Carter Pounce delivers discounts.

Buying Groceries for One Person.

O.f.O.'s free Seven Day Solo Meal Planner helps busy singles shop more efficiently.

When it comes to buying groceries for one person, wanting to wing it is natural, but an impromptu approach to food shopping can be seriously wasteful and limiting. That's why planning to shop is so important. After all, the ability to prepare good food for oneself on a busy, unsteady schedule is an invaluable life skill, and it all starts with sourcing.

Sourcing is a skill.

Hungry, impulsive, inopportune grocery shopping isn't smart, yet otherwise smart people occasionally find themselves waiting in long lines to overpay for just a few items, only to realize they've made a mistake once they make it home. Why? Zero organization.

Why not make a decision to get better at grocery shopping by implementing a strategy moving forward?

Here are five tricks to buying groceries for one person efficiently:

1. Shop once a week.

Whole Mice Market

Whether ordering grocery delivery or walking the isles, it's important to establish a recurring weekly schedule for food shopping.

Weekly meal planning works best when supplies are sourced on the same day each week, because "shopping day" starts each seven day cycle for prep.

Why seven days?

Freshness. A seven day shop & prep cycle is the traditional "sweet spot" for meal planning, because most fresh perishables will keep nicely for a full week before spoiling. That's why many grocers advertise new weekly sales each Wednesday/Sunday.

Set yourself up for success:

Customize your planner by filling the Kitchen Time Tracker's day-of-the-week fields with your chosen weekly shopping day positioned at the top.
Count shopping day as "start day" to calculate setup for recurring recipe prep progress targets.
Capture ingredient and kitchen supply stock-up ideas in the Try & Buy/Delicious Thoughts notepads & image boards.

2. Plan ahead and make informed choices.

Weekly shopping is way more efficient with recipe ingredients and kitchen re-ups factored into a list.

Get planning out of the way before shopping day.
Confirm meal plan & shopping list completion by positioning washi onto the Seven Day Kitchen Time Tracker.
List location reminders for store specific stock-ups on the Plan & Shop page.
Update inventory image galleries with new fridge and pantry pics before shopping.
Reference the Fridge & Pantry Inventory Image Gallery, Freezer Tracker, and Seasonings Sorter while scanning isles for unadvertised discounts on shop-ahead stock-ups.
Gallery images of store items can serve as handy reminders for future shopping lists. To capture an image directly onto the planner while shopping, click into a gallery field, select "add image in cell" and take a pic. Images may also be imbedded directly onto the planner's sticker keeper in the same manner, to be stored as functional stickers.
Update the Freezer Tracker, Seasonings Sorter, Seven Day Food Spending Tracker, and Receipt Galleries after shopping.

3. Find a balance for monthly food budgeting.

Weekly shop checked off

Grocery shopping just once a week makes tracking food spending easier.

Log each food expenditure in the Seven Day Food Spending Tracker, then migrate each week's total to the Six Week Monthly Food Spending Tracker.
Keep receipts on gallery-notepads.
Note each week's special discounts, kitchen setup investments, and celebratory/share splurges.
Enter prices for each item on the Plan & Shop page, then fill in the Recipe Cost Calculator fields for a detailed breakdown of recipe costs and serving costs.

4. Shop Ahead & Stay Stocked Up.

Food freezes, but prices don't.

Buying groceries for one person efficiently doesn't require stockpiling bulk foods, however, it definitely pays to invest in key items (like organic proteins) when prices temporarily dip.

Get in the game.

Grocers offer sales and perks to attract customers and build loyalty, and it works. Budget minded shoppers are drawn to discounts, tempted by overpriced items, and the game is on! To win at grocery shopping, pounce on discounts and snub low value offerings.

Shop ahead to stay in control.

Staying stocked up on long lasting staples shortens shopping lists and provides a buffer against fluctuating prices. Seasoned shoppers always stay stocked up!

Stock your kitchen with style.

Carefully chosen organizers and storage containers can protect your ingredient investments with style, for a picture-perfect display in your planner's gallery.

5. Treasure inexpensive scraps like agents of fabulous free time.

When it comes to making the most of shopping efforts, every leftover ounce counts!

Creating purposing pathways for scraps goes hand in hand with planning for time-efficient food shopping, because conserving food alleviates shopping efforts.

Plan to use up or keep surplus recipe ingredients:

The Mix & Match Scratch Pad can be used to coordinate recipe choices for using up perishables, so nothing goes to waste.
Portioning frozen preps like leftover pizza sauce, sauteed onions & mushrooms, or mashed potatoes pays off, as more meal planning power at home naturally lightens weekly lists.