Honey, What's for Dinner?

Grocery shopping. AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok now that we've gotten that out of our system, don't we feel better? There are few things I dread more than realizing it is once again time to head to the store to scour the shelves for exactly what I'm looking for. I dread the time it takes to traipse up and down aisles for an hour because I can't find where this or that is. Blah. I hate it. But what I do love is that I have converted from a habitual shopper to a once-a-week shopper! I used to work in a grocery store, so I thought I was at the advantage over my finances. I would buy dinner after punching out each day and bring my ingredients home to cook. Bad idea. Where I thought I was saving money, I was actually spending more. I would buy repeat ingredients I already had at home or I'd forget something because I didn't have a list or a plan. I would pick up random things we didn't need because I was just wandering the aisles still trying to figure out what to cook. It was stupid and lazy, not convenient.

What converted me was the nightmare that is shopping with a toddler. You've all seen it, the mom using every distraction technique in her arsenal just to try to get the shopping over with. And of course nothing works. It's exhausting and stressful. I don't like doing this once a week, so I'd have to be some kind of crazy to do it everyday.

One of my best friends gave me this super useful notepad to plan my meals for the week and make my coordinating grocery list beneath so I know exactly what I need to get to cook each night. It practically paid for itself just knowing I won't get asked, "Honey, What's for dinner?" anymore. I post it up on the fridge so there is no need to wonder what I was cooking.

I use the blank back for all of our misc. items that don't pertain to dinners for the week. I check the pantry before I leave the house so I don't buy doubles of anything I already have. If it's not on my list before I leave the house and it's not a staple like bread, milk, or toilet paper I just happened to forget, I'm not buying it. That's where a lot of us get it wrong. Impulse shopping happens in grocery stores too and it's a drain on our wallet. My husband is big on that. He sees something, he has to have it. So sometimes it's like shopping with a big and little kid. Stick with store brand when possible. I assure you that I've tried almost every single product I've used in store brand and name brand form and there is little to no difference between the two. It's a mind over matter issue for most. I save money using store brand  unless the name brand is on sale cheaper than generic, if something on my list is buy-one-get-one-free I keep the other one for meals to come, and I always stick to my list. I can't stress that last one enough.

I'd say switching from almost everyday shopping to once a week cut my grocery bill in half. And in an age where fast isn't fast enough, what's quicker than looking in your own refrigerator/freezer/pantry and knowing exactly what's for dinner tonight and the rest of the week? There are unexpected emergencies and forgetful moments that send me back to the store unplanned, but not without a list. Even if it's one thing, I write it down. I won't give myself the chance to wander or take the long way to whatever I need, that way I'm not tempted to pick up something we don't really need. Although I feel this is a far from revolutionary idea, I think it's one people seldom think to adopt. But it's one of many money and time saving strategies that has actually paid off for us and I can't reccommend  it enough.