ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Save Money on Your Grocery Bill - Step 1-Menu Planning

Updated on February 15, 2011

I love shopping. Even grocery shopping. But shopping is a game for me. I want to get the absolute most stuff for the absolute least amount of money. And I want everyone else to do it, too. I am that annoying person behind you at Wally World, telling the cashier that they should price-match your pineapple (because you could save 80¢!). I am that lady in front of you that has to have the CSM come over because I'm using just too many coupons for the register to handle. I am that woman who leaves coupons all over the place, just hoping someone can use them... It is a game. It is fun.

I have found that in order to successfully grocery shop and get the best deals, there has to be a menu. If there is a menu in place, there is no questioning when it is time to make the imperative shopping list. I mean, how can you make a shopping list if you don't know what you are cooking? The base of saving money on your grocery bill, the base of being organized at mealtime, and the base of being prepared is to have a menu as a guide.

My menu

My menu
My menu

But how should I start a menu

It's good to start with a grid. I use a planning calendar (the Mom's Got It Together calendar), and instead of entering names into the rows, I enter Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks. So you have columns of days, and rows of meals, and then start planning away.

Your chart can be as simple or as complex as you like. Just do it. Don't wait until you've perfected the perfect menu. If you've been meaning to do it and putting it off, just draw the thing on a legal pad and have at it!

You can be creative! For years, we had Muffin Monday, Toast Tuesday, Waffle Wednesday... you get the picture. I never had to even think about breakfast. It got old after a while, so now I change it up a bit.

If you have picky eaters and your family only has a few things that they like to eat, this whole thing should be a snap! Just plan out menus covering all the things you like to eat, and copy them. This is a great plan if both parents work outside the home, too, because it helps to simplify things.

I like to try new recipes, so I try to schedule one new recipe a week. And if you need ideas for things to cook, guess where the absolute best place to look is.... did you guess? The answer is....THE WEEKLY SALES ADS! This is the best way to plan your menu!

And don't forget to use up your leftovers in recipes. We typically have a leftover night on the menu, but if not, I like to try to use up the leftovers in other recipes. Like Adam Sandler says in his Lunchlady Land , "Yesterday's meatloaf is today's sloppy joe!"

 
Sunday
Monday
Breakfast
Hot cereal
Honey Muffins
Lunch
Grilled Cheese Sammies
Fish Sticks
Dinner
Red Beans & Rice
Chicken, rice, green beans

Grid example

How far in advance you plan is up to you.  I do it weekly, and use the sales ads to make sure I get the most for my money.  

Now work on your

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)