By the author of Be Ready for Anything and the online course Bloom Where You’re Planted
Here we are, fresh off a month of limited spending. If you joined the Stockpile Challenge, chances are that you have some extra money sitting around.
Here’s what I think you should do with it.
I think you should experiment with a shift to Once-a-Month Shopping.
What would happen if you only went shopping once a month?
Would you become more organized? Would you become more creative? Would you become more mindful of waste? Would you save a ton of money?
If you haven’t been buying groceries for the past month, you now have a much better idea of what your family actually eats – and how much of it you need.
This is the perfect time if you’ve participated in the previous challenge. Now, you have a pile of money, a newly emptied freezer, and some space on the shelves. It’s time to get down to business – the business of cutting your future grocery bills in HALF. But even if you didn’t participate, there’s a way to break things down and make it affordable to make this change.
The “Rules”
You can adapt these to fit your family’s needs, of course, but here are our family’s guidelines to the Once-a-Month Shopping Challenge.
We are allowed one trip for each of our needs: groceries, animal supplies, and other supplies. These may all be undertaken on the same day, or they can be split up based on the way your family gets paid.
Spend some time checking out the sales at various stores in your area. We make a day of it, hitting a number of different grocery stores after checking the sale flyers online.
Supplies that can be obtained outside of regular retail environments are exempt. For example, if you barter with a neighbor, purchase some craft supplies at a yard sale, hit an off-season farmer’s market for local goods, or go get a bushel of apples directly from a local farmer, these things don’t count as “going to the store.” This is a way you can make up for a shortfall in your supplies while still abiding by the “no stores” rule. However, ordering a new item from Amazon or another online retailer would be considered cheating.
We’re allowing two meals out per month. This might be Chinese takeout, pizza delivery, or a restaurant meal. A meal out can break up the monotony and help you stick to your no-stores challenge. Based on your budget and your family’s habits, decide if, and how many, meals you’ll have out. For you, it might be once a week or once a month. If you have any special occasions coming up, work it into your plan.
Don’t hesitate to break the rules if it’s a matter of health or safety. Obviously, I don’t want to see your dog starve for a week because you underestimated the amount of dog food that you required for the month. Nor would I want someone to go without safety goggles at a new job until the end of the month. Adhere to the no-stores rule only if it makes sense.
If you have health reasons that require you to eat more fresh food, then by all means, calculate in a second shopping trip each month to pick up those items. My daughter who is dieting will require some extra veggies to munch on and we’ll be making another trip 2 weeks in to supply those needs. Always use common sense with these challenges.
How to get started
Plan a trip to each type of store that you use. If money is a problem, you can split these shopping trips up based on the way you get paid (weekly, bi-weekly, etc.)
- A trip to the grocery store
- A trip to a general merchandise store like Target or Wal-Mart
- A trip to the feed store/pet store if necessary for your family
With each trip, you’re going to predict what you need to run your household for an entire month. The February issue of the Cheapskate’s Guide to the Galaxy goes into much more detail about these shopping trips. (It’s only $5 per month and I guarantee you’ll save far more than that! Check it out HERE.)
There are all sorts of benefits to a once-a-month shopping regimen.
The financial benefits
As prices go up, it’s easy to spend a little here and spend a little there until you are shocked to discover that you have nothing left. The easiest way to prevent that might be to stay away from temptation. Going to do your shopping only one time in a month will help you stay away from those impulse purchases that always seem to hop into the cart. It will be easier to keep track of your spending if it’s all done in one large trip.
After we moved, we got into the habit of “just stopping to get one thing” several times per week. This has added up, and our grocery bill got out of control.
When you set yourself a monthly budget, it can be difficult to keep track if you run to the store all the time. But when you shop once a month, you can withdraw the cash you need to purchase your items and stay within your budget more easily. This will also encourage you to dip into your stockpiles for those additional items that you might need to get through the month.
When I did this a few years back, it made a massive difference in my grocery budget, and I think you’ll see the same results. After the first month, it’s far easier to shop this way because the money will be readily available when you haven’t shopped for several weeks.
