Twice a month I embark on a shopping trip that usually involves shopping at at least three supermarkets and picking up all of the items I possibly can to plan out two weeks worth of meals. I didn’t used to do this; My family always kind of decided spur-of-the-moment what to have for dinner, which was quite costly in the end. Running to the store to pick up a “few things” for dinner quickly turned into a $40 food/grocery bill.
I think when people find out that I do this they are kind of shocked. It’s not the easiest thing to do, plan ahead that far, but I find it necessary to help cut costs and also so that I believe I have some sense of control in at least one area of my life. When everything else is crazy I can always answer the “What’s for dinner?” question.
Going on one big shopping trip helps eliminate the temptations that come with that little errand trip to the grocery store. You know, the one where you walk in, intending to buy some chicken and potatoes for dinner but walk out with makeup, a case of pop, a DVD, candy bar, and ice cream. It’s also a timesaver because although the shopping trip takes a little while, all of the shopping is done. Everything is planned. You know the day before what you have available to make for dinner the next evening.
Here’s how I do it.
I keep track of the meals that I plan and save the two week lists of meals in Evernote so that I have access to them wherever I am. Evernote is free and can be accessed from any computer and even an iPhone. I store my meal plans as well as recipes I’m not too familiar with in Evernote for quick reference. When I’m planning and stuck for ideas of what to have I can always go back and look at previous menu plans (or even copy a whole one!) to fill in any blank spots. I also plan according to what’s on sale at the local supermarket.
If I discover a big sale on meat, I will buy more than I need for my meal plan and freeze what I do not need for the next two weeks. I obviously freeze any meat that will go past it’s expiration date within the two weeks. It’s also helpful to buy entire pork loin roasts and have them cut to order by the butcher, usually for free, into roasts and chops. This is usually less expensive that purchasing each separately.
Because of the nature of my planning, we tend to plan for fresh vegetables in the first week. Mushrooms, broccoli, tomatoes, and cucumbers spoil quickly, so dishes incorporating those ingredients will be prepared in the first week. Frozen and canned vegetables get us through the second week.
I also purchase enough pet supplies to last the two weeks. This includes dog and cat food and kitty litter. Hair care and cleaning products I purchase on an as-needed basis.
The stores that I frequent are Aldi, Giant Eagle, WalMart, and the Hostess Bakery Thrift Shop. I highly recommend shopping at the bakery thrift shops, especially if you have a freezer. I buy three or four loaves of bread at a time and freeze them when I get home from shopping. We pull them out when we need them and they stay fresh for about as long as any other loaf of bread. The bakery thrift shop in my area also stocks Hostess cakes, gravy mixes, croutons, and condiments so if any of these items are on my list and I am at the thrift shop, I’ll usually purchase those items there as they are frequently less expensive than in the supermarkets.
I generally don’t shop with coupons because I find that I spend more money on a lot of things that I will not use. I don’t like to buy name brand food items if I can find a comparable store brand item, but some things just cannot be substituted. Heinz Ketchup, Country Crock margarine, and Campbell’s soup are a few examples.
Many of my recipes are handed down from my mother and grandmother, but I do tend to try a lot of new things I find on Allrecipes. Allrecipes is a reliable source with thousands of cook’s reviews. Some of the great recipes I’ve come across include Chicken Tikka Masala, Balsalmic Marinated Chicken Breasts, Salmon with Dill, and Hoagie Bake. I’ve recently purchased SousChef and am looking forward to incorporating it’s use into my planning and cooking routines.
So what do we eat over the course of two weeks? I decided to share the meal plan I’ve been working with recently to give some ideas. It’s not a rigid plan; only the meals are planned ahead and most can be swapped or moved around. Saturdays and Sundays are a little different than the rest of the week because I usually prepare meals on Saturday that take a little longer than those prepared throughout the week and I need crock pot recipes on Sundays for when we get home from church. Saturdays and Sundays are denoted with the ’s’ next to the date.
3/15 Roast Beef Sandwiches w/ mashed potatoes
3/16 Corned beef and cabbage w/ italian bread
3/17 Chicken parmesan w/ spaghetti & garlic bread
3/18 Pork Chops w/ fresh broccoli & brown rice
3/19 HVR Burgers w/ fries
3/20 Roast Chicken w/ mashed potatoes & green beans
s3/21 Chicken Enchiladas w/ mexican rice
s3/22 Roast Pork w/ mashed potatoes & sauerkraut
3/23 Chicken Marsala w/ green beans & mashed garlic potatoes
3/24 Tacos w/ mexican rice
3/25 Beef stroganoff w/ broccoli
3/26 Stir fry
3/27 Canned deer meat w/ peas
s3/28 Calzones
s3/29 Italian crock pot chicken w/ baked potatoes
3/30 Shrimp w/ brown rice & broccoli and cauliflower
My food bill was around $140.00 for two weeks worth of food, including staples, snacks, and items for lunches.
I don’t know if my methods will work for everyone as many people do not have a freezer large enough to accommodate a week’s worth of meals and some families don’t have the time to cook a meal almost every evening. It took me years to settle into this routine but it works well for me and my family. I hope that by sharing this I was able to take some of the fear out of planning out many meals at one time and helped someone out there save a little money.
Tags: Cooking, freezing, Frugality, groceries, meal planning, recipes, shopping, timesavers
