Monthly Meals: How I Do It

I only grocery shop once a month. Yes, you read correctly, once a month. I don't love grocery shopping, I do love being on a budget, and my time is too important for me to spend an hour each week at the grocery store. I'm a working mama, and that's three-ish hours I would lose of Sawyer time each month.

So I make a schedule of meals for one month on our calendar. I don't stick exactly to the days, but it's a good way for me to plan which nights we'll be gone/on a date/needing a meal. I usually end up with about 15-18 meals, about 5 days of leftovers, and a couple nights out with family or friends.

Then I make a list of everything needed for that month. I usually go grocery shopping alone on the first or second day of the month (Daniel gets paid the last business day of the month). Because I'm only going once, I am only spending money one time, and impulse buys/snacks are kept to a one-time limit. I love that. We are not a snack-y family, because most snacks just aren't that healthy to have around all the time. I am much better at keeping to a limited budget for one month with only one trip of "Hmmm... I really feel like Oreos right now", or "doesn't this cereal look yummy?" I go to Aldi for the majority, and then I go to County Market for whatever we don't find at Aldi. Our budget is between $150- $200 for a month, and we usually stick to that.

Then I basically have a list of meals to choose from for that night's meal. I can pick based on time, appetite, etc., all the while knowing we have all of the ingredients for that meal. I also usually plan two desserts for the month when Daniel and I get a craving for sweetness. I also LOVE the fact that we are free to have anyone over at any time, knowing I can make a food choice and have enough to feed them easily without going to the store.

Now, obviously, produce doesn't last an entire month. When we do need something fresh here and there, it's usually something Daniel picks up on his way home from work. So he runs to IGA occasionally. :)

I have taken to planning the monthly meals and the shopping list on the computer. Once I get six months' worth, I will hopefully just rotate out the months and have even the planning/list-making step cut out. Some meals we love so much we eat it almost every month!

 Here are the first two months I have:

Monthly Meal Plans

Enjoy!