Do all of you like to grocery shop? Any tips you've found useful?
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Grocery Shopping Lists
I would say grocery shopping is just below cleaning the shower on my list of least favorite things to do. I love to cook, but I hate all the prep work. However, planning a weekly (or monthly) menu is a huge time-saver and makes answering the "what's for dinner?" question easy. I sit down while my son naps every Monday and make a grocery list for the next week. I look through my recipe books or favorite cooking websites and find a meal for each night and then I create my shopping list as I go. It make makes my trip to the grocery store a little more bearable with my 16-month old and I spend less money. Always a bonus, right? If you are really organized, you can even group your list according the the layout of the store, such as all the produce items in a column. I also put a small "(c)" next to the items I have a coupon for so I remember to use the coupon.
Do all of you like to grocery shop? Any tips you've found useful?
Do all of you like to grocery shop? Any tips you've found useful?
I LOVE grocery shopping. I also hate to clean the shower though. I'm a fan of planning meals. Great idea about the c for coupon. I also put a FS next to food storage itms so I can remember to buy more if they're on sale. One thing we do for recipes is have theme weeks. Last week was thai food. It made shopping fun as I found new things to try out and exotic ingredients. I make sure I have a drink or snack for Breck to help keep him busy. I also involve him with shopping, like having him through apples in the bag or find the box with pancakes on it.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite tip is one you mentioned. Since I generally shop at the same store, I organize my grocery list in categories according to the layout of the store. I start at the front and weave my way back and I rarely miss an item. Saves a lot of time! Also, a great tip for grocery shopping is to get "rollover" items- things you use for more than one meal. If you're going to get a ham for a casserole, then plan on another ham dish during the week to use the rest up, etc.
ReplyDeleteI lve grocery shopping. One reason I love it so much is I am a huge couponer and love to see my savings equal more than what I spent (which almnost always happens.) I too make weekly lists and I have one coupon file holder that is divided into individual stores. When I make my list I put that coupon in that stores file and can just pull out the whole stack of coupons on my shoppin trip.
ReplyDeleteI forgot, also for all my favorite recipes I print them from my computer and slide them into those clear sleeves and put them in a binder. Then when I open the binder to get the recipe they are protected from things splashing and getting on the paper. Also, when I make my grocery list I put all of my recipes for that week in a file on the computer titled "this weeks recipes". Most of my recipes are on my computer and this way I don't have to refind them each night I cook.
ReplyDeleteI love all of your ideas! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI generally am a bad meal planner...once upon a time I was good at it. I usually base a lot of our meals around weeks ads. I make separate lists for each store marking which items are on sale and what the price should be, so I make sure to grab the right items. I hate getting to the register and having an item be twice as expensive because I grabbed the wrong brand.
ReplyDelete