What to Do Before a Once a Month Shopping Trip

We’ve been doing this once a month shopping thing for a long time now. I still love it.

Since tomorrow is our shopping day, I wanted to share my seven must-dos before we leave. Here’s what we’re doing today to make tomorrow a success:

7 Once a Month Shopping Tips for the Day Before

1. Clean the fridge

It’s so frustrating to come home from a long day of shopping and have nowhere to put our groceries.

I’ve been there and done that. The food sits out even longer. My attitude takes a nose dive. It’s not a pretty sight.

I learned my lesson. I now ensure that both fridges are cleaned up and have lots of room. It makes putting away a month’s worth of food so much easier!

2. Organize the Cupboards

It’s so nice to put things away in a clean cupboard. Otherwise, I have a tendency to just shove the new things in without any order. That makes it so hard to find what I need!

I’m trying to keep a first in, first out style of inventory in my pantry cupboards. That means before each shopping trip I push the old things to the front.

When I put away the new ones, they just slip in right behind and I don’t have to think about it.

3. Check the Calendar

Each month has something going on. If I don’t take time to check the calendar, I’ll be unprepared for events as they come up.

For May, we have a potluck at church, a birthday, family coming to town, and a gathering with a potluck.

That means I need to add birthday presents and wrapping paper, paper plates and plastic utensils, and ingredients for a simple potluck dish to my list.

4. Update My Shopping List

I love my annual meal plan–it has made grocery shopping so easy. That’s because I use the same list each month.

But, there are still things I have to do to update my once a month shopping list. I have a section for adding toiletries, household supplies, and items for events. I have the kids help me check our current inventories and we add to the list as needed.

I also update how many of each item I need to buy. There are some items that last us several months (like a bottle of vanilla) and others that we need several of each month. I make sure to get an accurate number for each item on my list.

.5. Pack the Diaper Bag

Having to buy a new outfit for the baby and a pack of diapers at our first stop isn’t the best way to start a shopping spree.

Just saying.

Pack the diaper bag. You won’t regret it!

6. Clean the Bus

We need room to put all our stuff. Taking time to clean the vehicle makes the trip more pleasant, and means I can buy what I need without having to cram it into the seats with the kids.

7. Print the Shopping List, Put it in My Purse

Do you know how many times I’ve updated my shopping list and then left it in the printer? Way too many!

So now I print it out the day before and put it in my purse. If I forget my purse, I have bigger issues. And we won’t talk about those!

How often do you grocery shop?

Do you have any prep tips that make your shopping day easier?