No tags yet.
Wednesdays are traditionally my meal-planning day for the next week (Sundays I do all my shopping). I will have already received the grocery store mailers and usually have a little more time on Wednesday nights to think about the more important things in life, like food.
Now, I will be honest, meal planning and prepping for a grocery shopping trip did not come naturally for me. While I have always been good at budgeting money (which comes in handy when meal planning), I always went crazy once I was in the store. It wasn't until 2009 when I moved back home with my parents and sisters after college and took over grocery shopping for my entire family that I had to master a trip to the grocery store.
Since meal planning and grocery shopping is a talent learned through practice (and patience), I am going to make this a mini-series. Below please find my best tips for planning and organizing a grocery shopping outing:
FIND A QUIET PLACE: Don't try to plan anything in a noisy environment. For me, this means turning off the TV or anything that could distract me. If you have kids or roommates, find a time to plan when they are asleep, not around, doing homework. When I lived at home, I would plan when my sisters were at school/work (my parents are quiet people).
GROCERY STORE ADS: We all get these in the mail, more than we need. So I recommend that you only take out the flyers for the stores you ACTUALLY shop at. For me, this means I pull out the Sprouts, Haggen and Vons (if Trader Joe's had a weekly flyer I would grab that too, but Trader Joe's is a different blog post).
PEN AND PAPER: I use a little notebook each week to write my meal ideas in, sales and what I need from the grocery store. And I keep it with me at all times.
READ YOUR ADS: Depending on the store, I typically look only at the front and back pages, these will hold your fresh fruits and veggies and your fresh meats/fish/poultry. Living on my own, I don't have anyone else to buy for. But if you have children or a spouse that maybe don't eat as well as you, go ahead and open the inside of the ads. You know what they life (and even better if you don't like it yourself). See what looks good. Anything seasonal on sale this week? Is the fish fresh or previously frozen? I like to read the fine print - is it only for a certain brand? on sale a certain day (popular trick at Vons).
WRITE DOWN ONLY THE SALES/ITEMS THAT INTEREST YOU: Below, see how I only wrote down a handful of items? I may not even buy any of them. But now I know how much they are at each store. Sometimes I find a better deal. Or sometimes the produce at one store is cheaper, but isn't as fresh. I like to have options. And I always include the price and amount for that price. I'm OCD. I like all the details.
JOT DOWN YOUR MEAL IDEAS: Consider any plans or appointments you have for the next week (my next week happens to be very free, if it had been this week I was planning for, I would have skipped a dinner idea on Friday since I have plans (blog post about socializing and drinking while watching what you eat anyone?) Now I am lucky (or challenged) as I only have my own stomach to think about. But if you live with other people, consider their stomachs and tastes. Don't plan out a meal that involves a ton of new flavors if you have a picky eater. If you HATE say green apples don't add then to your list or meal ideas just because they are good for you or on sale. Why waste your money that way? Second point for planning meals to enjoy with others: don't forget to plan your own meals that you eat away from your family. You deserve lunch just as much as your kids do at school. If you need creative, balanced ideas for your kids, check out weelicious, she's an inspiration. And don't forget, Shakeology is not just for breakfast, it is one of my favorite on the go lunches or dinners as well.
BREATHE. Believe it or not, this is all I do that first day (I said mini-series remember?) In a few days I will post the next installment concerning making a grocery list by doing an inventory on my pantry and my game plan for hitting the stores.