I’ve been doing this Once-A-Month grocery shopping gig for about 10 months now (WHAT), and I can confidently tell you that I do not foresee myself ever going back to my old ways of bi-weekly grocery shopping. I’m very happy about all of the money that I end up saving, whether it be through coupons, or just being able to compare prices more carefully online, or the fact that impulse shopping doesn’t come quite as easily online as it does when you’re in the store. I also like that it’s kind of turned in to a game, where I see if I can beat last month’s prices (nerd alert). Sometimes my dear, sweet brother comes along with me, so that’s been fun getting to spend some extra time with him as well. He is also The Tetris Master, and can figure out how to fit ANYTHING into his car and trunk.
Speaking of Nerd Alert, I’ve made a Pros & Cons list below of some of the things that I have noticed while doing this.
Now, I’m nowhere perfect at this yet, but I have learned a few things along the way during my time of doing this that have and have not work in order to pull this whole operation off.
TIP #1: Go first thing in the morning
I wouldn't call myself a morning person, but I find that if something important needs to be completed, it’s best for me to do it first thing in the morning. I prefer to do it this way because there are not a lot of people around and you can move through the stores a lot quicker! I went shopping even earlier than I normally do this month, and the only ones that were at Trader Joe’s with me were all of the moms who must have had the exact same idea! Just bring some coffee with you if you’re feeling like a #Mombie. It’ll all work out.
TIP #2: If you have kiddos, it is so helpful arrange childcare beforehand so that you can go to the store alone
I am so grateful that my mom is able to watch Seth for me when I go to the grocery store; I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without her! I don’t know if it’s a “boy thing”, or maybe it’s just a Seth thing, but my baby boy does not like to be confined to a cart for more than, oh, 10 minutes tops. I mean, there’s only so many graham crackers that I feel comfortable feeding (read: bribing) my child with on a daily basis. So, thank you, Mom, for not only taking good care of my boy and playing with him while I’m out for hours grocery shopping, but also for feeding him decent, quality food for lunch as well.
TIP #3: Pack yourself an on-the-go breakfast & some snacks
I try to eat a good, filling breakfast before I leave to go shopping (I typically like a couple of eggs with fruit, or some oatmeal with Stevia and almonds), and then I’ll pack up a snack or two if I know I’m going to have an extra long shopping day. I like to do something easy and quick, like cut up carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, or tomatoes or some cut up fruit like apples with almond butter. This also helps me resist the major temptation for me that is the Costco food court (heyyy, chicken bake!).
TIP #4: Wear quality shoes!
I’ve learned my lesson by not wearing my supportive walking shoes when I do a multi-hour gig like this. It’s really important for me to have dependable shoe support, especially since I’ll be walking on concrete floors for hours at the grocery store. I mean, my dawgs are still barkin’ at the end of the day, but not as much as they would have been with improper shoes.