How To Grocery Shop With a List: Weekly Meal Planning
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The first step to taking control of your grocery budget and your schedule is making list. Shopping from a list also ensures you have healthy food on hand so that you don't resort to driving through the nearest grease pit in an effort to feed your hungry family. Using a list also gets you in and out of the grocery store faster, because we all have better things to do.
Weekly Menu Planning
In order to make a grocery shopping list you have to have a plan. Many people like the method of shopping one day a week, but whatever works for you is good. You just have to know the period of time you're shopping for.
If you plan to shop once a week, get out your calendar and some paper. Look at your week and identify everything that will affect meals.
- Early morning sports practice
- Field trips
- After school activities
- Date nights
- Birthday parties
Once you know your family's schedule for the week, you're ready to plan the meals. Using dinner as an example, if you know you have a busy Tuesday night with soccer practice, play rehearsal, and a spouse with a late meeting, you might want to do a crock pot recipe that night. If you have grown up plans on a Friday night, you might plan a kids' favorite like ready-made pizzas that are easy for the babysitter to prepare.
When You're Stumped
Sometimes you're just plain uninspired. This is where having a collection of family favorite recipes comes in handy. If you're not there yet, use this simple formula or any variation:
Sunday - Beef
Monday - Fish
Tuedsay - Chicken
Wednesday - Pork
Thursday - Vegetarian
Friday - Fish
Saturday - Chicken
It's simple, but often having a system makes it easier to think of meals your family likes. Instead of sitting down and thinking - Ug, I have to come up with seven meals? - you just need a beef dish, two chickens, etc. Once you have dinner covered, take a peek into the fridge and pantry to see what you're lacking. I mentally go through breakfast and lunch, adding items to the list.
The Efficient List
There are software programs you can buy where you enter your recipes and get fancy print out grocery lists. That's fine, but don't think that because you're not that organized or computer savvy that you're doomed to shop without a list.
You can make a simple Word or Excel document with common items that you buy and space for more. You could even write out a list and photocopy it. I like to do my menu and my list on the same piece of scratch paper. I keep it all week to remind me what I'd planned for dinner.
Online Tools for Grocery List Making
Cozi - free tool, calendar too
Grocery Lists - everybody does it, funny found lists
HEB - includes a meal planner
Global Grocery List - contribute to a growing database of knowledge, do your part for science
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Comments
I try to only shop when I have a list. My best weeks are the ones when I also have meals planned.
Great info.
Lela, a great Hub! I was a career woman who forgot to have children. Now, after 20 years, I'm still learning how to shop and prepare meals for the Meat and Potatoes Hubbie, and a growing 5 year old daughter!
In the past (pre-child), I never made shopping lists, never planned meals, nor used coupons. We ate out a lot, and never really thought about healthy eating, nor cared what we had in the fridge for snacks (other than ice cream and pepperoni and cheese!!).
A well planned grocery shop, as well as well planned meals IS hard to do. But, get into a routine, and its second nature.
Your hub was great, and I have learned at lot. Thank you for sharing!!!
Jerey Girl is right. It seems difficult at first, but once you make it a habit you just do it without thinking and it improves your life immensely!
Great info.
Another tip: Never shop when you're hungry... you'll buy everything you see. Great advice, Thanks!
Great advice - I find when I do not plan ahead, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables spoil before they are used.
I grew up with such lists. My parents would do their grocery shopping every Saturday. The meals were planned for the entire week. And yes, I do the same now. There are very few things that I need to go back to the store for. Milk, eggs, orange juice... just stuff we run out of.
I love skimming my cookbooks, checking for new and fun recipes to try. :)
You know, it is just that much more important in these uncertain economic times to learn to manage our food spending. Learning to cook on the cheap can only help your family's situation - even if you don't need help yet, you may in the future!
Grocery shopping is actually a dangerous activity for me! LOL! I often end up with MUCH more stuff than I planned. I love the simple approach here. This gives me some great ideas to apply to our grocery budget.
MasonsMom says:
2 years ago
This is something I need help with! I NEVER go to the store without a list, but I still seem to spend too much money and time and come home with lots of junk--not stuff to make meals with. I've really been getting frustrated latley, so maybe some of these tips will help me! Thanks Lela!