My method for monthly shopping

Here is the method that works best for keeping my kitchen stocked and family feed.  I have different stores available to me than you do and I am sure we have different budgets and food preferences.  So some of this might interest you but it might not carry over at all to your home.  

I don't much like the grocery stores in my town and prefer the stores in Oklahoma City- about an hours drive.  I like to shop at Crest Foods, where the cheese came from, mostly for sales and good deals.

I really like Sprouts for very fresh produce at low prices.  They have nice meat and some good bulk items too- I pretty much only buy from their weekly sale list though as their regular prices are high.  

Aldis is also on the list- I like their baking items,  husband loves their chips, and sometimes they have good deals on produce.  

Last is Sams, a big warehouse store where everything is good and comes in huge amounts.  

Once we get to Oklahoma City,  these 4 stores are all pretty close together.  

My husband is not perfect but he is really good sport about driving me around, loading the groceries and will even backtrack if I decide to need to re-visit a store.  He knows I am spending his paychecks just as wisely as possible.  

The one thing everyone asks about, when they hear someone shops once a month,  is what about fresh produce?   Well,  I do like to do the bulk of my shopping once a month and I think we probably eat more produce than average.  

First,  I buy the very freshest produce I can find.  From past experience,  I know the produce from Sprouts and Sams is fresher and lasts longer than produce I buy in my town.  

Second,  we eat things in order.  I know the bananas and grapes won't last all month so we eat those first and have apples and oranges later in the month.  

Third,  I pack the produce as air tight as possible before I put it in the fridge. 

that 6 pack of romaine heads from Sams gets put in zipper bags and sealed up with as much air as possible squeezed out.
These will keep for up to 3 weeks like this,

the bulk organic greens bought at Sprouts for $1.99 /pound are sealed up in a plastic container
I know these have a shorter shelf life than the romaine so  these will get eaten first.
We had half of them in last nights salad.  

I am also a big fan of Tupperware Fridgesmart containers.
I have about 6 of them and keep most all the salad veggies in them.
This one holds celery and green onions.
I also stored the tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms and some of the grapes in them this trip.

Tupperware is expensive,  I got some of mine on Ebay in a lot that was not too high.  I even found one at a thrift store.

When I don't have the right size Fridgesmart container,  I use any plastic container or bag that will hold the produce.
I really think sealing produce up from air prolongs the shelf life.  

Eggs- can you tell their are brown, blue and white ones in that dish?  They don't come from the store but from friends who have a few chickens.  $2 a dozen!

Milk - one store in my town puts half gallons on sale about once a month.  I buy 6 or 8 and freeze them,  after I open each one and pour about an inch into a pitcher.  The milk needs a little room to expand when froze.  

Baked goods - I make most of those from scratch at home.  

I have a smallish chest freezer.  It is currently packed though it is not always this full.  

I did not buy any meat this trip because I have found some great sales locally on chicken and ground beef, roasts and sausage.  

I buy big bags of frozen veggies and sometimes fruit to supplement the fresh produce.  

I read the local sales ads when the come out each week.  If their are really good deals or things we need,  I buy them locally.  

I do stop at Walmart and Walgreens to use coupons maybe twice a month.  

With the big shopping trip,  I don't have to shop again for a month if I can't.

 Normally I do supplement fresh and sale items if convenient.  

If you are wondering how many people I feed - well,  a lot!

Just my husband and I live here but I have grandchildren here about 3 days a week. 

Their parents join us for meals  often as does our single son.

My parents visit us an average of 1 week every month or so.

And when my parents are here visiting,  my brothers usually come for a short time and our children visit more frequently so they can see their grandparents and uncles. 

How much do I spend?  It really varies.  

In a very good month  - maybe $400-$500 for the month.

It is usually quite a bit higher though.  $700.  

For all that we bought this week,  I spent about $250 but that did not include any meat, milk or the eggs.  

We have a pretty big stockpile and could probably live on just what we have for 3-4 months without much difficulty, maybe longer.  

So,  that is how we do it!  

is it anything like how you plan and shop?