Save Money by Shopping Once a Month

How often do you go to the supermarket? Could you get by with making only one trip per month? What if it saved you money? When people shop more often, they buy more stuff. Supermarkets and grocery stores know this, and that's why they often bury the most common items in the back of the store - so you have to walk through the aisles to get there, and the probability of an impulse purchase goes up! Besides making a list and sticking to it, another way to limit your spending is to minimize the amount of time you actually spend in the store. Why make four or more trips per month when you can make just one? That's right--go grocery shopping 12 times a year. It takes time. It also takes organization. Here's how to pull it off.

Steps

 * 1)  Make a list of the things you need, which you should update continually.
 * 2) *Start saving your receipts. Ideally, you should have all of your shopping receipts from a typical month. Go through them all and highlight the essentials (the stuff you ended up using/eating). Skip over impulse items (you know what they are, like the four cartons of cookies and cream ice cream that was on sale and that you know are incongruent with your dreams of having six-pack abs).
 * 3) *Plan your meals. Imagine that your home is a restaurant - what is on your menu? You could go all out and plan every meal on a calender (like once-a-month cookers do) but even just thinking of some "master recipes" that can be adapted to several different dishes will help. Take a large amount of cheap, normally tough meat, for example, and put it in a slow cooker until it's tender, then shred it and use it in hot sandwiches, enchiladas, etc.
 * 4) Accumulate coupons and ads for the things you use and the stores you frequent. During the days before your monthly shopping trip, match sales and discounts to the items on your list.
 * 5) Divide and conquer. If possible, bring a friend along to help. One person tackles the perimeter of the stores (meat, produce, dairy, and baked goods) while someone else scours the center (processed food, household goods, baking supplies). Each monthly shopping trip takes longer than a weekly shopping trip, so a division of labor will make for a smoother shopping trip (with fewer frazzled nerves).
 * 6) 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.
 * 7) When you bring the food home, prioritize. Certain produce (grapes, bananas) need to be consumed earlier in the month. Other foods (milk, bread) may need to be frozen.
 * 8) *If you're concerned about not having a supply of fresh fruits or vegetables, consider growing your own or perusing the local farmers' market for good deals. Or, you can focus on eating fresh fruits and vegetables in the beginning of the month, then eat canned or frozen fruits and veggies towards the end of the month.
 * 9) *For milk, you have several options.
 * 10) **drink fresh milk for the first half of the month
 * 11) **freeze milk to drink in the second half of the month
 * 12) **powdered milk
 * 13) **ultra-pasteurized milk (long shelf life)
 * 14) **OR if you like Soy Milk, it lasts for a couple of months! (However, it is much more expensive than regular milk.)
 * 15) **Rice Milk is also a good alternative, also lasting a couple of months (You can't even taste the difference after mixing it with cereal or in cooking/baking).
 * 16) **Almond Milk is especially healthy.
 * 17) Evaluate and adapt. When you start off, there will be a little trial and error. There will be some trips to the store to get something you forgot. Just don't let those "emergency trips" become a habit. Make sure that you only come home with the item you needed, and nothing else. Then add that item to your monthly shopping list.

Tips

 * You can start by cutting your trips to twice a month (with a supplemental weekly run for milk and eggs). On the other hand, some people take this concept to the extreme - they go shopping only once a year!
 * You might find that shopping once a month ‘forces’ you to use up all of your food that you 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.
 * This can be paired with once-a-month cooking for maximum efficiency and savings.
 * You will need adequate storage space for all of your groceries. If you are shopping for a family of 4 or more, or if you live in a small apartment, you probably won't have enough food storage space. You could utilize a spare closet or a guest bedroom if you have one. Or don't forget about the space underneath kitchen cabinets, or odd drawers and shelves around your living space. Cans and jars can be stored quite safely all over the apartment or house.  Just don't forget where you put them!
 * If you are serious about once a month shopping, then a large freezer would be a good investment. Energy star chest freezers have large capacities and low running costs.
 * If you are lucky enough to have a greengrocer, small alternative grocer, or grocery co-op nearby, you may be able to shop there without having to contend with many of the "impulse items" or the stress of larger supermarkets. (They're often much like just the perimeter of larger stores, without the junky innards.)
 * If you live near a drive through dairy you can have fresh milk as needed without going into a store.

Warnings

 * Leave younger children with a babysitter. You can save time and money by leaving younger children at home instead of letting them distract you from the task at hand. Older children, however, can actually help.
 * Check expiration dates on coupons.

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Do Once a Month Cooking
 * How to Resist a Sales Pitch
 * How to Save Money at a Farmers' Market
 * How to Reduce Expenses
 * How to Have a Successful Day of Shopping
 * How to Be a "Locovore"
 * How to Get Started in the Slow Food Movement

Sources and Citations

 * GetRichSlowly.org - Save more by shopping less. Original source of content, shared with permission.
 * America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money. By Steve Economides, Annette Economides. ISBN 0307339459. Source of many of the ideas in this article.