Ok the kiddos are asleep and the Guitarman has gone to a late movie. The Fisherman is on the couch watching Man vs Food. If you haven't seen it I can sum it up in one word. Gluttony. But it is fun to watch when you just want to relax for a while and chill out.
So I promised you grocery tips today! Well, when I was first married I could just run to the grocery store (no Wal-Mart back then! Oh, my how did we ever survive?). I did not need a list because we would hit the meat counter first. We would just get whatever was on sale and then build our meals for the week off of that throughout the store. Well, now that there are way more than just us two and prices are so outrageous I have to be a bit more precise! Maybe you are a pro at getting through the store efficiently or maybe your approach needs a little polishing. Either way here is how we do it at our house. Maybe it can help you.
I always get a list together. The top half of the page is my menu for the week. For us that means Monday through Sunday. Just supper is really planned for all days except Sunday when I plan out Sunday dinner and Supper. I usually just have the same items here to choose from for breakfast and lunch so I don't plan those out.
I am thinking of doing it Tuesday through Monday though so that I can plan a crockpot meal or something for each Monday night. Shopping days are just hard and then you have to put everything away. It would be nice to have supper taken care of when I get home! So take a look at your home and see how you need to work things for your family. For instance, when my oldest was playing sports I would add that in and figure out easy meals for those days or sometimes something we could take with us on away games. When the FlowerChild played soccer in the fall we planned picnics. We got very creative! It started out as an easy way to handle supper since her games were over in another town. But gradually it turned into a great fellowship with lots of friends coming out to watch her and then staying to eat with us at the park. It made for great memories! Anyway the point is look at everything your family is doing and factor that in for your menu.
Next I make headings on the bottom half of the page. Here they are:
Misc Canned/Bottled Cold Dry Fresh Frozen Meats
Then I just list in special ingredients I need for my menu. There are some items that I always buy every week such as orange juice or bottled water. So that would go in. Check your pantry/fridge for anything you might be getting low in. Next personal care items, baby items, cleaning supplies, pet food, car care or office supplies all go under Misc. I get those first then I start at the back of the store and work my way through to get the grocery items.
I fold my paper in half so all I have in sight is just my list but then my menu is there if I need to look back at something or change it due to prices or something.
It's not rocket science but at the same time it does help me to do it this way. I have seen other people's lists get left in a buggy or something and they just have this list of stuff in random order. I always wonder how they do that! I would walk 10,000 miles in there just making circles to get everything! Then I have seen others who categorize then cross reference then color code to the point that I would be worn out before I even started! So this is what helps us to keep things organized but not to the point of being neurotic! I hope it can help you just a little!
So I promised you grocery tips today! Well, when I was first married I could just run to the grocery store (no Wal-Mart back then! Oh, my how did we ever survive?). I did not need a list because we would hit the meat counter first. We would just get whatever was on sale and then build our meals for the week off of that throughout the store. Well, now that there are way more than just us two and prices are so outrageous I have to be a bit more precise! Maybe you are a pro at getting through the store efficiently or maybe your approach needs a little polishing. Either way here is how we do it at our house. Maybe it can help you.
I always get a list together. The top half of the page is my menu for the week. For us that means Monday through Sunday. Just supper is really planned for all days except Sunday when I plan out Sunday dinner and Supper. I usually just have the same items here to choose from for breakfast and lunch so I don't plan those out.
I am thinking of doing it Tuesday through Monday though so that I can plan a crockpot meal or something for each Monday night. Shopping days are just hard and then you have to put everything away. It would be nice to have supper taken care of when I get home! So take a look at your home and see how you need to work things for your family. For instance, when my oldest was playing sports I would add that in and figure out easy meals for those days or sometimes something we could take with us on away games. When the FlowerChild played soccer in the fall we planned picnics. We got very creative! It started out as an easy way to handle supper since her games were over in another town. But gradually it turned into a great fellowship with lots of friends coming out to watch her and then staying to eat with us at the park. It made for great memories! Anyway the point is look at everything your family is doing and factor that in for your menu.
Next I make headings on the bottom half of the page. Here they are:
Misc Canned/Bottled Cold Dry Fresh Frozen Meats
Then I just list in special ingredients I need for my menu. There are some items that I always buy every week such as orange juice or bottled water. So that would go in. Check your pantry/fridge for anything you might be getting low in. Next personal care items, baby items, cleaning supplies, pet food, car care or office supplies all go under Misc. I get those first then I start at the back of the store and work my way through to get the grocery items.
I fold my paper in half so all I have in sight is just my list but then my menu is there if I need to look back at something or change it due to prices or something.
It's not rocket science but at the same time it does help me to do it this way. I have seen other people's lists get left in a buggy or something and they just have this list of stuff in random order. I always wonder how they do that! I would walk 10,000 miles in there just making circles to get everything! Then I have seen others who categorize then cross reference then color code to the point that I would be worn out before I even started! So this is what helps us to keep things organized but not to the point of being neurotic! I hope it can help you just a little!
This sounds great. I used to shop like that too, no list before we had kids and a single income. But now I must plan every penney. We live off of $100 a week and that includes soaps, supplies, pet & other house items along with food. I have a menu sheet and a master grocery list I created on my computer and I keep several printed copies in my home management binder. My master grocery list is divided up in categories similar to yours and are in the order which I walk through the store. But my list is not blank, it has everything I can think of that I buy and I keep it posted on the fridge. Through the week if I run out of something I circle it on the master grocery list. The day I plan my menus I use the menu form on the back and then circle all the items I need. This takes a lot less time as I only need to circle things and my list always reminds me of something I may not have thought of. Happy shopping!
ReplyDeleteMarie
Hi, Marie! Welcome!That sounds like a great system! I had a similar list and had thought I would gradually move towards something similar. I worked and worked to get it laid out exactly like I wanted it and planned on adding a pricelist. Then a few weeks ago I pushed the wrong button and POOF! my computer ate it and it was gone! So I haven't gotten around to trying again. I would love to see how your grocery lists/menus are done to keep it at $100. Have you done any posts on that at your blog? I am always about saving money and it can get very discouraging trying to keep a food budget on track.Thanks for the ideas!
ReplyDeleteGREAT thoughts and ideas! I am a LIST MAKER ... with everything really! I would like to get it all computerized and more organized also! I'm curious how many family members your friend above, Marie, has in her family. Our budget has been out of whack with our current financial situation .. not really knowing from one week to the next how much money we will have ... YET we've found it is sooooo hard to stay in budget with our weekly groceries ...
ReplyDeleteespecially with the prices steadily climbing! We also group everything together ... misc, cleaning supplies,hygeine items, diapers/pull-ups, wipes,etc ... ON TOP of the meat and other groc items. I've been better about looking at ads ..b/c we don't buy our meat at Wal-mart ... and keeping up with coupons is something I do, yet find store brands to be cheaper in the long run most times!
Ha, Tiffany, I still remember in your first home the time a pair of shoes were in the floor when someone stopped by and you felt like your house was a wreck! Thinking of you being organization challenged...naaaa...doesn't compute! :) But you are so right about these prices! A lot of stuff jumps by 25-45 cents in one week! So you can't always count on your menu working out with your budget!
ReplyDeleteHa! I have become wayyyyy less "anal" about just about everything since having children! :) I learned quickly that everything doesn't have to be perfectly in order ...and is about impossible with kiddos! That doesn't matter anyway ... YET, I am still pretty organized and realize what doesn't get done CAN indeed wait! ha :) Thanks to my hubby who balances me :)
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