Plan Meals in Advance to Save Grocery Money

By

sbb1

Yup guys, I do the same thing. I learned this from my mother. I make a menu of 5-7 meals, 4 of the menu meals will be of chicken. I plan my menu on a calendar I print from my pc and label each meal A,B,C, etc leaving a description key at the bottom to remind me of what meal each letter stands for. I buy for the entire month at the market (e.g. I'll have each meal at least 2 or 3 times that month so thats how much I'll buy). I buy the boneless chicken breast frozen in bulk, I get so many uses out of it and I will post them later. I buy toilet paper and paper towels in bulk. Fabric softener I buy a big bottle and pour 1/2 of it into the last empty bottle and fill both up the rest of the way w/water and it still works great. Yes I agree that when u shop from a menu you save because you already know what you're eating for the week, month, etc. I too freeze mostly everything. when I come home from the market I even prepare my foods for the month, cooking some things and freezing them which makes life super, duper easy.

By jojo (Guest Post)

This is great advice. I do pretty much the same thing EXCEPT I use a weekly menu for two weeks so simply double-up on everything I need. I usually have a quick visit to the supermarket on the second week for fresh items only e.g. milk. Everything I can freeze to carry me through, I do.
Also many of the meals I cook (e.g. stew, chili con carne, chicken curry, etc) I will cook up in double-batches.

We eat half on the first week and the other half goes into a freezer (& microwave) container for a quick and easy meal the second week. I get quite a few 'cooking-free' nights this way, sometimes just having to quickly rustle up some rice for accompaniment! I love that :)


I also buy detergent, loo-rolls, pet-food, etc in bulk so don't buy those so often either. I find these work out much cheaper in bulk at Big W, rather than in smaller packaging at the supermarket (I'm in Aus). Plus I stock up on any toiletries we use when I see them on special. It's good not having to pay full price when you run out.

Many staples I will buy in the store's own brand or generic but on a few I will stick to tried and tested favorites. It can be hit and miss with store-brands but you should always give them a try at least once...they're much cheaper!

By kflocey (Guest Post)

I like to do that too. What helps me save even more is if I base my menus on what our grocery store (we only have one) has on sale each week. If something is a REALLY good price, I will buy extra and freeze it, or put it in the pantry if it isn't perishable.