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Pad Patter: 4/28 - Groceries/Meal Planning

Angie4b1g

Angie4b1g

A hundred jobs but Bob Villa ain't one
Joined
Feb 25, 2011
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8,026
How do you do this? Do you plan menus in advance? How much so? Do you shop for a few days, for the whole week, what?

I generally do it in 3-4 day chunks. Pick 4 recipes, get the appropriate groceries, write the meals on the chalkboard, forget where I found said recipe, panic. Repeat.
 
I do a week at a time. I make a list of 6-7 dinners (knowing we'll eat out at least once a week) and then I make my grocery list based on what I need for those meals. Then I do lunch and breakfast stuff too, but just in general, like make sure we have cereal and milk and veggies for quick grab and go for lunches.

Then after I get groceries (always on Monday) I post the list on the frig so everyone knows what options we have for dinner. When I'm feeling generous, I let the kids and hubby have a vote. When I'm being lazy, I pick the easiest meal off the list and that's what we have. :)
 
I try at least a week in advance as far as meal planning, sometimes 2. I have a lot of dinner anxiety if I don't know what I'm making for supper each night, and it bugs me all day at work.

I usually go grocery shopping on Wednesdays, that's when we go to a bigger city for gymnastics for the kids so I shop there if I can help it. Our local grocery store is small and their produce selection makes me cry.
 
Right now I do a week at a time. I plan meals out, too. Ever since doing the Financial Peace University class, I have done this. It really helped me by having a list of food items needed to stick to a budget for groceries. For the first 3 years or so, I shopped w/ a calculator to make sure I'd stay on budget. Now I know what my bill will generally be so I don't have to do that anymore but it def helped when money was tight.
 
I was really good at planning a while back, and have fallen off the wagon with it recently. Seems like we eat very simple meals and on the nights I work they are really quickly put together. We do eat together as a family almost every night, but nothing fancy. My staples are tacos, bbq, burgers, chicken, enchiladas, chicken broccoli alfredo, etc.. I usually have enough in the house for those things at all times!
 
I try my best to meal plan, but I don't always follow through with it. I do better with actually cooking meals if I do, though. I grocery shop on either Sunday or Monday and get what we need for the week. I used to stockpile stuff when it was on sale and I was big on couponing, but I've gotten out of the habit of that.
 
I try to plan out for the week, but am always trying to hit 2-4 stores for the best deals and don't always get there all in one day which makes for multiple stops through the week.

The last few months, I have been doing a freezer meal exchange with 3 friends and it has been a huge help. We each pick three recipes and make it 4 times and swap out. It is great having a freezer full of main dishes to pull from.
 
Yep, I am a planner. (Not surprising, right?! LOL) I meal plan and grocery shop for a week at at a time. I use a mix of pinterest, emeals, and some foodie blogs for my recipes. I usually plan for one night of leftovers and Saturday night out in that schedule. It keeps things running pretty smoothly most of the time.
 
I used to try to plan a week at a time, but was a HUGE failure! I'd do a week, then we'd float by for the next couple of weeks after because I'd forget/not want to do it all again. A couple months ago I decided to plan out a month at a time. So far it's working. Obviously I can't shop for a whole month at once, but I get all the things that will keep that long, or that I can freeze (like meat), and then I can just pick up the fresh stuff every week or so. It's really working great, except it's time to plan whole month again - ugh. It just takes me a few hours to plan the menu and make the shopping list. On the menu I also make a note of where the recipe is, I'll put P next to the item if it's on Pinterest, for example. That might help you Angie! Oh and I put a C next to the item if it's a crock pot meal so I can remember to get it going early in the day.
 
I plan between one week and one month. It really depends on what is going on. If it's going to be busy, I plan the month so I don't have to worry about it. If it's a slower month, I'll plan a week at a time so I have more creativity in the kitchen.

I use a site called plantoeat.com. It's great because it'll add recipes to my 'book' from wherever I find it, and creates a grocery list. And it's as easy as drag and drop if I change my mind on what's for dinner. I can pull the mobile site up on my Kindle or phone, so I don't have to print.
 
I do plan, but then if I'm tired or just lazy...I go out to eat! :)

Like tonight for instance...I have NO idea what we'll be eating. I think I'll have to run to the store!
 
I usually do one week at a time. I hate doing groceries. Because I'm a shift worker I can usually pick the ideal time to go. Usually just before lunch on Friday or right when everyone is picking their kids up from school. I usually plan 1 week in advance and plan a meal for every night and do my groceries accordingly. :)
 
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