If you’ve been following me for long, you may know that I shop just once a month for all of our household items. This includes groceries, clothing, cleaning supplies, gifts, pet food, etc. You name it, I aim to get it all in just one trip a month.
Yes, this may seem a bit daunting to you. And to be honest, it is when you first get started. But, after doing this for over a year now, I can tell you that it gets easier (and better) with time.
I explain my whole journey into starting a monthly shopping trip of my own and how I do it over in my Monthly Shopping Trip 101 post. You can go read that if you’d like more detailed information!
Today I want to share eight excellent reasons why you should start shopping on a monthly basis, too. I think breaking it down like this will help you to see how beneficial it can be for your household. A few of these reasons hadn’t even occurred to me until I was months into my journey with it.
And since we’re in the midst of a global pandemic, I’ve come to realize just how beneficial our monthly shopping trip really is. When the COVID-19 situation began to unfold, we were able to sit back and witness the chaos unfold from the comfort and safety of our home, with a stocked pantry/fridge/linen closet/etc.
Let’s Break It Down
1 – Less Stress
I’m not downplaying the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, but when all hell broke loose in mid-March 2020, I really didn’t get too stirred up. There are probably a few reasons for this, but as I’ve reflected back on that time, I’ve come to realize that because I’d done my monthly shopping trip (as I always do), I knew that we had enough.
We had enough toilet paper. We had enough food. We had enough soap. We had enough clothes. We had enough shelter. We had enough money. The list goes on.
We had enough.
And because I knew we had enough of everything we needed to get by for the month, I was not stressed. I’m not saying I wasn’t stressed and overwhelmed by other factors in regards to the pandemic. I’m simply saying that the panic and urgency to buy essentials (plus some) was not something that stressed me out like I’m sure it did for others (which is totally understandable if you’re not used to shopping like I am).
Even prior to the “pandemic life”, I wasn’t as stressed because I knew that what I had purchased for the month would be enough. I don’t need to stress about finding time to get to the store each week. I don’t need to stress about what we’re going to eat. I don’t need to stress about taking two kids in the store with me. All those stressors are taken away when you commit to shopping one time a month.
2 – Less Time In Stores
If there was ever a time when you want (and need) to spend less time in stores, this would be it! Honestly, when you do a monthly shopping trip, you’re really not spending that much more time in the store. You’re there, you pick up a bit more than usual (maybe), but you’re not spending gobs more time just because you need three loaves of bread instead of one. See what I’m saying?
Now, I’m a “shopper” by nature, so I can easily spend the same amount of time in the store each time I go shopping. It can be dangerous! But now that I only shop once a month, that time spent in the store is reduced drastically on a monthly basis.
I typically spend about two hours at Sam’s Club and another two-ish hours in another store. For most people (like my husband), you could probably be in and out in a couple of hours. But, I like to dilly-dally, walk pretty much every aisle, and see all there is to see. That’s the only time I’m in stores for the month… I have to make the most of it! And, it’s only two hours versus eight!
3 – Less Contact with People
This is also a big one right now while social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic is important. If you want to reduce your contact with other people drastically, start shopping once a month.
I don’t mind people or crowds typically. But now that it’s not recommended for health reasons, I’m happy to spend my little chunk of time amongst the masses, and easily avoid it for the rest of the month.
Monthly shopping could also be right up your alley if you’re just not a people person in general. For those of you in this boat, it may be beneficial for you to use on-line ordering and curbside pickup options to complete your monthly shopping trip.
Using a Master Shopping List is key to accomplishing on-line orders so you don’t forget anything. I take my Master Shopping List with me every time a do shopping anyway! It’s so great to have!
I’ve considered going the on-line route for my monthly shopping trip, but I enjoy the “shopping” part too much at this point. It’s one of the very few times a month that I’m able to leave the house alone and shop to my heart’s content.
4 – Less Gas Consumption
I’m not sure I need to go into great detail here… If I’m traveling to the store one time per month versus every week, I’m saving money and not using as much gas. Pretty simple.
This may not be as big of a deal for some of you who live in the city or near stores. I do not have this luxury. We’re about 30 minutes from any town large enough to have stores. So, this one is likely a bigger deal for me and those of us that live in rural America, and why I’ve added it to my list.
If you live in a rural area, you’ll understand and know what a big deal this is. And all the more reason for you to start shopping monthly, amiright?!
5 – Fewer Impulse Buys
Look, if you’re not in the store, you’re not even tempted by the trickery and marketing schemes of the “impulse buy” sections of every store!
I’ve fallen victim so many times, and it is so hard to resist, I know. But now, I don’t even have the chance the consider it. Well, I suppose I do one time a month… better make the most of it! Haha!
6 – More Time at Home
This was one of the biggest reasons I wanted to start doing a monthly shopping trip. I was spending so much time out and about running errands every week that I was missing out on a lot of quality time with Myles (Gracelyn wasn’t born yet).
I don’t know about you, but spending our days in a car is not super fun. That is definitely a nice change of pace from time to time, and when we want to go out and about, but the fact that it’s no longer a necessity to do so is freeing.
If you crave more time in your home – actually living in your home – then I’d encourage you to try shopping once a month. There never seems to be enough hours in the day for me, and I cannot even imagine trying to carve out even more time to get grocery shopping and errand running done.
7 – More Cooking Your Own Food
I would not say that I love cooking, especially cooking while trying to parent and keep a house running. Sometimes (a lot of times?!) it’s not super fun to put together three meals a day. But, I have grown to enjoy cooking since becoming a SAHM.
I really love cooking if I have a (clean) kitchen to myself – it becomes therapeutic for me. I especially like trying out new recipes, and I love the challenge of making meals with what’s already in our cupboards.
I’ve created many a delicious meal from random items we have left at the end of the month. I’m becoming more confident in my cooking and baking skills, and I find great pleasure in cooking a meal that everyone in my family enjoys (this is no small feat with toddlers around!).
While this may not be a great reason for a lot of people to take on monthly shopping, it has become a great reason for us over time.
8 – Less Waste
We are definitely not a model family for recycling and being “green”, but since we’ve started doing a monthly shopping trip we waste a lot less food. Like, a lot less. It was very clear after the first month or so, just how much food we were wasting. It was also apparent how much farther our food could go for us if we just changed our mindset and put forth a bit more effort.
We might have a way to go on being a more environmentally friendly household overall, but this has been an area of great progress for us and I’m proud of that.
There you have it, eight great reasons to start shopping once a month! Which reason compelled you the most to consider taking the leap? Tell me in the comments or shoot me a message. I’d love to hear about your Monthly Shopping Trip journey!
If you have any questions about this whole process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’m an open book!
To the Chaos!
-MG
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