Meal Planning and Grocery Shopping How-To

I absolutely hate grocery shopping!

I guess I shouldn't say I hate it, I should say it absolutely stresses my husband out more than anything in the world so he's mean and it's miserable.

Seriously, that's how it goes when the Rotundo clan heads to the grocery store. Michael and I both know it's about to be miserable, so we just expect the worse.

I don't know why it stresses him out so bad? Michael isn't really a planner, so the fact that I'm the Grocery Nazi and have a plan and a list and a calculator and coupons galore kind of stresses him out, I think. I don't know.

Anyways - Grocery shopping is a serious process for us.

Step 1: Meal Plan

This can be overwhelming for somebody who has never made a meal plan before, so if your a first timer, start small. I began meal planning by just simply developing themed nights. This is how it first looked:

Monday - Crockpot Night
Tuesday - Chicken Night
Wednesday - Pasta Night
Thursday - Breakfast for Dinner Night
Friday - Homemade Pizza Night
Saturday - Grill Night
Sunday - Leftovers

Themed nights helped me get an idea of what I was cooking for the month. I knew I needed a few pasta dishes, some things I could throw in the crockpot, things to make pizza, etc. I have stuck true to my themed nights, even though I have advanced from beginner to total professional in the meal planning department.

Once you are comfortable with meal planning, start by making a specific plan for the whole month. Michael and I plan out every meal, but this is what our calendar looks like for the month of August.

We have made a detailed plan for lunch and dinner, and I pre-make breakfast and freeze it so Michael can eat it when he wakes up at the crack of dawn to head to PT. I also pre-make snacks. Goldfish, fruit-roll up's, pizza rolls, etc.

Step 2: Shop in your own kitchen!

Once I know what I'm making for the month, I start inventorying my own kitchen. Why buy marinara sauce if I already have a jar? The goal is to save money, so by inventorying my kitchen, I know what I don't NEED to buy. Once I know what I have, I'm ready to look through my recipes and start constructing my grocery list. I use these templates to create my inventory:

You can download these in my etsy shop here!

Step 3: Make your list!

Michael and I don't do the whole only-going-to-the-commissary-one-time thing. It's too craycray for us. We go once every 2 weeks. This cuts down on time, after all, Mikey isn't all too excited to go to the grocery store and Michael is about to explode by the time we leave so the quicker the better! I reference my meal plan, and recipes for the first two weeks of the month, as well as my kitchen inventory and make a grocery list accordingly. I know this all sounds like a long and drawn-out process, but once you get the hang of it, it takes no time at all! Knowing what I have and what I need is really helpful.
TIP: Never, ever, ever, ever go to the grocery store without a list! You will forget something you need, or you will buy things you don't need. Take the time now to make your list instead of wasting your time later making trip after trip to the store because you forgot something!

Step 4: Shop!

Don't forget your coupons! After you know what you're eating and you've made your list, it's time to collect your items. For us, it's easier to go together, but some people prefer to shop alone. I'm sure as Mikey gets older, I will want him to stay home so he isn't begging for oreo's or fruit roll-up's or something. (Michael totally still begs for those things!)

We are able to stick with our budget easily using this method. Seriously, this has saved us so much money! Meal planning has cut down on our fast food spending by more than 75%. Michael and I used to take the easy way out and head to McDonald's (because it's the only thing here) instead of taking the time to cook dinner. I think we did this because we simply didn't know what to make. I used to roam the aisles of the grocery store clueless as to what I needed to make a "meal". Now we know, and we eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at home. We go out once a month, on the 29th. It's our anniversary as well as the date that Mikey was born so we go out as a family to celebrate!


Now that you have the tips and tricks, start planning mi amigos!