Learn how to save time, money, and calories by taking less trips to the grocery store. By doing stock up style shopping you can do just that; and read how I was sponsored by Albertsons to share how you can do it even more cheaply during their Stock Up Sale. All opinions are 100% my own.
With two busy kids, lots of activities, and lots of things to do, I feel like time can be a precious commodity. I hate when I feel like I have spent my entire week just running errands and making a thousand little stops at different places. By the end of a bunch of errands I feel worn out, my kids feel like they have been ran all over town, we have to come home and rush through homework time and dinner and that’s the end of our day. Not too much fun at all!
So to eliminate part of that stress I started taking a “stock up” approach to my grocery shopping. This allows me to go shopping only once every two weeks (other then needing to sometimes get a fresh produce item). I find that it saves me time, because I don’t have to run to the store every other day, but also saves me money because less trips to the grocery store means less opportunities to throw little “extras” into my cart. I also feel that I eat healthier when I shop this way because it forces me to have healthy meals planned, making me less tempted to eat out or pick up a pizza for dinner.
If you are new to this style of shopping, here are a few tips to get you started! I typically shop for a two week period, but you can also apply this to a one week period.
1. Make a Meal Plan: Plan what you would like to feed your family for the next two weeks. I like to do this while checking my family calendar so I plan easier meals for busy days, and the more involved meals for days that I have more time. You may also want to check store ads while making your meal plan, to make meals around items that are on sale. This week Albertsons is having a “Stock Up” Sale which means they have great deals around the store to choose from. To see a pre-made meal plan based on this week’s Albertsons deals check out this Albertsons Stock Up Sale: Weekly Menu Plan.
2. Make a Shopping List: Using your meal plan make a list of all of the ingredients that you will need to make those meals. Also check your pantry for other items you might need during the next two weeks such as snacks, lunch and breakfast foods and pantry essentials. I also like to shop for pet supplies and baby items (such as diapers) at the same time, to avoid having to make a separate trip for those items. Luckily, this week both of those are on sale at Albertsons. With Cat’s Pride Fresh & Light Cat Litter on sale for buy 1-get 1 free, and Huggies Diapers on sale for 9.99 per jumbo pack, I can rest assured that I am getting a great deal without making additional shopping stops!
3. Make a Budget: If you have never done stock up style shopping before you might be surprised how much it costs to feed your family for a two-week period. To avoid going into shock at the check-out counter, go through your previous month’s bank statement and add up all the times you spent money on food. Now you have your budget! To estimate how much your shopping trip will cost, you can also go through a store ad and figure out the cost of many of the items on your list. This week’s Albertsons Ad has deals listed for tons of items around the store including meats, produce, and deli items so taking a look at it will give you a great estimation of your total cost!
4. Shopping Trip: This style of shopping can take a lot longer then you might be used to spending grocery shopping, so
plan to go on a day that you have plenty of time! I also like to plan to grab an easy dinner from the deli on “shopping day” to make that day a little easier on me. Albertsons has their rotisserie chicken on sale for 6.99 and Baguettes on sale for 1.69. Add some pre-cut fruit bowls (on sale for 3.99) and you have an easy “shopping day” dinner!
5. Enjoy: While “stock up” style shopping is a ton of work upfront, you then get 2 whole weeks off, where you don’t have to go to the store or worry about what’s for dinner every night! That’s something to celebrate in my books!
Leanne Cox is a guest writer for CleverHousewife.com. She is a stay-at-home mom to two kids, and a credentialed preschool teacher. Leanne teaches “mommy-and-me” and “preschool style” music & movement classes through her business “Little Stars Music & Movement Classes” . She is passionate about encouraging early childhood education through hands on learning and exploration
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