Does anybody grocery shop once per month?

[tinkarooni]

I have been inspired by the Economides family, you know the Cheapest Family in America. They were on the Today show last week and although I do a lot of the things they talk about, coupons, sales and meal planning, I have never been daring enough to try this. Grocery shopping once a month seems like the height of planning. I like that it will not waste my time stopping for this or that all month long, that I will have a meal plan to work with and the $$$ it could potentially save.

I am uncertain about how to pack lunches for my kids if I'm not going to the store and how to go about the more perishable items. I figured I would make roast beef, corn beef, and turkey breast to slice using my slicer for lunches.

So I'm looking for any ideas from anybody who does it now. Anyone.....

 

[usnuzuloose]

I usually do a heavy shop about every six weeks. I dont mind freezing bread, but not milk. So I usually go to the store once a week for milk. Its just the two of us. I buy bologna, or ham and I freeze that for sandwiches.

 

[scrapquitler]

When DH and I were first married, I did a "BIG" shopping about once a month, but that didn't mean that there weren't a few weekly trips to the store in between that...I could never go a whole month without buying fresh bread, coldcuts, milk, or produce....many of those things just won't last that long without freezing (which in many cases, yuck). I think that most people who say they shop once a month still go in between for at least some perishables

 

[poohfriend77]

I can't imagine doing that! I'm trying to wean myself down to once a week shopping. It seems I always return home and realize while unpacking my groceries that there is something else I needed. And I usually need milk/bread/produce again before my next "big" trip.

What do they do about fresh produce?

 

[Disneychix]

I didn't like how they kinda skipped over the fresh produce question. They never really answered but said something along the lines of they eat the fresh stuff right away (duh!) and 'you'd be surprised how long veggies and fruits can last if stored correctly'.

I've tried the 'green' bags and the containers and stuff, IMO didn't make certain items last much longer than 2 weeks.

 

[tinkarooni]

I can't imagine doing that! I'm trying to wean myself down to once a week shopping. It seems I always return home and realize while unpacking my groceries that there is something else I needed. And I usually need milk/bread/produce again before my next "big" trip.

What do they do about fresh produce?

This is exactly what my friend and I were saying, I start a new grocery list when I am unpacking the bags.

Apparently they buy things like bananas and grapes to eat the first week and apples and oranges and things like that they eat later in the month. I am an avid gardener so I still have greens growing for salads and will until January by using a cold frame. I have started to grow lettuce inside to see if I can do that for during the winter.

I have wandered around the internet trying to find answers to some of these details and haven't found them. I'm just going to jump in and start. They have a shopping list on their website that I am using as a starting point. This is an interesting experiment for us, I'm really hoping to save time and money.

 

[2disneyboys]

We do our big shoping trip once every 6 weeks. Then about every week & 1/2 (more than 1 week but less than 2) I run by the store on my way home and get just fresh stuff (some fruit/veggies, coldcuts, milk)

I have some interesting meals as I get towards the end of those 6 weeks!

 

[poohfriend77]

This is exactly what my friend and I were saying, I start a new grocery list when I am unpacking the bags.

Apparently they buy things like bananas and grapes to eat the first week and apples and oranges and things like that they eat later in the month. I am an avid gardener so I still have greens growing for salads and will until January by using a cold frame. I have started to grow lettuce inside to see if I can do that for during the winter.

I have wandered around the internet trying to find answers to some of these details and haven't found them. I'm just going to jump in and start. They have a shopping list on their website that I am using as a starting point. This is an interesting experiment for us, I'm really hoping to save time and money.

Please keep us updated if you try it! I'd love to hear more about it. There was just an article in our local paper about a family that does once-a-month cooking and fills their freezer. They said they save $300 a month. I just can't motivate myself to do that, either.

 

[Chelley00]

I do once a month or twice a month cooking during sports seasons so we have a stocked freezer since we have limited time. We meal plan and use coupons for as much as I can. However, I still grocery shop once a week, if nothing to buy fruits, veggies and milk.

I can tell you that in doing research on how to save grocery money and do once a month cooking, "most" (not all) people who budget shop, use extreme couponing or only shop once a month, rarely eat fresh fruits and veggies. They might buy something when they shop in the first of the month and use it within a week or two, but then they are out of stuff or it spoils and that's it.

 

[ancestry]

There is absolutely NO way I could ever grocery shop once per month -- not with 6 people, 2 dogs, and 1 cat in the household. Plus I insist on using as much fresh fruits and fresh vegetables as possible. Most wouldn't last a month -- either fresh wise or quantity wise. Plus milk and other perishables often doesn't even have a month shelf life. I don't understand the point of trying to only grocery shop once a month. Am I misunderstanding something? Sure set a budget and stick to it but why only do it once a month?

 

[mhsjax]

I just watched an interview with them. They buy meat that is expiring that day and they stock up on it.

I am all for saving money, but there are limits to what I do. I won't feed my kids something that is out of date. She says"We have never gotten sick." Good for them, they can have it.

 

[Pembo]

I have always shopped every two weeks. I can't imagine once a month! Even with every other week, I still make at least one run to the store on the off week to get milk and fresh fruit/veggies.

I do buy meat that is expiring only because I freeze it right away. We do the same with bread.

I do have a grocery budget and I always make a list. It works for us.

