or pushing them in the bottom of a stroller, will make you more conscientious about what you buy. Frequent small trips can work great if you have to walk 5 or more minutes carrying the stuff once you leave the store.
I’m honestly puzzled that so many posters think good fruit and vegetable nutrition is unattainable without buying “fresh” produce from the store every week.
What about …
* Canned pumpkin? (lots of great recipes out there for pumpkin bran muffins, pumpkin soup, and other goodies)
* Dried figs, prunes, raisins, cherries? (satisfying for the sweet tooth in moderation)
* Frozen chopped spinach? (super-easy to scramble into one’s eggs in the a.m.)
* Frozen fruit like blueberries and peaches? (throw as-is into cold or hot cereal or whirl into a smoothie)
* Canned tomatoes? (too many savory ideas to mention)
Also, to get super-fresh green stuff without going to the store every week, try growing your own sprouts. We’ve done alfalfa and mung bean sprouts with no trouble; there are dozens of other options including clover, sunflower, lentil, and broccoli sprouts. It can take some sleuthing to find a source for sprouting seeds, but they store in the pantry for a long time.
The store is right on the way home for us. We live in a very rural area, so there aren’t ever many people at our local supermarket, and we both work at the same place, so ride together everyday. Generally the ride home consists of us discussing what to have for dinner, we brain storm what we have in the house already, then we stop for a couple things.
Example, two nights ago we knew we had chicken, water chestnuts, onion and a stir fry sauce in the house, so we stopped to buy a bell pepper and some rice noodles (total: $2). We go to the service counter if there is a long line, no one ever thinks to go there to check out, and if you have only a few items its totally acceptable.
Another thing we tend to do is get a bunch of meat and freeze it and then buy the veggies throughout the week.
This weekend tho, we have decided to try the meal-planning thing, we’ll see how that goes!
Here in Portland the store I prefer to frequent offers online shopping. For 4.99 they will physically pull the items off the shelf; all I have to do is pick them up.
At first this seemed really indulgent but I did it so I could fit shopping into a hectic schedule. I quickly realized that I was actually saving money because I was buying only the items on my list. Additionally, the site has a feature that sorts items by price allowing me to easily choose the most affordable.
Since I have limited time and limited storage space this has become my ideal mode of shopping. I do it twice per month and am probably saving $30-40/month after the $10 fee.
I have used this once a month shopping to go along with my once a month cooking. It worked out well for hubby and I. I spent less money on groceries and when I cooked and froze everything, I didnt have to worry. One thing the book lists is that you can freeze milk. Hubby and I do this and it tastes the same as fresh (2%). We were buying it on sale for less than $2.69/gallon when everyone else was paying $3+/gallon.
We dont do this every month, but a couple times a year.
We have a set budget of $250/month. Mainly going to the store twice a month.
Ok, it’s so very hard to stick to that kind of budget. Yes, I believe that a person can really spend more money in the long run by entering the store multiple times per month- but the question remains do you eat all the food you buy and not waste? That really seems to count more than saving.
Christine Groth
http://www.101WaystoMagnetizeMoney.com
I’m sure other people have written this, but I shop twice a month. I plan meals for two weeks at a time. I buy both fresh and frozen produce, since frozen is just as good as fresh, and is better than old produce, which continues to lose nutrients. I have a fridge with adjustable humidity drawers and that helps fruit last longer. Also, I portion out the fruit. For example, I’ll put three pears in the fruit bowl on the counter and keep the rest in the fridge, where they don’t ripen as fast. I also have a deep freeze, so when I find things we use on sale, I buy a few packages and then freeze them.
We eat leftovers, although I try to repurpose them, since my hubby doesn’t like leftovers. And we do sometimes end up making quick trips for milk or a forgotten ingredient, although we try to limit that as much as possible. I’m interested in this freezing milk business. I’ll have to look into that.
I also always, always, always go in with a list. Even if I forget it at home, I sit in the car and write out what I can remember.
By shopping twice a month instead of every week, I save about $100 a month. The time savings is good, too, since I spend a couple of hours planning out the meals and putting together my coupons and whatnot, but then I don’t need to think about it again for two weeks (I’ve even stretched the two week meal plan out for three weeks, if we ended up with more leftovers or our evenings were too busy for sit-down dinners - if that happens we definitely make a quick run for milk). And not having to go to the grocery store all the time with my kids in tow is so nice!
Great article JD. It takes a lot of planning but the rewards are well worth it.
Submitted to Digg:
http://digg.com/business_finance/Once_a_Month_Shopping_Save_More_by_Shopping_Less
I shop once a month at the supermarket, then weekly at the farmers market.
Then each week is just a challenge to use all my lovely fresh veggies!
We used to do weekly grocery shops, and switching to monthly probably saved us around 30-50 a month. Mostly I just use that money to buy better quality food (more salmon!).
