Babies: 3 - 6 Months
Options
Tips on Organizing Meals and Grocery Shopping.
I need some ideas on organizing meal plans, grocery shopping. I always say I'll plan better next week but it nevers happens. I need some tips or something. TIA
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Tips on Organizing Meals and Grocery Shopping.
What's your routine now? Do your older kids like to help when you're at the store?
DH and I usually talk about what we want to eat this week and then make a list in order of how the store is laid out. It sucks when I forget something because the store is 25 minutes away.
I always have meat in the freezer since that usually the most expensive part (I buy on sale).
Then I look to see whats on sale. For example, if mushrooms are on sale, I pull out the recipes that have mushrooms in them and pull out the meat needed. That way I buy as much of the ingredients on sale as possible. Thankfully DH is easy and marinated steak and mashed potatoes could be eaten every night and so when there's no good sales, he's still happy LOL.
It takes a little time to figure out the best combo of recipes, but its my sunday morning ritual. I'm also a big time couponer!
I haven't done it in a while, but I used to look at the sale flyer every Sunday, it's on-line for my store. I would plan my meals around what meat and veggies were on sale and what we were in the mood for that week.
Now with DH away, I just find a recipe or two that looks good and get stuff for that. Since it's just me, one meal can last a while, but I usually look for things that can be eaten a different way the next night, or frozen.
I go to the grocery store once a week. Before I go I write out the days of the week and the meal we will have on each day, then underneath that I write out what we need at the store to make the meals. Then I go into the kitchen and check the chalk board for what we ran out of or are about to. Then I add the weekly essentials like milk, yogurt and half and half. Then I take the master list and re-write it on a new page grouped by where everything is in the store. I take the meals by day list and put it on the fridge.
We don't do a grocery store with sales usually, but if you do, making the list on Saturday/Sunday/Monday and cross referencing with sales flyers and coupons is great. Remember you can get the Sunday paper on Saturday and make your list, then shop on Sunday.
I just started using supercook.com to get ideas for lunch/dinner. You put in all the ingredients you have at home and it pulls up tons of recipes you can make using what you have. It also suggests things you should buy next time that would give you even more recipe options.
I like it b/c it makes me use what I already have before going out and buying more.
This is what I do.
We plan our meals around what we have in the pantry and deep freezer and then I have a 30 day calendar on the fridge that we update weekly with what we will have the following day. The deep freezer was out best purchase ever.
Buy the Sunday newspaper every week. Clip the coupons.
Pull out all the store flyers and match coupons. Yes, you can use a coupon when the store also has an item on promotion. Even on buy 1 get 1 free. You can stack a buy one get one manufactuer coupon with a regular coupon (or two) for super savings.
I stock up on everything when it's on sale and then buy fresh produce and quality meat during the week.
When I buy produce or fruit I cut it up and freeze it. That way it never goes bad. When we buy meat I divide it up and freeze.
It's saved us hundreds from when we used to buy full price.
Question...how do you defrost fruit? In the fridge? Do you seal it freezer bags? Thank you!!