Does grocery shopping once a month save money?

Grocery shopping once a month has a ton of benefits for our family and helps us in the following ways: Save time—fewer grocery store trips. Save money—no grocery budget surprises plus the ability to buy in bulk . Less waste– fewer leftovers that get thrown out.

Which shopping strategy can help you save money while at the grocery store?

Buying generic or store-brand items is also a great way to save money. These products are usually just as good as the name-brand items, but they're cheaper because you're not paying for the brand name. Additionally, you should try to avoid buying pre-packaged and processed foods.

What is a good strategy to spend less on groceries?

Make a meal plan You can avoid waste and overspending by going to the grocery store with a list based on what you intend to cook for the week. This requires that you decide in advance what meals and snacks you'll eat during the week, but having a list and sticking to it can help you avoid impulse purchases.

Is it cheaper to buy groceries all at once?

It Might Depend on the Size of Your Household “ A smaller household may find it better to shop weekly sales and to buy smaller amounts , to not only stay on budget but prevent food waste,” she said. “But if it's a larger household, it may pay to do bulk shopping less often, like on a monthly basis.”

What day is the cheapest to buy groceries?

If you want to maximize the chances of paying low prices at the grocery store, shopping mid-week may be the way to go. Specifically, many experts advise shopping on Wednesday and Thursday .

Is eating out cheaper than eating at home?

For those who want a quick and easy answer: It's generally cheaper to cook food at home than eat out . The reason so many people can get stuck on the question is the human psychology variable. People don't always spend wisely, and it isn't as if prices are always the same at a supermarket or a fast food restaurant.

What is the 6 to 1 grocery method?

The 6-to-1 grocery method entails buying six vegetables, five fruits, four proteins, three starches, two sauces or spreads and one treat . Continue to shop carefully while at the store to get the best deals. Flexibility with your purchases will be a key to making this method a success.

What is a realistic monthly grocery budget?

According to the USDA guidelines, you might spend $979 a month on a thrifty plan, $1,028 on a low-cost plan, $1,252 on a moderate-cost plan and $1,604 on a liberal plan . The USDA guidelines can provide a starting point for a food budget, but they don't consider all the variables that can affect cost.

How much should I spend on groceries a month for one?

Average grocery cost per month for 1 person in a household Considering the Thrifty and Liberal plan averages, the monthly grocery cost for an adult male falls between $275.63 and $434.33 , while the average for an adult female ranges from $238.46 to $384.93.

How many times do people go grocery shopping in a month?

The average person makes 6 grocery store trips or orders per month . Additionally, on average, people shop at 2 grocery stores per week.

How many times a week should I go to the grocery store?

The idea behind the 6-to-1 method, Coleman said, is "that you hit the grocery store one time a week, maybe two times if you have a larger family, but our time is very valuable. So the 6-to-1 method is really designed so you can go into the store, say, on a Sunday and get all the groceries you need throughout the week."

How much money do you save buying groceries vs eating out?

Eating out has always cost more than eating in, and at Top Nutrition Coaching, we believe in making living healthy lives easier. Still, according to our latest research, the average meal at an inexpensive restaurant costs nearly 285% more (!) than eating at home ($16.28 versus $4.23 per meal).

Once A Month Grocery Shopping Technique That Doesn't Save Money (2024)

According to USDA statistics for food plan costs, the average price to feed a family of four with two children between the ages of 6-11, spends $1057.10 per month at the grocery store.

That is $244 per week spent on grocery shopping. If you were to searchon Pinterest or even Google, you would find a BAZILLION results for saving money on groceries. A moderate cost for groceries is STILL over one thousand dollars per month!!!

How can you save money on groceries without compromising the nutrient-rich diet you and your family need? Try once a month grocery shopping.

It hurts to spend so much money on food, especially if you are struggling with finances. Or even when you are frugal at heart and struggle with letting go of your family’s hard-earned money.

Yes, I know. Food is super important. That doesn’t mean it is easy. After housing, food is the next significant expense for many families.

I am always on the hunt for the best way to cut this expense without jeopardizing the health and happiness of my family. There are ways to cut down on these expenses.

Once a month grocery shopping takes a lot more planning than once a week shopping.

How Often Do You Grocery Shop?

Do you grocery shop once a week, once a month, multiple times a week, every other week?

Once A Month Meal Plan.

Make up a menu plan for the entire month.
Make your list and shop til you drop.
Hold back about $50 for weekly fruits, veggies, and dairy that would otherwise go bad and pick those up weekly.

Why I Stopped Once A Month Grocery Shopping.

I was spending too much money!!!

Conceptually speaking, it seemed like a solid plan. Except for me, it was not.

I just cannot go to the grocery store every week. I. Just. Cannot. Myline of thinking was to grab milk and produce from ourlittle local grocery store here in town, but milk is twice as much money, and the produce is not the freshest.

Also, the organic selection of groceries is sparse. So, I would not only have to drive 20-30 minutes each way every week, but I would not have the self-control to just stick to my list!!

How is your self-control when you are faced with a bag of Skinny Pop Cheddar Popcorn on sale right there as you round the corner after the bananas? Me, not so good.

How To Avoid Food Waste.

I was overbuying. I was making a menu plan with only a couple of days worth of planned leftovers, a couple of days for date night, and a couple of days for pizza delivery.

We were just not eating all the foods I was buying. Not that we didn’t eventuallyuse them, but it seems to betoo much for the time frame and didn’t need to be purchased at that time.

Maybe it was poor planning on my part, and maybe I could have gotten better with time, but after three months, I decided to throw in the towel.

So, I am going back to grocery shopping twice a month. We (and by we, I mean my husband) get paid twice a month – every other week on Friday.

That is my day to go to the bank and go grocery shopping. It has worked for years, and I really should not have messed with a perfectly good system. If it ain’t broke, right?!?

What Did I learn About Once A Month Grocery Shopping?

What I did get out of this little once-a-month grocery shopping experiment is that there are stores I CAN stick to visiting just once a month to save some time.

Places like Target and BJ’s Warehouse need to be limited to once per month. We all know how Target can really suck you in! I know you know what I am talking about!

Do you think that grocery shopping once a month would benefit you? It could make your life easier, or it could add more stress and cost to something that is already working for you.

Grocery shopping every two weeks is where my ‘success in saving valuable money’ part comes in. This is where the title of this post is explained.

Every two weeks when I grocery shop, I save my family money. This works for me. I shop on one day and get everything I need for two weeks.

Fruits, veggies, dairy, meat, and snacks are all purchased on this trip to the store. I do not step foot into the grocery store again until the next scheduled shopping trip. No matter what.

If we run out of milk, we don’t have milk until my next trip. I am pretty sure nobody will perish from three or five days without milk.

What I Do Instead.

As we know, the cost of living in different areas varies. in our area, we are lucky to have an Aldi. The regular higher-end grocery store in our area is 58% higher. I did the research and math. It’s convenient to go there.

They have free grocery pick-up. However, it’s not really free. It’s 58% higher.

I shop every two weeks at Aldi where I rent a cart and I bag my own groceries. But the savings is VERY worth it.