Groceries On A Budget - Part 1

It's a typical Thursday in our home and that means it's grocery day.  We pack up a snack cup for Addyson, forget our reusable grocery bags at home, and struggle to find a parking spot at our local supermarket.  After thoroughly de-funking the grocery cart, we place our one-shoed (geez, where did her other shoe go now?!) child into the buggy and begin our journey. We're only here for a few items, so this should be quick and relatively painless.....  Two hours and one toddler meltdown later we exit the grocery store, laden with plastic bags stuffed with our recent purchases.  We pile into our mini-van completely exhausted.  Upon our return home, we clamber into the house and begin unpacking the leftovers from the fridge to make room for our new acquisitions.  During the process of the exchange, we discover that we forgot to get milk - a necessity in our home since Addy and I consume an average of 2.5 gallons per week - I suppose we'll go back later.  When the task is complete, we collapse in a heap on the couch to the sounds of Dora the Explorer singing "We did it, Yay!" (ironic), at which point the husband asks the age old question, "So, what's for dinner?"

Does this sound familiar?  This scene has played out many times in our home.  The number one reason - we never went into the grocery store prepared.  Ugh, I can hear some old man adage about "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail", blah, blah, blah.  But it's true!  I can't tell you how many trips to the market we've made, only to have to turn back around the next day and go again because we forgot something.  And I could never tell you how much we actually spent on food in a month, because I honestly didn't know.

Recently, I made it a priority to create a weekly grocery list no later than 10pm the night before grocery day.  Here's my process:

Step 1 - I get out my flash cards!  I have index cards with entrees written on one side, and ingredients written on the other.

 They're not really recipe cards since they don't have instructions on them, but they list every major ingredient going into the dish that I wouldn't typically have on hand (I don't list the minor items, like spices, that I always have in stock).  I probably have close to 25 different entree cards to choose from.  Of those 25, I pick out seven for our weekly meals.

Step 2 - I write out our meal plan on a weekly calendar and post this on the fridge.  Pretty soon the "what's for dinner" inquiries stop because all you need to do is point to the calendar.

Step 3 - Generate The List. 
 

The List
*The (M) notes items on sale at Meijer.  The (C) notes items I have a coupon for*

I take my meal cards and write down all the ingredients listed on the backs.  We keep a running grocery list in our house.  There's always a notepad lying around to jot down something we're running low on, and I add my meal card items to that list.


Step 4 - Do your homework!  I review several sites to find out what deals are going on in the supermarket world.  If chicken is on sale this week, you can bet there are at least three dishes on my list that include chicken.  After I check the online ads, I print any relevant coupons.  Lots of times you can find a coupon for something that's already on sale - double bonus!  Step 4 is far more in depth than this, so I will be writing a subsequent blog post about the online tools I utilize to get the most from my grocery shopping experience.  Oh, so glam!

Step 5 - Stick to your list!  Yes, I understand you can't totally eliminate the impulse buys, but do try!  We walk into the store knowing we have $____ to spend on groceries for the week, period.  Sticking to your list will help you stay on track with your budgeting goals.  And hey, if you have monies left over after your shopping trip...date night baby!

So that's the process I go through every Wednesday night.  It's painstaking, but sooo worth it!  This past week, we made one trip to the grocery store - ONE.  That's a minor miracle for this family.  I hope you find these tips helpful in planning your next adventure to the supermarket!