Honestly, how many times do you really need to go to the grocery store each month?

Today I want to explain why I believe buying weekly groceries will save you more money in the long-run provided you stick to your budget. You can ask just about anyone about grocery shopping and you’ll soon see that views differ based on lifestyle and the enjoyment of planning and executing a trip to the shop.

Honestly, how many times do you really need to go to the grocery store each month?

This is what my neighbour said about his wife who must grocery shop once a week. Well, that depends on your meal plan, cooking methods and if your plan is for weekly groceries you may come out ahead with the better deals while giving up time.

Time differs for everyone, let me explain.

Over the years Mrs. CBB and I have trialed different times of grocery shopping such as shopping bi-weekly, weekly, once a month and daily and each offered us something different. Before we had our son for example it was a breeze doing weekly groceries or even daily because we could without any issue. Add couponing to the mix and before you would know it we had 96 monster jugs of laundry soap in our basement that cost us under $1 each after coupon!

Once junior was born it seemed easiest if we planned our shopping trips around weekly groceries instead of daily and we also paired down the amount of stores we would visit. For us we are lucky to have many grocery stores all on one stretch of road which doesn’t cost much in gas in time to hop around for deals. Price-matching certainly helps provided you have a store that offers this super-awesome  money-saving perk to their customers.

When I was living in the UK it was nothing for me to visit the grocery store 3 times a week since my refrigerator was so small. In Canada with large capacity cold boxes we are able to stuff far more into one spot which means weekly groceries or even monthly grocery shopping becomes a popular trend.

I know some people who live a fair distance from the grocery store opt for monthly grocery shopping but for those of you who live in town your options differ. Weekly groceries may sound like too much of a chore for some people but for others it’s a trip to get out of the house. My mother-in-law with dementia LOVES to go grocery shopping for weekly groceries to a few of her favourite shops.

In reality she doesn’t eat much and could go monthly without issue. For her weekly groceries is a trip out of the house and perhaps she may run into people she knows. It’s about human interaction and enjoying life. You may find the older you get that weekly groceries become a way of life. Mrs. CBB said that her grandparents would go for weekly groceries right up until her grandpa passed away in his 80’s. He would drive them both to the mall to A&P where she would shop and he would people watch. It was their form of entertainment.

Let’s go back a moment here to Mrs. CBB who had just given birth and indoors for a good chunk of the day. When it was time for weekly groceries she would jump at the chance to get out of the house.

If she drove herself she would be out the door doing it on her own but she would wait for me to come home from work. Sitting in the house no matter who you are and your circumstances is boring especially when all you want is some fresh air and for some, alone time.

The grocery store seems to be the go-to place.

Perks of buying weekly groceries in Canada

If you have a spouse, friend or family member who is questioning why you do weekly groceries just remember that what you do is for your benefit. Even if money saving isn’t your perk visiting the shop for weekly groceries may mean you end up with more from your food budget.

Weekly Rewards Points

Just about every rewards program that we participate in changes their rewards points on a weekly basis. For example, Shoppers Drug Mart in conjunction with Loblaws update their coupon app every Thursday.

This means that customers online or on the app can add new coupons to the roster for their grocery shopping pleasure. With over 3 million Optimum Points under our belt over the past 3 years we can safely say that they do add up fast. That’s over $3000 in free groceries.

Ah, and let’s not forget if you are part of the Nielsen Home Scan Canada grocery shopping group you can grab even more points which means more rewards for you. Take your home scanner, scan your products and you get reward points to redeem for products or even gift cards.

Related:  Pinecone Research Evaluate Products Before They Hit The Shelves and Get Paid!

Weekly Specials

This is a big one for many Canadian shoppers due to being on a tight budget which is why grocery stores advertise their best deals on the front and back of their weekly flyers. Grocery shopping weekly means you can split your monthly grocery allowance into weeks and base it around weekly sales. This opens up your meal planning and offers variety in your diet especially if you are able to purchase products you wouldn’t typically buy because of higher prices.

Weekly specials may also allow you to buy larger quantity products again because they are on sale where you would typically only buy a smaller package or bottle of an item. If you have a Costco membership they have weekly specials which means more savings for the bulk-shopper. Our 2018 membership cost us $20 after our yearly rebate which mostly came from buying gas and groceries throughout the year.

Weekly Menu Plan

This one is huge for us especially now that we have a child who is a picky eater. A weekly meal plan based around weekly specials allows us to change it up as much as possible. Homemade is the way we opt to cook in our kitchen which also means having fresh vegetables and fruits on hand is a must.

We find that we struggle if we wait for two or more weeks before we need fresh produce depending on weekly circumstances. This summer for example our friends gave us produce from their garden which meant it was easy to wait.

Many Canadians opt for a weekly grocery box which is delivered to the door and filled with fresh produce both organic and non-organic produce. Either way weekly groceries delivered or not offers better variety for a healthy diet. There are numerous operations around Canada that offer this service which also helps cut down on costs and time for grocery shoppers even those who still enjoy stopping in for weekly groceries.

