It could depend on the size of your household. “A smaller household may be better off buying the weekly sales and buying smaller quantities, not only to stay within budget but also to avoid wasting food, he said. Is it better to buy every week or monthly? I've found that I shop every month and that I spend a lot of money on drinks, sodas, milk and tea, and I spend my budget on those drinks, meats and basic necessities. Then, 2 weeks after the month, I need milk and, after 3 weeks, I need little things to accompany my meal, like more potatoes.
Then, our local stores will have discounts and we'll spend more to stock up. There are only 2 of us to cook, but we have coupons. I wasn't sure how to make this plan work if you buy monthly or if I need to switch to a weekly one. I LOVE this question because there are so many different ways to answer it.
First, let me tell you what we do. When Mark worked, we were paid every two months (every other Friday), we would take out the money we needed to buy the next two weeks in cash and keep it in an envelope with the inscription “groceries”. Then I would shop every week and only use half the money. Taking out cash every two weeks still seems to work well for us.
We take out cash for 2 weeks and divide it in half so that I can do my shopping every week. This allowed me to compare our weekly schedule, our meal plan, and stock up on the main losses for that week. While it wasn't on my numbered list when I asked if it was better to go shopping weekly or monthly, another factor to consider is the distance you are from the store.
