Shopping by the Month

I've been asked a few times lately..."You really only shop once a month?  How can you do that"... Yes we do and here's how we do it.

I decided to try the idea after talking about budgeting with friends and discussing a NPR broadcast that claimed shopping a month at a time supposedly saves enough money that people can pay off their debt.  Our only debt is student loans and we feel no pressing need to pay those off quickly, they don't hurt our credit at all and are very low interest.  But, extra money in the budget is always a good thing so I decided to try it. I researched and found this blog post here.  I based my planning off of her style and this is where homemade pizza night came from.  She made it sound like such a cheap and easy idea that we have just adopted it and enjoy it very much.

Priya decided my list looked tasty so this is a little beat up.

I fold a paper into sections, whatever works.  Then I put a food type/category at the top of each section.  Mexican, Oriental, American, Italian, Crock-pot, Easy, Pizza night is just assumed in planning. Note:  I also have dessert and make ahead breakfast categories on the back of this sheet. I fill in 4-5 recipes under each category.  I don't plan for every day of the month because we always have dinner dates, dinners at the neighbors and our parents that come up so I leave a little room so I'm not over buying.  I do a lot of work and research in planning our menus because we don't repeat meals very often...maybe every 4-6 months we'll repeat a meal which is a lot of work, but we love variety around here.   This concept could so easily be simplified by sticking to a few favorites and repeating, but that doesn't work for us.   We make one dessert a week usually on Fridays to go along with our pizza.  The make ahead breakfasts are of my sanity.  I love that I don't have to think when I'm groggy in the mornings and the kids still get a nutritious breakfast, so lovely!

From my menu I gather my recipes, review our pantry inventory and compile a shopping list.  I have a template that is organized isle by isle of the grocery store we shop at.  I drive 30 minutes to shop at a WinCo store because we save so much money shopping their bulk items.  My list are always typed up with as much detail on the item as I can think of.  This is because my husband helps me do the shopping and if I don't write down what I'm wanting he's more likely to get what I want. ;)  The more description the better!  

The shopping trip is really the worst part of the whole thing.  We take 2 cars, we each take a cart, a kid, and half of the list.  Even spliting it up we're there an hour to 2 depending on the kid's behavior.  Then you go to check out and one way the store keeps their cost down is by having you bag your own groceries.  It's a little crazy with 2 cranky kids and oodles of groceries.  By the time we're headed home I'm exhausted.  Aaron is usually a dear and suggests picking up dinner that night.  Love that man!  

Aaron does have to stop for milk and produce on his way home sometimes because produce doesn't keep and we fly through milk.

 

This is the explosion of groceries after our last trip.  We put away groceries and store anything we can in the basement.  The other thing I do is freeze ANYTHING I can.  I always have 6 loafs of bread in the freezer, 4 packages of tortillas, hamburger buns, and English muffins.  Then a ton of meat.  I watch grocery ads for cheap meat, it's worth stocking up when it's a good price. 

 

 The kids play with anything they can reach 

 bulk is our friend and saves us so much cash

 It's always a long day because the last thing I do is any and all prep work.  Buying a roast is cheaper and you get better meat for stew if you cut it up yourself... see what I'm getting at.  A whole chicken is cheaper than boneless skinless breasts ect.  Buy in bulk and do the work yourself.  So I cut up and package meat in 1lb baggies.  The picture above is tofu I cut up (a favorite snack of P's-- satte it in butter and garlic salt, it's good!) this save me so much time.  I pull all the grapes off the vine and put handfuls into snack baggies.  Same with cucumber slices and carrots.  

 Then I put it in a basket.  My kids are more likely to eat healthy snacks if there are lots of option and they can see and choose for themselves. 

This is what you'd find in this basket:

• carrot slices
• cucumber slices
• grapes
• raisins
• kiwi
• apples
• oranges
• tofu
• string cheese

I keep another basket on our counter with:

• teddy grahams
• gold fish
• cookies
• mini rice cakes
•   ritz crackers
• graham crackers
• fruit snacks 
• drink flavor packets
• dried fruit

These I make sure to package in 100 calorie serving sizes.

Now, why would you want to put yourself through this 24 hours of work and sometimes painful misery (a.k.a. Priya screaming at the supermarket).  

1. It has taken away 1/4 of our grocery budget.
2. I know we're saving on gas by not making as many trips to the store, but haven't bothered to add it up. 
3. When you're temped to just eat out it's hard to justify because you KNOW you have everything you need for a meal.  A much more affordable meal. 
4. You only have to live through one shopping trip with the kids a month. 
5. There's a plan and a list.  I adore both of these and love crossing meals off our menu.

You asked... now you know.  It works for us at this time in our lives.  Happy Wednesday!