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How to Shop Monthly, Save Money and Love It!
Most of us whether we are singles, couples or families routinely buy the same basic supplies every time we shop. Therefore, it’s a simple matter to create a perpetual shopping list. Just make a master of your perpetual list and then use a copy of it when you are preparing your monthly shopping list.
A perpetual shopping list will save you so much time. Everything you regularly buy is already on the list – you just need to add the things on the list to your trolley and away you go! No more spending time standing in the kitchen wondering if you’ve forgotten to put anything on the list. And no more getting home, only to realise that you forgot to buy half the things you need for dinner next week.
To create your very own personalised perpetual monthly shopping list:
1. Keep a record of every item you buy each week, and note how many, what brand and the price. Use your dockets for a few weeks to keep track of what you use on a regular basis. For example if you shop monthly, multiply the total of each item by four to get a monthly amount e.g. Cornflakes 1 box per week @ $2.53 = Cornflakes 4 boxes @$2.53 total $10.12
2. Record the things that you only buy occasionally e.g. light bulbs, fly sprays, flea bombs or whatever and note how often they are purchased. These go onto the bottom of the list.
3. Record bulk purchases such as rice, flour, herbs, soap powder etc. the same way and note how often you purchase each item. For example, I buy mixed herbs in 500gm packets twice a year. I usually put this item on the first summer and first winter shopping list.
4. Transfer all the information from point 1 onto your master copy, and then slot the items from 2 and 3 into the appropriate months.
You may find that you buy different grocery items in summer to those you purchase in winter. Just make two master lists – one for summer, another for winter. My summer list has things such as beetroot, pineapple and coleslaw dressing down for every shop. On the winter list they are down for every second shop. The winter list has soup mix, kidney beans and pasta on every list. The soup mix is only on every fourth summer list as we don’t eat much soup in summer.
I generally buy non-food grocery items at a discount grocery outlet, my local chemist or the market unless there is a really good sale on at the supermarket. For personal items, a chemist shop or a market stall will generally be the cheapest. All these things still go on the list and I buy them from the cheapest outlets (I check my price book before I go out to see where I’ll be going).
Master Lists
I keep a copy of the master lists with quantities for a family of five on a weekly and a monthly rotation. That simply means that I only grocery shop once every four weeks. Occasionally if I am very busy, I will do a smaller weekly shop, using the master list as a guide. I have to be honest though and say I much prefer once a month shopping, getting in and out, and having it over and done with in one morning.
Once you have made your own shopping list, keep a master copy. You can draw it up yourself in a notebook or use a spreadsheet or if you’re technologically talented there are dozens of grocery shopping apps (although I am yet to find one that works the way my list does).
My very first perpetual shopping list was in a spiral bound notebook. Then I moved onto Excel and now it’s stored on the computer. You can do whatever works for you. If you’re not sure, use the sample as your master. Just copy it a few times, keeping one as a master.
Create your own perpetual shopping list:
Whether you use a notebook, the sample shopping list template or a spreadsheet on your computer the steps are the same:
*Rule up your master sheet with seven columns. They will be: item, brand, quantity, price last month, price this month, total.
*Now list every item you buy, from peanut butter to toothpaste and the price it was last time you bought it (include some blank lines for those things that don’t need to be bought on a regular basis).
*If you want to be super organized, list the items in the order you find them in the supermarket. You’ll save time by not having to go back and forth and you will be able to mark off your list in order.
*Run off some copies. Stick one to the front of the fridge or the pantry door. This will become your next shopping list.
*During the week as you run out of things or as you notice you’ll need an item, circle it on the list.
*Each shopping day, you just have to grab the list and hit the supermarket. Before you leave home, in the price column put the price for each item when you last bought it. You’ll get this information from your price book. And you’ll know if you’re paying too much, getting a bargain or it’s the same price as last time you bought it.
When you are shopping just put the current price in the appropriate column and you have a record of how much each item has cost you. This helps you to keep track of how much items have gone up or down and will help you decide whether you need to reconsider the purchase. If you carry a small calculator, and tally as you go, you’ll easily pick up checkout errors.