Unadvertised Deals

I’m not one to tell my readers to shop outside of their grocery list but there are times when an unadvertised special pops up at the grocery store and it’s worth your while. When this happens to us we must adjust our grocery budget or suffer the consequences of going over.

Don’t take this category lightly as it can be a money saver or a money soaker depending on how you roll it out. Just remember what you put in you must take out if it’s not on your grocery list or adjust the amount you spend for the next shop of weekly groceries.

Scoring Weekly Coupons and Coupon Apps

Coupons are always added to the coupon boards at the grocery store and as new products arrive on the shelves or attached to freezers and refrigerator doors. These coupons offer savings for the shopper who want to save even more money.

Miss out on these coupons and you miss out on savings and don’t forget to check your local newspapers even the free coupon booklets that come in the mail for even more savings. Extreme couponing still exists in Canada so if you’re in the fast lane with coupons you can snap up some pretty amazing deals for hardly any money at all.

Where can I find Canadian Coupons 2018?

Our number one, hands down coupon app is Checkout51 for the best money-saving deals on groceries.

• Healthy Essentials Printable Coupons (Johnson and Johnson)
• Danone Coupons Get up to $25 in coupons
• Clorox Coupons Sign up to print coupons in the Clorox family
• Kraft Canada Sign up and receive recipes and coupons by email
• MySavings.com Printable Smart Source Coupons
• Walmart Canada Printable Coupons
• Proctor and Gamble PandG Sign up for printable coupons
• Hidden Coupon Portals

Grocery Pickup/Delivery

Unless you live far away from your local grocery store you can still reap the rewards of weekly groceries by ordering online and collecting or having groceries delivered to your home. Like the produce box delivery many grocery stores offer home delivery and all you have to do is order online by visiting their website or by using the phone app associated with the shop.

Wal-Mart Grocery is seriously the best! Order fresh groceries and more online, and Wal-Mart will load your car for you… free! How easy is that? Order your online groceries from Wal-Mart Canada and enjoy this $10 from Me To You for first time shoppers! You can thank me later 🙂

My sister-in-law who is a busy executive loves to get weekly groceries but doesn’t have the time to roam around the store even though she doesn’t mind doing it. When she is on her lunch break she eats lunch and does her online grocery shopping at the same time and then collects it when she is done work once a week. This convenience means more time with her family and more time to cook as her hours vary based on meetings and other obligations at the office.

Grocery shopping isn’t so bad when you understand how it works and know what you are looking for with a budget in place and meal plan on the go. If you find you are lost and scrambling for ideas perhaps reading my Ultimate Grocery Shopping Guide may help ease some of your concerns and help you to save more MONEY.

So, whenever you decide to do your grocery shopping just consider all of the perks that might help stretch your grocery budget but also consider how it may affect your lifestyle.

P.S- Those 96 jugs of laundry soap lasted us 10 years!! What a HUGE savings for us.

Discussion: What other perks can you think of for those who want to do weekly groceries? Share your comments below. 🙂

September 2018 Grocery Game Challenge

Join the 2018 Grocery Game Challenge (GGC) but before you do you must read The Grocery Game Challenge Rules and Print the 2018 Schedule which includes new prizes!

• 5 Costly Couples Grocery Shopping Mistakes GGC #5 August
• How To Make A Customer Complaint (with sample Letter) GGC #1 September
• Ontario Fall Fruits and Vegetables For Your Budget Meal Plan GGC #2 September

2018 Grocery Shop Results

Yearly grocery budget for two + 1 Toddler 2018: $3600 or $300/month (The above total does not include the stockpile budget of $300/year or $25/month.

Points Overview (add any other sections you need to show us your savings or that you would like to track on your own)

• Total Grocery Budget for this Month: $300
  
• Total Grocery Budget with any carry-overs $300-$42.74=$257.26
  
• Total Gift Cards used to date: $0
• Total Rewards Points redeemed this week: $0
• Total Rewards Points used to date: $0
• PC Optimum Points to Spend: 3,500,000
  
• Scanning Code of Practice (SCOP) to date $0
  

Coupon Apps (add any other apps you use to save money)

• Zweet -$0
  
• Checkout51– $1.50
  

Our Grocery Shop This Week

Costco

• 4 x whipping cream $4.99 each $19.96
• 4 x 10% Cream $1.95 ea $7.80
• Mozzarella Block $20.99
• 3 x Salted Butter $3.99 $11.97
• Hemp Hearts $14.89
• Grape tomatoes $5.99
• Bananas $1.59
• Spaghetti Squash x 2 $4.99 happy happy happy
• Baby Dill Pickles $5.49
• Kirkland Brie $8.99
• Owl School Safe cookies $9.69
• 3 x cucumbers $2.99

Total Out-of-Pocket $115.34

Note: All totals below already have tax factored into them.