Everyone knows not to go to the grocery store hungry. You will buy things you don't really need because you want to eat. Likewise, it's very risky to go to the store without a list. So I always write a list. But I've always wanted custom list.
I tried to come up with my own list like the one above (from simplemom.net -- LOVE her!) but I am no graphic artist and mine was ugly. And, in thinking it through, I realized our menu changes too often for this type of list to be really helpful/time-saving. So I was back at square one.
Then on designspongeonline there was this fantastic post all about Kate's fantastic Grocery List. This puppy is genius! It is going to be SO perfect for me. I have been planning meals on one sheet and writing up a grocery list on another. But Kate's list combines the two.
You write your meals on the top of the page. Then, in the middle section, you write what items you will need for that meal. Finally, there is a bottom section to put additional items/staples that you need to restock. Honestly, I never thought I could get so excited about a grocery list. But I am! I've downloaded the list and filled it out for the rest of this week.
A final note, based on advice from my sister Sarah, I'm going to try planning just one week of meals at time. Our schedule is relaxed and often things change last minute so I don't want to waste a bunch of food by buying too much at one time. It might be inefficient for others to go to the store once a week but I think that might be just right for our household. And we can walk to our grocery store so I can get groceries pretty easily. If only I wasn't so lazy...
4 comments:
I LOVE this! I usually right out dinners for the week on the corner of a paper, then list everything I need from the store on the same sheet. It works, but this is much prettier, and it would be good to plan out lunches at least.
Thanks for the inspiration, Rachel!
This is a great idea. I'm glad for your sister's advice, because I was going to suggest the same thing: just plan for one week at a time (seems to work better for our family too).
A project that was a little time consuming but has helped me SO much, is I created a working list of dinner ideas - everything from a really nice "company" meal to something like English muffin pizzas. When I find a new recipe we like I add it to the list. Then, I consult that master list each week when meal-planning or when I know we're having people over. It makes figuring out what to make so much easier because I know these are tried and true. Then I can add a new recipe from online or a cookbook every so often.
I love this menu/grocery planner. Brilliant! Thanks for linking to this.
Love this Rachel. My friend plans a week worth of meals and then uses that same menu for one month. By the end of the month, they are usually getting tired of Monday taco night, but it eliminates an entire months worth of thinking about what is for dinner tonight. It worked very well for us the one month I actually did it. Kitchen remodel nightmare has ruined all my good intentions at being organized
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