I usually pick a few dinners a week to try before I head to the grocery store, and then I try to avoid making mid-week shopping trips for additional ingredients. This helps me in two ways:
1. I save money by avoiding hump-day impulse buys.
2. I avoid wasting food because I clean out my refrigerator each week.
This plan does have some negative effects..... due to half-planning, I've ended up with some major repeat meals and weird combos when there was little in the kitchen.
I want to put a stop to the weird meals, but also continue to save food and money by planning. The new project? Roughly plan out everything for my Monday-Friday meals and snacks, leaving the weekend open for whatever strikes my fancy :)
I will:
- Plan my meals around in-season produce, focusing on what I can purchase locally and at a lower price.
- Use store ads and coupons to plan my purchases, working around items that are on sale.
-Take an inventory of my pantry before I start planning, prioritizing the items I need to use before they perish.
My planning sheet looks like this right now, though it may change slightly.
Do you plan your meals in advance?
How do you cut costs with grocery shopping?
x0x0,
Hannah
Uh, this is a great project! I am aiming to save money for my semester abroad in France. So this is a great inspiration to save some bucks on groceries. I am horrible when it comes to food - I can cut down in all areas, but once I get into the grocery store or farmers market I always end up buying a lot of stuff that isn't necessary. But look at this cute pumpkin, and who cares if I already have 2 open nut butters in my cupboard - this one is a different taste, duh. Right, I should probably start meal planning.
ReplyDeleteUg, I am the SAME way. Asparagus for $12? Sure, its the farmers market! Oh the things we rationalize... ;) I think meal planning is going to help a ton and can't wait to share the results. Let me know how it works for you - planning for France is some serious motivation!!
Delete