The EASIEST Way to Make a Monthly Grocery List!

Now that you have made a master list of meals and taken inventory of your pantry and freezer, it’s time to make a monthly grocery list for your once a month grocery shopping list. This is fun for me! Look over your inventory and decide what you need. Also, think about any special meals you have planned that you will need ingredients for.

What is a basic grocery list?

A basic grocery list contains everything you purchase from the grocery store on a regular basis. You’re going to include all of your pantry staples, all of the ingredients you need to make your basic meals, all of your spices, condiments, and even your toiletry and miscellaneous items such as plastic wrap, foil, trash bags, and dish soap.

How To Make a Monthly Grocery List

Begin by dividing your monthly grocery list into sections. If you do this, you won’t scramble all over the store searching for various products. Include a dairy section, produce section, miscellaneous section, etc. 

I have been working on a master grocery list. I thought I would share it with you! This list is pretty specific to our family, so your list will likely look different. If nothing else, my list will give you some ideas of things you might have forgotten about when compiling your own list. Just click below to download my personal monthly grocery list.

Don’t forget your toiletry items. You know, those things that are not food, but you still need them to get by for the month. You’ll need toothpaste, soap, toilet paper, cleaning products, etc.

Here are my monthly grocery list sections:

• Dairy/Refrigerated Section
• Baking
• Condiments
• Grains/Pasta
• Meat
• Produce
• Spices/Oils/Herbs
• Canned Goods
• Breads/Snacks
• Frozen
• Miscellaneous

I also like to glance through the current ads for the stores I plan to shop at. We usually only shop at one or two stores, but I like to see what is on sale. I do not make it a habit to plan trips around sales, but if something happens to be on sale when I’m going shopping, I’ll make a note of it.

Typically, I do not use coupons. I just do not have time to sort through them. 

How can I buy groceries for a month?

This is tough, and specific to your family. My suggestion is to do a trial run for one month. Keep track of how much you use of everything. Do you typically use four dozen eggs? How many gallons of milk do you need? You can freeze milk if you have the space, if not you may have to get enough to last two weeks. How much yogurt does your family typically consume? What about meat?

If you do not do a trial run, you may not be able to get through the entire month before you need another trip. If you are doing a mid-month run anyway, you may need to restock other items.

Want printables, all this information, and more in one place? Check out my eBook, The Ultimate Guide to Once-A-Month Grocery Shopping!

More posts to help with Once a Month Grocery Shopping

Make a Master List of Meals

Inventory Your Pantry and Freezer with Free Printables

Image courtesy of nuttakit at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Linking to: Thrifty Thursdays, HomeAcre Hop