 

[pixiewings71]

I buy meat, cheese and bread if it is expiring that day, I just take it home and freeze it right away. If it's meat I might even cook it that night. I always get great deals on those cuts of meat and I've never had any problems at all. That said there is no feasible way I could shop once a month, I can do my "big" shopping once a month but I have to go in weekly for milk, fruit & veggies and there's just no way I can not have fresh fruit and veggies in this house. This family goes thru 2 gallons a milk in a week, and DBF and I rarely drink or use it at all so it's mostly the kids, fruit & veggies I have to eat regularly for health issues so shopping once a month just won't work. I do shop sales and I have started using coupons again but I still wish I could cut our grocery budget back more.

 

[DisneyWorldbuff]

IMO... yuck
No way we could survivie without fresh fruit and veggies. Both my kids probably eat a banana a day, and there's no way a banana is lasting a month

 

[mhsjax]

I buy meat, cheese and bread if it is expiring that day, I just take it home and freeze it right away. If it's meat I might even cook it that night. I always get great deals on those cuts of meat and I've never had any problems at all. That said there is no feasible way I could shop once a month, I can do my "big" shopping once a month but I have to go in weekly for milk, fruit & veggies and there's just no way I can not have fresh fruit and veggies in this house. This family goes thru 2 gallons a milk in a week, and DBF and I rarely drink or use it at all so it's mostly the kids, fruit & veggies I have to eat regularly for health issues so shopping once a month just won't work. I do shop sales and I have started using coupons again but I still wish I could cut our grocery budget back more.

I should have been more clear on the meat. I too buy meat when it has a sell by and then today's date, I take it home and freeze it. They were buying lunch meat. I hadn't even thought of freezing lunch meat and I am not sure I ever would.

 

[lisaross]

i go 1x a week always have BUT now i've been making my weekly menu's and i find it definitly saves me money. I will buy extra's if its on sale like chocolate chip cookies were on sale for 1.99 so i bought 3 bags (kids love these).

i could not imagine 1x a month - how would all that even fit in the freezer??

Good Luck!

 

[QVCshopper]

I just watched an interview with them. They buy meat that is expiring that day and they stock up on it.

I am all for saving money, but there are limits to what I do. I won't feed my kids something that is out of date. She says"We have never gotten sick." Good for them, they can have it.

I do this and the meat is still very good. I shop at Wegmans (a great store in the NE) and buy the "sell by that day" meat for much cheaper. I then cook it that night or freeze immediately. It works very well and is still very tasty.

Anyway, I like shopping every few days and think I'm actually saving money this way. I used to do the big order once a week thing, but would buy a lot. Now, I do little $10 orders here and there... mostly b/c I love Wegmans so much and because I get two free items every time I spend $10 (the items change weekly--this week is waffles and tissues; last week was pasta and sauce)! I do one big order *maybe* once a month at el cheapo chain near me.

 

[herdtoDisney]

I should have been more clear on the meat. I too buy meat when it has a sell by and then today's date, I take it home and freeze it. They were buying lunch meat. I hadn't even thought of freezing lunch meat and I am not sure I ever would.

I freeze lunch meat-it seems to do pretty well. I freeze it packed in sizes that fit in my refridgerator tupperware deli container, so to thaw it, I just put a block in the container, shut it, and put it back in the fridge-it thaws by morning. I do the same with blocks of American cheese from Sams.

 

[tinkarooni]

i go 1x a week always have BUT now i've been making my weekly menu's and i find it definitly saves me money. I will buy extra's if its on sale like chocolate chip cookies were on sale for 1.99 so i bought 3 bags (kids love these).

i could not imagine 1x a month - how would all that even fit in the freezer??

Good Luck!

We have freezers....one chest, one upright, one above a fridge in the basement and one below the fridge in the kitchen. Seems crazy I know but we buy 1/2 cow, 1/2 a pig and we raise our own meatbirds for chicken. Soooo.....for me to jump to once a month cooking will be easier than most, I think. I still do like PP stated, go to the store and forget things only to start a new list as soon as I unpack. I also garden a lot, so I have home canned peaches, tomato sauce, salsa, pickles, green beans and frozen corn, strawberries, blueberries, peas, zuchinni, eggplant and stored in my basement, onions, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, potatoes, butternut squash, spaghetti squash apples and garlic.

So you would think I save a fortune on my food bill....I sooooo don't

We are very big on organic which is why I grow most of my own stuff. But there is still a lot of things we buy at the store. For example we buy organic milk which is ultra pasteurized (unfortunately) so I noticed the date of the gallon in my fridge right now is November 4. Milk shouldn't be a problem, yogurt really either.

So I was struggling with lunchmeat for my kids lunches......which I struggle with anyway because I really don't want them eating all that lunchmeat, so I'm going to either make a turkey breast or a roast beef and use my slicer to slice for sandwiches or we'll get creative. DD loves stuff in her thermos.

So that leaves the fresh fruit and veggies as the problem. I have lettuce , spinach and fresh chard growing at my house that will probably be good until about January. I'll supplement that with my homegrown frozen which makes the problem fresh fruit. Right now we have apples on our trees, we'll supplement with canned peaches, frozen berries and we'll see how long fresh fruit lasts in the fridge. How about frozen grapes?

 

[tinkarooni]

I freeze lunch meat-it seems to do pretty well. I freeze it packed in sizes that fit in my refridgerator tupperware deli container, so to thaw it, I just put a block in the container, shut it, and put it back in the fridge-it thaws by morning. I do the same with blocks of American cheese from Sams.

This is interesting....does the cheese get grainy?