Food Management: Grocery Shopping & Meal Planning

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The Homemaker

A Series of detailed articles that Kyle wrote for her blog about food management in the home.....

Grocery Shoping & More I: Shopping List

Grocery, Shoping & More II: Meal Planning

Grocery, Shopping & More III:Price Matching

Grocery, Shopping & More IV: McFood Pyramid

Grocery, Shopping& More V: How the McVays eat

 

Be a woman with a plan

"She is like the merchant's ships. she bringeth her food from afar." Proverbs 31:14

This is an organized shopping system that I use to save both time, money and trips to the grocery store. I am going to break the system into 4 bite size chunks so you don't get overwhelmed.

 

Step 1

 

Download and customize my shopping list. Post it on your fridge and each time you run out of something, check it off. Your husband and kids (If your kids can read) can check off items they used up! Then when you go shopping (no more than) once a week you don't have to think about the ketchup or the mayo if its checked off you know you need it! Then never go to the store with out a list again! Get used to using a list for about a 2 weeks to a month before you go to step 2!

 

Kyle's Meal Planning and Grocery Shopping list download

click here to download file

Step 2
 
Think of 7-14 dinner meals you make for your family on a regular basis. Write them down on a piece of paper. Locate all of the recipes, do not do this from memory, it is not okay (you have children...your memory left years ago!).

Getting Started Meal Planning

Lisa Whechel's wonderful Menu planner

Step 3
 
Get on the computer and create a table in Word Perfect or use excel (Or you can simply customize the meal plan you downloaded in step one). Input your meals. Use it when you go shopping.
 
Step 4
Continue slowly adding more and more recipes to your meal list. Slowly start adding breakfast, dessert and appitizer recipes to your meal planning list. Set a goal of 45 dinners and 10 breakfasts, 15 lunches, 20 desserts and 2 appetizers and within 6 months.  
 
The great thing about this system is that when you have completed your list it only takes a minute to add or subtract a meal. Imagine a meal rotation of 90+ dinners, 30+ lunches and 45+ breakfasts and 2-10 appitizers and 45+ desserts! Imagine not having to go back to the store to get that one missing ingredient and only going to the grocery store once a week!  Finally imagine your husband praising you like the Proverbs 31 Woman!
 

Where to shop

Reducing your grocery expense

Articles

Kyles Favorite

 

  www.marysworld.com

 

www.miserlymoms.com/MOMfrecipes2.htm

 

 Food Network: Paula Dean & Barefoot Countessa (she cooks some crazy stuff but many of her recipes are easy and tasty)

 

 www.allrecipes.com - You can enter ingredients and it will tell you what you can make! FABULOUS