Monthly Grocery Shopping

 

Lately I have had lots of question about how I do once-a-month grocery shopping.  So, instead of answering individual emails I thought I would post what has worked for me on my blog. Before I start I should let you know that through some research you could probably find endless ideas on the Internet. 

1.  About a week before my Grocery shopping day I start making a list of meals that I would like to cook for the month. I list about 10 different dinners, 5 lunches, 5 breakfasts, and a few snacks. I make a notation next to any item that is found in a cookbook, with the name of the cook book and page number.

2. After this is done I start making a list of all items needed for cooking the meals. I then write all the meals on a blank calendar. Repeating the meals until everyday is filled with a meal or “leftovers.” Now, Jimmy works shift work so I mark his schedule on the same calendar and plan our meals accordingly. For example, if he is working days, I know I need to cook something he can take to work the next day for lunch, and if he is working nights I need to cook something fairly quick as he needs to eat before he leaves and take a lunch. On days that he is off we tend to have fun food that he wouldn’t normally want to take as a lunch. Such as pizza, hamburgers, and things like that.  While making my list I will write amounts needed or how many meals I need the item for. For example if I have ground beef on my list I will put the number of pounds I need for my month of meals.  If I need canned tomatoes I will notate how many I will need. (  I buy diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and a few other things by the case at Sam’s)

3.  I then check my pantry to see if I have any ingredients on hand needed to make the meals on my plan, and mark them off the list. I continue adding things to my list that are needed for the household also.  Don’t forget the staples: flour, oil, sugar, etc.

4.  I then make a copy of my calendar and post one on the fridge, and the other goes in a binder for future reference.

I usually make one trip to Sam’s and a trip to Wal-Mart. We do have to go back to the store throughout the month for milk, bread, and eggs. This is a huge time saver and works for us. I sometimes will prepare part of my meals and freeze them,but that’s a whole other topic.  At this stage in our life this is what is working for us, and I am forever looking for new ways to simplify and save in this area. I hope this has been helpful, and if you have any questions or suggestions feel free to leave a comment.