But our food budget is $70 a week for two anyway, so I’m not interested in cutting it further.
We shop based on sales, whether that turns out to be once a week or once a month. A lot of sales around here reflect local ethnic food traditions, so we stockpile certain foods around holidays when they’re dirt cheap.
I also love shopping late at the 24-hour grocery. All the fresh counters and sample stations are closed, so there’s less temptation.
I know it saves money to shop less frequently, we’ve pretty much proven it. I am now a list shopper and quite disciplined to only buying what is on my list even if it means we have to wait till the next trip to buy it. I tend to do a mix of monthly shopping and weekly shopping.
We get paid monthly, so the bulk of what we buy is purchased just after pay day. This is when we go to Sam’s Club, and stock up on staples at Walmart. The weekly trips are more for milk, bread, produce and little things we run out of along the way. We always have a list though, and we seriously avoid impulse shopping.
As for those who say they can only eat fresh veggies, they must never have tried frozen. Any good gardener freezes things. We plant enough to have fresh stuff on hand during the summer, but we always have more than we can eat, so we freeze the rest and use it during the winter. Talk about saving money! And we certainly couldn’t let all those fresh home grown veggies go to waste!
If you can get stuff from the farmer’s market great! But I know our farmer’s market are not open all year round, again this is when freezing food is so important. You buy the best fruits and veggies from the farmer’s market and buy plenty so you can freeze it and have the quality produce to eat during the off season! This is the next best thing to growing the stuff yourself.
Veggies from the grocery freezer isle are much better for you nutritionally than canned veggies, and they lose very little in flavor and nutrition when they are frozen. But most people don’t know that they are also better than some of the fresh stuff in the grocer’s produce section. If you shop from the grocery store produce section you can guarantee that the produce was harvested prematurely, which robs the food of its nutrients. The frozen veggies are actually allowed to ripen fully then frozen, so they actually have MORE nutrients than some stuff you buy in the grocer’s produce section. Buyer beware!
Biggest thing my wife and I learned is do not go to the store hungry. Eat a meal then go shopping, when you are hungry you tend to buy more.
I have to agree with what several others have said with respect to produce. I’d say my diet is considerably more healthy than that of the average American - so stocking up on frozen peas and shelves of aluminum cans is out of the question. I will typically divide my shopping trips into 3 categories:
1 - “Big” shopping trip (about once per month). This will typically be a trip to a Costco or Sam’s club or similar store. The purpose is to buy mostly non-perishable items that are well priced in bulk. You just can’t beat the price of things like rice, pasta, and toilet paper in these “big stores”. Meat is usually a good deal here as well. These stores can equally be dangerous for impulse shopping though so I always go with a list and stick to it.
2 - Weekly staples: For the most part this is the same list every week. It includes milk, eggs, bread, lunch supplies, cereal, etc… I stick to the list but if I run across something from my list on sale I will stock up on it. Monthly shopping wouldn’t provide as many opportunities to stock up on “staple” sale items since sales usually change weekly.
3 - Produce. Shop your local farmer’s market. I find often produce at the farmer’s market at the side of the road is less expensive and of higher quality than what is found in the grocery stores. You can go to the farmer’s market anytime since there aren’t any impulse items to distract you.
This is money-saving advice I will not follow at all. We are fortunate to live within walking distance of two small groceries, a produce market and a health-food store. We walk to a store 4-6 times a week to pick up food, and we definitely eat more fresh food than I did growing up with a mother who shopped once a week (and always bemoaned her lack of organization, citing people like in this post). We always use a list, so we very rarely buy something on impulse (unless we see that a staple is on special).
That, and we use way less gas and get more exercise…
Going to the grocery store once a month is just not practical. Besides, I can save more by doing the Grocery Game. Check out the message boards at http://www.thegrocerygame.com/. It will give you an idea about how the system works.
I shop once a week and carry my groceries home. I have found what helps the most is for every item I buy, I ask myself “Am I going to eat it this week?” if not, I don’t buy it. Although I may be saving less because I only buy a couple of apples at a time, I find that I buy a lot less items if I get rid of the mentality that I need to “stock up” for the month or a couple weeks.
Great idea! I guess impulse buys are so strong because the items are so cheap, similar to going into a dollar store for the first time.
We used to shop for our groceries once a week, we changed this to twice a month (to manage time) and found that this has saved us some money..we plan on continuing this.
For those of you who are concerned about eating month old vegetables in contrast to “fresh” vegetables from the grocery store, do some research about the shipping practices of produce. Much of it is nearly that old when you get it. Furthermore, many fruits and vegetables, like cabbages and apples, can last for an entire year if properly. How do you think our predecessors lived out the winter without dying of scurvy and malnutrition?
I can’t believe how many people are so misinformed and full of excuses. “This idea sucks ’cause I stick to my list/only spend a certain amount/I’m vegan/you neeeeed FRESH fruits and veggies!!!1!”