The organizational benefits
If you know you only have one shot at getting all your supplies for the month, you’re going to be far more organized about that shopping trip.
You’ll be forced to calculate your needs in advance so that you can get everything you’ll require. You’ll need to consider things like special events that are coming up during the month (are you celebrating any birthdays or holidays?), guests who may be arriving, and outings for the kids that might require snacks or certain supplies. You’ll need to figure out at least a general meal plan, calculate how many eggs you eat, etc. You get the idea.
During the month, you can keep a list as you discover things you’d normally “run to the store” to pick up. This list can be fulfilled during the next monthly shopping trip, at which time you may discover you that you already found a satisfactory substitute for the missing product.
The creative benefits
When you shop on a monthly basis you’ll find that there are many ways to skin a theoretical cat. (Don’t skin a real cat. I like cats. A lot.)
If you run out of an item during the month, it’s time to put on your problem-solving hat and come up with a replacement that doesn’t come from the store. Maybe you can repurpose something you already have. Maybe you can create the item out of supplies you have on hand. Maybe you can find it at a yard sale, borrow it from a friend, barter for it, or simply live without it. Whatever way you find around the missing item, it’s sure to get your wheels turning.
The preparedness benefits
If you’re a prepper, now’s the time for you to really put a few things to the test. There’s nothing like once-a-month shopping to put the number of supplies you need to survive in perspective. Last month, all of us participating in the Stockpile Challenge had our eyes opened. Now is the time to continue the lessons.
This will also help you to see the holes in your preps when you discover that you only had enough of some vital element to last for 3 weeks instead of the infinite stockpile you thought you had. Learning to live without running to the store is much akin to a lockdown due to bad weather or civil unrest.
I found that when I focused on once-a-month shopping that I built a very nice backlog of supplies effortlessly. Oftentimes, I bought a bit too much of one item, but not to worry! That got added right to my stockpile. And whether you prep or not, the benefit of a well-stocked pantry cannot be overestimated.
For those who want to go advanced:
If you really want to go in-depth, be sure to subscribe to the Cheapskate’s Guide to the Galaxy. Find all the details here.
Are you with me?
We’ll do a thread in the Facebook group to keep ourselves accountable and weekly check-ins here on the website. (Go here to join if you’re into social media.) I can’t wait to get started! Are you going to join the February Once-a-Month-Shopping Challenge?
For some of us fortunate enough to be seniors some grocery stores like Krogers offers discounts on one day a week. Ours is Tuesday. Other stores like Food City has midnight madness sales from time to time. So for us we will shop the discounts on those things we use rather tan limit our visits and miss savings. Love what you do. God Bless you and your family
My favorite discount grocery store is 30 minutes away. Doesn’t seem that far but it takes half a day to shop and bring it home. So I make the trip 1 time monthly. I can get almost everything I need for the entire month except salad lettuce and bananas. So we have bananas first, then oranges and grapefruits. Grapes keep longer if I keep them cold. I keep milk in the freezer. The kids did not like the powdered milk, so I am trying to cut the milk with it to extend it and still be acceptable to them. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and tips.
This sounds more like my current lifestyle. My husband is medically retired from the military and I am retired army. We get paid once a month. I live in West Texas. 100 miles to the nearest decent grocery store, 80 miles to the nearest hospital, 25 miles to the nearest gas station or convenience store and five miles to my nearest neighbor. I travel once a month to San Antonio to visit my parents. My mother is 79 and my father is 84. While there I shop for food. I have a van with an inverter to plug in my small chest freezer. I go out of my way coming home to go to Mertzen. Nicholson meat market sells 25 LBS boxes of bones for $6 a box. With 12 large dogs it helps off set the feed bill. I stock up on several cases of bones. I order feed for the animals from a store 25 miles away at the first of the month. The owner travels to Feed Mill and Tractor supply and buys the items. I also go later, because she can not obtain the full amount I need at one time. The stores don’t stock that much chicken, duck and turkey feed that I need for a month. In the summer I have a small garden for fresh veggies, but a small green house for the winter. I try and stock up with as much food for long term for the times I can’t go to San Antonio. My weakness is Amazon. I have no TV (by choice) so I read a lot. I buy books during the month. My husband buys things online like supplements and orders building material as we go. We live in an unfinished structure that we are slowly (as my husbands health allows) finishing. We are doing this without a house mortgage. You know the story….. money on the first of the month, broke the rest of the month. 🙂 Gasoline is one thing I have to constantly obtain during the month. Propane I fill twice a year. I have two one-thousand gallon propane tanks. We live off grid and have our own well.
