Doing Your Grocery Shopping Once a Month Can Change Your Life!

For most people, cooking and grocery shopping are the two activities they dread the most in terms of household chores. That’s because it leaves them wondering what to cook and what to buy, not to mention the fear of getting it wrong. However, there is a more natural way around this dilemma! It all comes down to meal planning and once-a-month grocery shopping. It may sound daunting at first, but this practice will benefit you in so many ways.

Why You Need to Shop Once a Month

When you shop once a month, you’re likely to buy in bulk. This makes you eligible to avail of the discount offers that most stores have for bulk shoppers. Bulk buying isn’t just for large families. Smaller families can benefit from it too. Buying everything for the month also means you are ready for adverse situations. For instance, if you need to stay indoors because of ill-health, bad weather, etc., you still have your grocery stock at home. The last thing you want to do when sick is to run to the grocery store!

Having a well-stocked kitchen is a great relief. An additional advantage of buying provisions for the whole month is that you’re less likely to indulge in impulse buying. We all know how many unnecessary items find their way to our shopping basket when we hit the store once a week! Also, when you finish your entire month’s shopping in one go, you have ample time to attend to other chores for the rest of the month.

The Secret to Once-A-Month Shopping

However, there’s one thing you need to do before you shop for the month. You need to arrange your kitchen in such a way that you can accommodate the month-long provisions without difficulty. This means you will have to know what you have in your cabinets, fridge, and freezer. Think of it as your inventory of all that you have and the stuff you need to throw away. From then onwards, you plan your meals, either weekly or by a two-week cycle, as you wish.

When planning meals, start with all that you have from your previous shopping. Trying to empty your supplies before stocking up ensures that you do not hoard more than you need. It will also give you a better understanding of what you have to buy and in what quantity. If you prefer flexibility, have a full meal plan for the month, and pick from that on the go daily. Make sure you consider quick meals for days when there isn’t much time to prepare meals.

Tips and Tricks

Starting with something as simple as meal planning, you will become effective in handling once-a-month shopping. Eventually, when you become an expert, you can start planning your meals around items that are on sale at your supermarket. As you progress, you may also prepare your meals with specific protein for each day of the week.

For example, narrow it down to “Mondays: Chicken,” “Tuesdays: Fish,” and so on. This can be helpful when preparing meals plan for the entire month. When it comes to the essentials like milk, bread, and cereal, or eggs, etc., it is best to simply monitor your family’s use of these products over some time. This will give you an insight into the volume and frequency of purchase.

What About Fresh Produce?

This means more significant savings, especially in bulk. Another useful trick is to learn how to store your produce correctly. Learning this will help keep your goods fresher for longer. For example, refrigerating your avocados will stop them from becoming inedibly ripe. You can also refrigerate fruits and vegetables without washing them to increase their shelf life! Also, buying frozen veggies can rally pull you a long way.

When preparing meals, be sure to use up what has a shorter shelf life first. For instance, use mushrooms, zucchini, and grapes first, then use your potatoes, carrots, and oranges later. If you like, you could also simply buy 90% of your grocery list once in a month. The rest of it, you can shop at the farmer’s market every Saturday or Sunday and have a set amount to spend if saving is your goal.

When done correctly, going grocery shopping once a month can save you not only money but time and stress as well, it is a simple yet life-changing activity. It will undoubtedly take some getting used to, and it may not even be comfortable in the beginning, depending on your current way of living at present. However, it becomes more comfortable as you go.