Shopping-Monthly vs Weekly or daily (merged)

ixia

Better to plan meals for the month order what you need online for your meals but keep a little money left over for each week to cover what you buy fresh such as bread, milk and fruit.

I find if you know what you are having for dinner and have everything in you don't get tempted to go to the shops and make impulse buys.

Good Luck

attentionseeker1

Have done in the past, have increased shopping trips to two-weekly now though.

Advantages of monthly
- in the supermarket less, so less tendency to spend
- if on monthly salary, can shop straight after paid and don't have to worry about large shopping bills towards the end of the month
- forces you to make a good menu plan as have to plan what needs using quickly, what can freeze (most things tbh), what needs leftovers from sth else etc
Disadvantages of monthly
- if you do a huuuuge expensive shop and it doesn't end up lasting the month, you can end up more out of pocket by having to do too many top-ups
- if you forget to defrost meat as I seem to, you can be left staring at an empty fridge come dinner-time!
- I would add fresh/fruit and veg to your 'milk top-up' shop as otherwise you'll be left with only frozen/tinned veg for the last half of the month. Just as nutritious of course, but I prefer fresh.

HTH

rachbc

mmm in theory I do a monthly shop as I have an online order once a month but in reality I shopp much more frequently as I buy less and less from the supermarket each time, and shop for specifc things were they are cheapest - market for f&v, butcher, aldi/ lidl for cold meats, milk etc. What I do do is have a food money jar so I keep track in cash.

I know I over buy as I can;t resist a bargain and often end the month with more food than I started with!

I do a monthly plan from the freezer/ bargains picked up the previous month/ meals that we didn't end up making and make a big list. I break it down into what will come from each shop, what can be bought in advance and what needs to be bought fresh each week. I review the meal plan/ lists at the weekend and check what I need to 'top up' that week.

nuttybabe

Hi

This month (and in future I hope) I have done a big monthly shop at tesco (with £10 off and cashback).

I started by making a list of EVERYTHING I have in freezer, fridge, store cupboard. From that I made up a meal plan and then continued it for the rest of the month writing down anthing else I needed.

Then i searched my supermarket.com for the cheapest deal and assuming it was worth it, i ordered it from tesco. I used the money off and cashback and got points so not too worried about a few pence difference.

then i wrote a list of where and what week i was going to buy the rest (all other places in walking distance) and am trying to stick to that. i take the list with the amount of money to the shop and only shop for that (although i do take a bit more incase i see any good whoopsies!!!).

i am a sahm so i have time to do this. I hope i can get it organised so well that when ds2 starts nursery in september and i hopefully get a job, i can still be as organised and stick to the budget!!!

mummyslittleboy

I do a monthly shop I meal plan for the month ahead + add 2-3 meals as alternatives, You have to remember to take into account Breakfast/Lunches/Evening Meals also order Bread flour enough for a month unless you buy your bread you might want to top this up weekly depending on your freezer space.

I always make sure I have enough Plain/SR flour for the month.
If you are baking your own cakes/biscuits dont forget to make sure you have enough ingrediants for the month.

Milk I buy as I need it and Fruit and veg I get from the local farm shop weekly.

You might want to include all your toiletries in with your shop and cleaning products I do this it cuts down on visits to supermarket.

I have just done an Asda food shop online(cheaper for me than visiting the supermarkets) for us for the month this was for 1 Adult 3 x kids and 1 dog I spent £138 this will last the month for meals,nappies,toiletries,cleaning products, cakes and bread all I will buy for the rest of the month is Milk fruit and veg.

Goodluck If you get stuck feel free to pm me

firesidemaid

as everyone else says - meal planning is the key. are you just shopping for yourself?

as you can freeze most things, nothing should be wasted. make batches of meals and freeze in separate portions and remember to get stuff out of the freezer each night/morning.

it is difficult to resist the whoopsies. i tend to have one cereal in and a selection of reduced-price teacakes/muffins/bread etc in the freezer for breakfasts - i always pre-slice these so that i can toast them from frozen, makes life a bit easier.

lunches are either sandwiches or leftovers. i always make sure i have cheap yoghurts and fruit in and also some crisps and biccys (eg. value chcoc digestive bars, 20 for £1) for lunches - and i make sure i keep some of these supplies already at work too. i'd rather make-do then buy more.

it helps to have a few recipes in your head that you can make with leftovers etc. i make a quiche (pastry of butter/marg, flour and a bit of water takes 2 mins) and then fill with eggs/milk and whatever - from cooking bacon pieces and onion to courgette, onion and pesto etc.....

keep those staples in such as tins, spices, pulses/lentils etc - love making stews in the winter. another cheap new favourite is pan haggerty, all you need is carrots, pots, onions, bacon and a stock cube!

i'm making myself hungry now! the other thing is when you go shopping for milk etc - only take a pound or two with you so you can't spend it! good luck x

Pink.

Hi kemo,

This thread has lots of advice on shopping monthly versus weekly that should help:

Shopping-Monthly vs Weekly (merged)

I'll add your thread to it later to keep the suggestions together.

This thread may help you too:

Monthly Meal Planner

Pink

annelouise_2

I do a combo of monthly and weekly shops to meet the needs of the family.

I menu plan and have staples in the cupboard for swops and alternatives at the ready.

I freeze lots of bread and buy UHT milk all the time so no storage problems or having to pop to the shops.

I check the flyers for bargains and buy meat and cheese in bulk to separate and freeze for bulk baking.

I minesweep the fridge drawer and make omelettes,spring rolls,dips and soups with the contents.

You will find the best way for you and your family /budget.

annelouise

esmf73

I do a monthly - or every other month shop for dried and tinned and frozen things, but often find that I'm in the shops buying milk, veg etc - not to mention the note that comes home from school asking you to provide a plate of food for a picnic 2 days before! We're moving shortly but my freezer is full of cakes (for the church fete at the weekend); milk (which the boys drink like its going out of fashion!) and mince. But I'll just move the freezer as it is. The cupboards are slowly being whittled down.

I need to get more switched on to this - and after the budget I will have to. So I'll join you on this Kemo.

POPPYOSCAR

No I shop weekly. If I were to shop monthly it would cost me more because my family would just eat everything in sight!!