Mette, thanks to you and your husband for serving.
PS I’m impressed!
Wow Mette, you all are doing what we just talk about. And yes thank you and your husband for your service!!
For years we have shopped for staples every 3 months. Our problem will be and has been fresh produce and dairy – 1/2 & 1/2 to be precise. However, as we’ve recently found the local Aldi’s to be terrific, shopping once a week there for produce has greatly increased our food bill – you know, the did you see this? how about this snack? I’m more than willing to shop once a month and will give it a try – now to convince my husband.
Shopping once a month can be very expensive, in my opinion, since you will always miss the “loss leaders” stores use every week to get you in the door in the first place.
For those who live in areas with multiple stores (our own small town in Michigan has 2 Krogers, 2 Meijers, A Sam’s Club, and a Polly’s Country Market). The secret to getting the most for your money is to shop the sales each week and have storage (ie, a large freezer (preferably TWO) and plenty of pantry space, ie, a basement). The storage space is an absolute MUST.
Every week, the stores have loss leaders. Kraft or store-brand cheese reg $3.97 for an 8oz package for between $.99 and $1.25. Buy 25 packages! It keeps in the freezer, so it doesn’t get moldy! Never again pay almost $4.00 for a pack of cheese. One store here has a periodic meat sale. Ground sirloin is expensive…around $6.00lb. But, they’ll put whole sirloin tip on sale for $2.79lb and grind it up for you. Buy 20lbs and have it ground into hamburger. Ground Sirloin for $2.79 or ground Chuck for $4.97, it’s your choice. Just put it in freezer bags and you’re eating sirloin for less than the price of chuck! Bacon is usually over $7.00 a package now. BUT, it goes on sale for $2.50 or $2.99. Buy TWENTY packages and put it in your freezer. It will go on sale again before you run out. Same for canned goods, etc. STOCK UP when it’s on sale. AND STAY AWAY FROM ALL PROCESSED FOODS. If it’s in a box, don’t buy it! That’s where the real rip-offs are as well as the chemicals and toxic garbage.
Believe me…frozen food wrapped properly in freezer paper is as good five years from now as it is five days from now. Canned goods last forever..almost. Forget the “best by date”. That’s the marketers telling you it’s time to throw something away food that perfectly good and buy new. Just had Prego dated best by 2015. Nothing wrong with it. And I bought it for $.99 when it was on sale. Same for Chunky Soup (I know, it’s high in sodium). Regular price around here is usually $2.79 a can. Sale time rolls around and it’s $.99. Buy 20 or 30 cans. It will be there when you want it.
Also, we are big on fresh vegetables. If you live in an area with an Aldi’s, check it out. They have weekly sales and their produce beats the other stores, as far as I’m concerned.
I know many people like to do all their shopping at one store…but if grocery shopping has become your “entertainment”, make a game of it. Check the flyers for the sales and STOCK UP. You can be amazed at how much you can still get for your food dollars…if you do it right!
My wife and I have been preparing for “the end” (who knew these bankers could keep creating trillions out of thin air to keep their stinking game going?). The inflation we’ve seen up to now will look like a walk in the park compared to what’s coming. Now we’re on social security and living on next to nothing. But our house is paid for, we don’t have militarized police in this neck of the woods, and we eat well…because we shop smart.
So, my advice is forget this business about shopping once a month, and shop every week. Just have the discipline to buy what’s on sale and STOCK UP. After a while, it will be like having a small bodega in your home and you will never have to pay the “regular” price for groceries. Look at shopping as an investment. This is one way to actually “play the market”, see a 100% or 200% or 300% return on your money and never lose!
Just my opinion…Best of luck to all as it looks like we’re coming into the end game.