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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

That, and we use way less gas and get more exercise…

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.

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!

I also love shopping late at the 24-hour grocery. All the fresh counters and sample stations are closed, so there’s less temptation.

Submitted to Digg:

http://digg.com/business_finance/Once_a_Month_Shopping_Save_More_by_Shopping_Less

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!

Christine Groth
http://www.101WaystoMagnetizeMoney.com

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.