The Grocery Grumble: Make a List, Check it Twice

I was going to start with an assumption, and that assumption was that you had a list.  But then it occurred to me that maybe not everyone is as list-loving as myself.  Maybe you like to waltz into your favorite neighborhood grocery store and buy "what looks good" or you have a few ingredients in your mind.  That is COMPLETELY not my style.  And I would add that it is less efficient.  If you're going to shop for a week's worth of groceries (thus saving yourself multiple trips and extra money for each of those extra trips), you have to write it all down.

My current fave grocery app

In my Menu Planners, I give you five recipes for the week and I add a grocery list at the end.  If you're joining me for the Frugal Foodie Food-Lover's Challenge in January, you'll receive one of these each week for three weeks.  (If you want "in," email me here or leave a comment with your email address and I will add you to my foodie list!)  ALSO, if you have the AnyList app on your iPhone, let me know and I will be happy to share the weekly grocery list with you through your AnyList app.  (I found the recipes, compiled the grocery list, and I'll send it to you're phone?? How easy does it get?!)

If you're making your own list, here is my recommendation:

1. Choose your recipes for the week.  If they're in your head, then think them through one by one.

2. If you're writing your list down, make columns according to the major sections/aisles of a grocery store.  (If you're using an app on a phone, like AnyList, a good app will automatically divide your items by grocery section/aisle.)

3. Go through each recipe and write down the items you need, placing them in the appropriate sections.  (You were going to add them to the list anyways, so adding them to specific categories only takes one nanosecond extra, but it will save you time/energy once you get to the store.)

I'll have you add a few things to your lists for the first few times you make them, but I'll cover that in the next blog post.

Don't you feel so much better now that you have a plan?  If you are a free-spirit that hates planning, then allow yourself some weekend meals to do "whatever you feel like."  Planning ahead for most of your meals will save you time, energy, and money.

A lot of people I talk to say they hate this step the most--finding the recipes, menu planning, grocery list-making...I love organization and systems and color-coding and all of that nerdy stuff, so I can't quite sympathize with you.  But, I will tell you that it's a lot easier when you're not distracted.  My three favorite times to meal plan are during my daughter's naptime, on a Saturday when my husband has taken the kiddo out for the morning, or on a quiet evening after my little one has gone to bed...are you seeing a pattern of child-free-ness here?  Ha!  If I don't have a lot of time, I pull out my recipe binder and get the job done.  If I have more time (and since I enjoy doing it), I'll flip through a new food magazine issue or cookbook I might have checked out of the library before I choose my recipes.

If this task continues to be one that you don't enjoy or can't find time for, I encourage you to lean heavily on meal planning websites--I know I'm not the only one!  For those interested, my January Menu Planners will be free for anyone who joins the Food-Lover's Challenge this month.  Starting next month, they will go back to their original cost of $5 each.  (Five bucks for an hour or two of saved time and grumbling for you each week might just be worth it!)

Next topic on The Grocery Grumble series: COUNTING THE COSTS.