Fresh Meat & Fish (for freezing) 
Frozen Food 
Dairy & Eggs 
Canned Food 
Grains 
Herbs & Spices 
Fresh Vegetables (for using up to 2 weeks, or freezing) 
Snacks 
Drinks Shopping can be stressful and tiring. For some people, the fewer trips they make to the grocery store or supermarket the better. Some people might also simply not have the time to shop every few days, or even make weekly trips. Whatever your reason for wanting to avoid the grocery store, or whether you’re not able to make it to the supermarket often, making a good monthly grocery list will save you a lot of hassle, and more.
Grocery shopping once a month
Time is a commodity many of us feel we simply do not have enough of. Therefore, when we do have some of it spare, is the grocery store or supermarket where we really want to be spending it?
Of course not!
Though, for many, doing the grocery shopping week by week is the best way to get all the fresh and healthy food that you want and need.
But what if we told you there was a way to make a monthly grocery shopping list that will keep you healthy and fed? What if we also told you that it could save you money as well as time?
Below we go through how to plan a month’s shop and what keeps that long. The free printable template is at the top of the page, if you’d rather start there.
How to grocery shop for a month
A month’s shop takes some planning and one big trip, and then you’re set until the next one. Here’s how to go about it:
- Start with what you already have. Go through the cupboards, the fridge and the freezer before you write anything, so you don’t come home with a third jar of mustard.
- Plan four weeks of main meals. You don’t need a recipe for every day, just enough dinners to know what to buy. Meals that share ingredients, like a roast chicken one day and chicken soup the next, make the list go further.
- Write the list by aisle. The template above is already split into aisles, from meat for the freezer to condiments, so tick what your meals need and skip the rest.
- Buy fresh food for two weeks and everything else for four. Most fresh fruit and vegetables keep for 1 to 2 weeks, so the second half of the month runs on frozen, canned and dried food.
- Portion and freeze on the day you shop. Split meat, fish and bread into meal-sized bags before they go into the freezer, and write the date on each one.
- Top up halfway through if you need to. A short trip for milk, salad and fruit in the middle of the month keeps fresh food on the table. Take a list, so the top-up stays a top-up.
What lasts a month, and what doesn’t
A monthly grocery list only works with food that keeps. Food kept frozen at 0°F (-18°C) stays safe indefinitely, so the freezer times below are for best quality. All the times come from the USDA, as in our how to store guides.
| Food | Where | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Raw steaks, chops and roasts | Freezer | 4 to 12 months |
| Raw ground meat | Freezer | 3 to 4 months |
| Raw chicken or turkey pieces | Freezer | 9 months |
| Lean fish, such as cod | Freezer | 6 to 8 months |
| Fatty fish, such as salmon | Freezer | 2 to 3 months |
| Store-bought bread | Freezer | 3 to 5 months |
| Canned meat, beans and corn | Pantry, unopened | 2 to 5 years |
| Canned fruit, pickles and tomato soup | Pantry, unopened | 12 to 18 months |
| Uncooked white rice | Pantry, unopened | 2 years |
| Dry pasta | Pantry, unopened | 2 years |
| White flour | Pantry | 6 to 12 months |
| Shelf-stable (UHT) milk | Pantry, unopened | 6 to 12 months |
| Whole potatoes | Pantry | 1 to 2 months |
| Whole onions | Pantry | 1 month |
| Whole apples | Fridge | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Eggs in the shell | Fridge | 3 to 5 weeks |
Fresh produce is the short end of the list, which is why the template marks fruit and vegetables for the first two weeks or for the freezer.
The 10 essentials on this list
The products on this list that have a page of their own. Open any of them for its calories, its protein and how to keep it.
-
Baked beans 155 kcal -
Black beans 339 kcal -
Potatoes 77 kcal -
Red kidney beans 333 kcal -
Soup 50 kcal -
Beans 347 kcal -
Beef 250 kcal -
Chicken 239 kcal -
Cod 82 kcal -
Lamb 294 kcal
Monthly shopping list for one, two or a family
The aisles on the list stay the same whoever you shop for, and storage space limits a monthly shop more than the number of people does. What changes is the size of the packs and how much of the freezer the month takes up.
For one person - Buy small packs of anything that goes off soon after opening, such as yogurt, cheese and sauces. Freeze meat and bread in single portions, so you only thaw what you’ll eat. Fresh fruit and vegetables are the hardest part to judge on your own, so buy fewer and plan a quick top-up mid-month. Our healthy grocery list for one has more ideas.
For two - Big bags of rice, pasta and coffee start to pay off, as long as you have a cupboard to keep them in. Freeze meat in portions for two.
For a family - With three, four or more people at home, buy the things you use up fastest, such as UHT milk and bread for the freezer, in multipacks or family-size packs. Keep most of the freezer for meat and fish, and expect to top up milk and fresh fruit more than once.
A monthly grocery list on a budget
Shopping once a month already helps, because every trip you skip is a trip without impulse buys. A few habits stretch the money further:
- Compare the unit price on the shelf label, not the price of the pack. Bigger packs usually cost less per kilo, but not always.
- Own-brand tins, pasta, flour and frozen vegetables usually cost less than the big names.
- Only buy in bulk what you’ll eat and have room for. Food that goes off or doesn’t fit in the freezer isn’t a saving.
- Decide how much the month’s shop can cost before you write the list, and if it comes out over, cut snacks and drinks first.
For a list built around the cheapest staples, see our cheap grocery list.
Your monthly grocery list template
Now that you’re stocked up on some knowledge, the free template is waiting at the top of the page. Tick what you need and send the list to the Listonic app, where you can add your own items, or download the free PDF and print it.