When you are at the store:
STICK TO YOUR LIST; IF IT’S NOT ON THE LIST DON’T BUY IT!!!
A perpetual shopping list will save you so much time. Everything you regularly buy is already on the list – you just need to add the things on the list to your trolley and away you go! No more spending time standing in the kitchen wondering if you’ve forgotten to put anything on the list. And no more getting home, only to realise that you forgot to buy half the things you need for dinner next week.
To create your very own personalised perpetual monthly shopping list:
1. Keep a record of every item you buy each week, and note how many, what brand and the price. Use your dockets for a few weeks to keep track of what you use on a regular basis. For example if you shop monthly, multiply the total of each item by four to get a monthly amount e.g. Cornflakes 1 box per week @ $2.53 = Cornflakes 4 boxes @$2.53 total $10.12
2. Record the things that you only buy occasionally e.g. light bulbs, fly sprays, flea bombs or whatever and note how often they are purchased. These go onto the bottom of the list.
3. Record bulk purchases such as rice, flour, herbs, soap powder etc. the same way and note how often you purchase each item. For example, I buy mixed herbs in 500gm packets twice a year. I usually put this item on the first summer and first winter shopping list.
4. Transfer all the information from point 1 onto your master copy, and then slot the items from 2 and 3 into the appropriate months.
You may find that you buy different grocery items in summer to those you purchase in winter. Just make two master lists – one for summer, another for winter. My summer list has things such as beetroot, pineapple and coleslaw dressing down for every shop. On the winter list they are down for every second shop. The winter list has soup mix, kidney beans and pasta on every list. The soup mix is only on every fourth summer list as we don’t eat much soup in summer.
I generally buy non-food grocery items at a discount grocery outlet, my local chemist or the market unless there is a really good sale on at the supermarket. For personal items, a chemist shop or a market stall will generally be the cheapest. All these things still go on the list and I buy them from the cheapest outlets (I check my price book before I go out to see where I’ll be going).
Master Lists
I keep a copy of the master lists with quantities for a family of five on a weekly and a monthly rotation. That simply means that I only grocery shop once every four weeks. Occasionally if I am very busy, I will do a smaller weekly shop, using the master list as a guide. I have to be honest though and say I much prefer once a month shopping, getting in and out, and having it over and done with in one morning.
Once you have made your own shopping list, keep a master copy. You can draw it up yourself in a notebook or use a spreadsheet or if you’re technologically talented there are dozens of grocery shopping apps (although I am yet to find one that works the way my list does).
My very first perpetual shopping list was in a spiral bound notebook. Then I moved onto Excel and now it’s stored on the computer. You can do whatever works for you. If you’re not sure, use the sample as your master. Just copy it a few times, keeping one as a master.
Create your own perpetual shopping list:
Whether you use a notebook, the sample shopping list template or a spreadsheet on your computer the steps are the same:
*Rule up your master sheet with seven columns. They will be: item, brand, quantity, price last month, price this month, total.
*Now list every item you buy, from peanut butter to toothpaste and the price it was last time you bought it (include some blank lines for those things that don’t need to be bought on a regular basis).
*If you want to be super organized, list the items in the order you find them in the supermarket. You’ll save time by not having to go back and forth and you will be able to mark off your list in order.
*Run off some copies. Stick one to the front of the fridge or the pantry door. This will become your next shopping list.
*During the week as you run out of things or as you notice you’ll need an item, circle it on the list.
*Each shopping day, you just have to grab the list and hit the supermarket. Before you leave home, in the price column put the price for each item when you last bought it. You’ll get this information from your price book. And you’ll know if you’re paying too much, getting a bargain or it’s the same price as last time you bought it.
When you are shopping just put the current price in the appropriate column and you have a record of how much each item has cost you. This helps you to keep track of how much items have gone up or down and will help you decide whether you need to reconsider the purchase. If you carry a small calculator, and tally as you go, you’ll easily pick up checkout errors.
When you are at the store:
STICK TO YOUR LIST; IF IT’S NOT ON THE LIST DON’T BUY IT!!!