I hope it helps you as much as it helped our family! Let me know how it goes and if you find any other great tips and tricks along the way. Good luck!! 😀 ~Shelley

Awwww … what a sweet comment, Katherine – thank you for taking the time! I’m so happy to know that my suggestions could even help someone who’s already shopping this way. My shopping habits changed a lot during the pandemic, especially the early months, and I got even better than ever at planning menus ahead, ordering groceries online … and just general organization. Really happy it helps others, too! And that Chopped night with Fortune Cookies!?!? Brilliant lol! 😉 ~Shelley

Oh, I’m so happy to think that this little guide was helpful to you! I really appreciate that! 😀 ~Shelley

Hi, Susan! I don’t have specific experience with cooking for one or with once-a-month shopping with that goal in mind. But, a lot of the same principles could apply, although it definitely gets much harder if you don’t like leftovers or freezing portions for future meals – which means many typical meal prep and meal planning strategies aren’t going to be a good option for you. My best advice would be to map out a month of meals that can leverage similar ingredients without being exactly the same – so you can buy one item (like a large container of quinoa, or dry pasta, for example) and re-purpose it in several different meals without creating leftovers. Also, you could look at ways to batch cook that don’t FEEL like leftovers or repetitive – for example, make a big batch of roasted peppers and onions (which could even be frozen in portions), and use them one night in fajitas, another night mixed into marinara sauce over pasta, etc. Also, I googled around and found a site that specifically focuses on meals for one (https://onedishkitchen.com/). Maybe you could find inspiration there and create a menu plan for the month that would revolve around similar ingredients you could economically stock up on. I hope those ideas help! Good luck with your new house (how exciting)! ~Shelley

I’m so happy to know this helped you! What I’ve realized is that, although I mapped out this shopping plan when we all were first grappling with lockdowns, it’s actually so useful in more “normal” times, too. Strategies that I can apply to be more time-efficient in not having to grocery shop as often, while also being a bit more thrifty in ensuring we don’t waste food. I really hope it helps you, too – keep me posted! And have a terrific weekend, Michelle! ~Shelley