Meal planning and grocery shopping go hand in hand. You can plan your meals, but you have to make the trip to the store to buy the groceries. Fridays are my days to meal plan and grocery shop. It's on my docket, it takes priority and it gets done. Here are a couple things that I do to make my shopping a little easier:
- meal plan first, then write the shopping list
- use a pre-printed shopping list. This is one that I sell in the shop, (it's also in the Busy Mama Homekeeping Kit) but I love that I can quickly write down items that I need, fill in quantities, write a "c" in the box for coupons, and check it off at the store when it goes in the cart.
- I also have a pre-printed list for the store that I shop at for specific items. I can quickly check off the items that I need before I head out the door - it's a huge timesaver.
- stick to the list - get in, get out, get home - saves time and money
- check the list and cart in a quiet section of the store before heading to the check out lanes - no forgetting items
- clip coupons - I usually do this on Sundays for the next week. I also consult a couple coupon sites for good deals, but I try to spend about 15 minutes a week on it - I fold my list in half and put coupons in my list
What's your best shopping list tip?
My best shopping tip? Don't take the husband. :) He's definitely an impulse, shop-by-color/smell/texture kind of guy, and he spends WAY too much extra money on crap we don't need! :)
ReplyDeleteI print my categories onto a 5x8 envelope and hand-write my list there... that way I can store the Qs inside.
ReplyDeleteOnce you have planned your weekly meals, how do you quickly write a shopping list without having to look up every single recipe in your folder to check you have all the ingredients?
ReplyDeleteGood question Trudy! As I plan a meal, I write down what I need for that specific recipe then move on to the next night and the next and so on. I try to keep a well-stocked pantry and freezer so I don't need little things like onions, soy sauce, and spices. Mostly I'm shopping for proteins, fruits and veggies.
ReplyDelete