couponqueenofcorning

Today I thought I would write about how I plan for our once a month shopping trip. Though I know a lot of you shop weekly, and at other intervals, most of these things would also help you in planning your shopping trip.

There are a few things I do a few days before I am going to be going shopping. I take a notebook and a pen and go through our cupboards, refrigerator and our freezers, and I write down what we have, especially meat. I will use these ingredients to plan my meals around later. I also have a running master list of meals that I have hanging on the inside of my kitchen cabinet for reference. I often add to this list of meals when I find a meal that my family really enjoys.

The day before our planned monthly shopping trip, I write down on the days of the month that will be covered by this month’s menu plan. You can also use a calendar in Office to write down each day’s meals. I do it in list format because I can’t follow it exactly and often  times just pick something off it to make. Of course, when I do this I cross it off my list so that I can remember that I’ve already made it for the month. It really is your choice how you would like to do it. Mine looks something like this:

Thurs 1/1         lunch: pbj sandwiches & fruit      dinner: lasagna
Fri 1/2              lunch: spaghetti o’s & fruit           dinner: turkey burgers, veg, fries

and so on……

I do not plan out breakfasts because the little ones usually have oatmeal and we have cold cereal. On occasion we will have  pancakes or eggs.

Using the master list, I just fill in each days meals. You will want to take into account any days you will be really busy (you will want an easy meal that day) and any days you will have plans that will include food so you do not have to cook. I also take into account leftover days after a few days of meals that produce leftovers.

After I have my menu plan for the month I am ready to make my shopping list. I go through my plan and see how much ground beef, chicken, etc are needed for the meals I am planning to make for the month. Along with these ingredients, I also buy the stuff that we always need to buy. For example, we go through a box of oatmeal every 5 days, so we always have to buy more of that. We always need to buy more graham crackers, butter, baking supplies, and bread.

After your list is all done your all set to go to the store. What I also do with my shopping list is put an estimated price on the right side and the store where I will buy it. Here’s what my list looks like:

WAL       sugar                 2.50
ALD        oatmeal - 4      7.00

and so on….

I take out the double stroller and make sure the back of the van is empty so we can fit all the groceries. Oh, and if you shop at Aldi’s or Sam’s Club, you will want to make sure you put bags in your vehicle also. If I have any coupons for items, I make sure to take them with me, paper-clipped to the list so that I do not forget to use them.

We were supposed to go shopping tonight, but something came up and hubby had to go help someone out. So, we are postponing it until tomorrow. I am hoping it won’t be too awful busy. I am not a real fan of crowds. I will let you know how the shopping trip went and how much we spent afterwards.