It was proven many moons ago that fresh-frozen and canned produce is just as healthy as fresh. Surely someone other than me caught that news flash? And I don’t know why so few are able to admit they don’t like this idea because it’s different from the way they shop. Nothing like asking Joe Public to think outside the box to get people’s noses out of joint.
DH and I shop together once a week. We both work near grocery stores and end up picking up extras at least twice per week each. But I’m not going to pretend this somehow negates the once-a-month shopping regime like about 70 people in this thread. I’m not that arrogant. It’s a good idea, and guess what? Produce such as apples, oranges and celery DO last a month or more.
It also helps to read the article before posting. Sheesh people.
@ the last couple of posters.
Yes. Apples and celery and oranges can last a month. Personally I prefer a bit more variety. You go ahead and eat a month old banana or cantaloupe(some of the most nutritious fruits on the planet). Let me know how that works out for you.
Again - I like the recommendation in this post for most items but for produce I prefer to shop more frequently and from local farmers markets.
I’ve eaten both bananas (frozen and used to make banana bread) and cantaloupe (frozen and used in smoothies) that were well over a month old and they were totally delicious. :3
Having all your favorite fresh produce available every day out of the month isn’t a need; it’s a want. And if you choose to spend your money on those wants instead of others, that’s cool, but it’s a want nonetheless.
I’m planning to try shopping once a month. I tend to stop at a store several times a week and not only does it waste gas but it also wastes money and time. I have a plan together, been clipping coupons, I’m getting a menu together and am planning on shopping the last day of this month to last all next month. As far as fresh produce goes I grew up without it and still ate well enough. I’m not going to go without completely if I don’t have to but the last few weeks of the month may just be hard.
I’m hoping to save some major money, learn to cook better for myself, and realize that all the extra things I think I need like a soda here or a magazine there, really aren’t needs at all.
Thanks for this post. I’m inspired!
I borrowed this book from the library. Their monthly shopping is frugal fantasy date night for Mom & Pop. After this major monthly shop, the family spends the next day prepping a month’s worth of delious homemade meals together. The menus are terrific and substantial. Plus cook and prep day are family affairs where everyone pitches in. Great skills.
The Tightwad Gazette vols.I, II & III by Amy Dacyczn still is great for learning to get best value from your time and money much like this family.
The key to not making impulse buys is not shopping on an empty stomach. If I’m hungry I will buy all sorts of snacks and ready made (and generally more ‘unhealthy’) foods while shopping.
I walk to the shops so a monthly buy is out of the question, but taking a small backpack to put heavier things in - whilst geeky - is a great way to reduce the number of visits I make and saves the circulation in my fingers from getting cut off!
When I lived in the countryside we used to freeze perishables a lot - everyone knows frozen peas have more vitamin c in them than fresh peas!
As an easy way to shop less often and make less impulse buys, make everything you put in your mouth! No prepared foods makes for a much simpler shopping list. Of course you don’t make the ingredients, the produce and the meat if you eat meat. We joke at our house (and it’s true!) that I buy ingredients to cook with, while my husband buys food to eat right away. Our kids say “there’s nothing to eat” sometimes right after I’ve returned from shopping because nothing is ready to eat - it takes assembly and/or cooking! Michael Pollan, in his In Defense of Food, says something to the effect of “eat only what your grandmother would recognize as food.” (Or maybe great grandmother for the youngest eaters.)
There is only my husband and I at home now and I, too, shop only once a month. I have recently retired and I don’t like running to the store. What I do with some fresh veggies, like peppers, tomatoes, etc is dehydrate them when I buy them. I also use my foodsaver to divide meats up into portion size before I freeze them. By my calculations I am saving money, although I buy foodsaver bags.
If you have ever really dealt with farming, you would eat and preserve food to last all year. The only thing you would buy in the grocery were things you could not raise yourself. Sugar and salt being a good example. Pumpkins were a fall vegetable that would keep almost all winter (we always ran out). You just did not scratch the outer skin and kept them in a cool location (root cellar).
With my husband’s job I never knew when I would be having guest sometimes I only had a 20 minute warning. To the freezer I would go where I would have assemble lasagna, chicken pieces, homemade soups, vegetables, bread (even homemade) and cakes.
Yes fresh salad is good but homemade vegetable soup is also a good starter. Depending on where you live produces in not always the freshest. I know I have the habit of buying a candy when I shop as my weight went up I realized I needed to do something. I have reverted to less trips to the store. Not only have I saved money I have lost some weight also.
Buying fresh food “because it’s healthier” can sometimes be counterproductive. E g broccoli is frozen very immediately after harvesting, while the fresh variant may degrade on the way to the store, at the store and most importantly, in your fridge.
I do both, buying the frozen stuff in the off-season and the fresh produce when it’s cheap and doesn’t have to travel from the other end of the world.