Organizing: The Grocery List

 

One of the tools that I use to stay organized is my weekly Grocery List. In the early days of my marriage my husband and I tried to plan meals but still ended up going to the grocery store 2-3 times per week. At the time it didn’t seem like a chore because we lived within walking distance of our neighborhood market. When we moved to a different state with a more isolated neighborhood, we saw that we needed to plan better in order to avoid driving to the grocery store several times a week. When we got 3 feet of snow, and couldn’t easily get take-out or groceries, we were even more convinced our habits had to change.

We decided to plan out a week’s worth of meals and grocery items. To help us plan we created a grocery list on our computer with some of our most frequently purchased items and blank spaces for other things. Then on the back we wrote out 5 meals that we would eat on Sunday – Thursday. We even picked which night of the week we would have each meal. That way if we had plans or a busy evening we could have a simpler meal on that night.

Some items on our grocery list have changed over the years, but our meal planning has stayed the same. Planning and cooking regular meals at home has saved us money because we eat out less and we don’t waste as much food. In addition, cooking meals at home encourages us to sit down and eat dinner together as a family.

 

Grocery List Tips:

1. Create a list on your computer or search for free ones online. Look here for a customizable list that you can print.

2. Get a map of your grocery store’s layout from customer service. If you use your computer to create your own grocery list you can put the food sections in the same order as your grocery store. You’ll never have to backtrack again!

3. Print out your Grocery List at the beginning of the week and put it on your fridge so family members can check off items as they’re needed.

 

Meal Planning Tips:

1. Eliminate “I don’t know what to cook” by creating a list of meals that you eat regularly. Write down the cookbook name and page number too so you can locate your recipes easily.

2. Choose the number of meals you plan to cook during the week and write them down on the back of your grocery list. Plan your nightly meals to complement your schedule.

3. If you really want to take the hassle of figuring out what to cook, set up a 2-week or 4-week list of meals. You can have the 2-week menu twice a month, or use the 4-week menu monthly.

If you’re feeling voyeuristic, check out other people’s grocery lists at this site.

How do you organize your grocery list/meal planning?