Typically, I go to the grocery store every week. I’m getting a little tired of going out in the cold and lugging back groceries all the time, so this week I’m going to try something new.
I’m going to try to plan my menu and list for two weeks out.
When I put together my menus and shopping list, I was surprised that the total still only added up to about $40. I usually spend $30-35 per week, so that’s good!
Next week, I’ll spend about $10 on perishable items I need to replace, such as milk, eggs, fruits and vegetables.
Already, I feel like I’m saving time and possibly money as well.
If I only go to Aldi every two weeks, I’ll save on gas at the very least.
I guess the moral of the story is to be willing to change your routine a little bit–maybe you’ll find something that could work even better.
How often do you shop?
Excellent post!
I menu plan and shop once a month, traveling across town to go to WalMart. I buy everything except the most perishable items on that trip. At the halfway mark, I visit a small local market that is half a block from my house, picking up eggs, milk, etc. I find that I can easily get away with a $100 a month food budget for two people this way.
Amanda
I’ve also changed my shopping method. Yesterday was the first time since late November that I’ve gone in with a big cart and longer list. The last 2 months I’ve pretty much menu planned using what we have at home and then supplemented with short trips (items always fit in a small basket… usually $20-$30 or so). Perishables are the most expensive here (Canada) so that’s why a small basket cost so much!
I shop every other week with a small trip for fresh produce and milk on the off week. I think planning 2 weeks worth of meals and only shopping once makes my life a lot easier.
I’ll plan and shop for more than one week if the grocery stores are having some really great sales that I want to take advantage of, particularly if more than one type of meat is on sale for under $2. Otherwise, I shop once a week.
My wife and I use to do grocery shopping once a week and to be honest we would spend quite a bit of money. Because we are both working in the restaurant industry and have a great passion for food, we love grocery shopping. It can be dangerous as we tend to go overboard and buy many items. We always are always inspired to cook a new dish.
However, over the past several months, we have significantly cut our shopping budget to save for the future of opening our own restaurant. Currently, we only do shopping once a month at Costco and purchase the more expensive ingredients such as meat and seafood, while we shop twice a month at our local supermarket. We have noticed hundreds of dollars in savings and have been able to consistently plan our menus for the week. The key for us was to make a sacrifice for the better of the future and to keep on the new plan.
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