Food Shopping & Menu Planning on a Budget
One of my goals this month is to track the family grocery bill. Long gone are the days of a trip to Whole Foods (a.k.a. Whole Paycheck), Draegers, Paradise Markets or any of the specialty and upscale grocery stores on a whim to get ‘whatever’.
Nope, we are back to basics and the fundamentals of filling bellies with economical and nutritious foods. Who needs a 5-star restaurant when you can get 5-star cooking on a budget? All the flavor without the guilt!
So, how do you perform such a miraculous feat? By learning from others…
There are two schools of thought on food shopping and meal planning. Shop first-plan meals or plan meals-shop later.
Simple Mom plans her meals first. Check out her guide to simple menu planning. She plans a week in advance, rotates recipes and is extremely organized. She uses Google calendaring to automatically repeat recipes to help plan ahead. What a great tip!
Kelly, over at Almost Frugal, plans her meals after she shops. She shops fewer times but buys quantities of various staples such as pasta, rice and flour.
I like both approaches and probably fall somewhere in between. Since my kids are predictable on what they will eat, most of my meal planning is simple. I’ve covered our breakfast routine, Kids’ Breakfast on a Budget, and lunch is the same day in an day out…much to my chagrin. Dinner rotates between 4-5 dishes from mac & cheese, pasta & veggies to hot dogs.
The challenge is filling in the gaps for the adults in the house. We don’t eat out and I love flavorful foods. I keep a number of rubs, spices, marinades, oils and vinegars on hand for seasoning. I stock the freezer with beef and chicken as it is on sale and supplement with seasonal fruits and veggies. Using different seasonings and cooking styles it’s not terribly difficult to overcome the sense of “chicken, again???”
Ideally I would like to hit the grocery store once per week. I did my shopping for the week on Sunday for a grand total of $112.80. I had a few coupons, but not many. Chicken was on sale for $.99/pound and there were a number of other store specials. I’ll likely have to hit the store again before Friday for more milk and bread. I’m hoping to stay under $150 for the week. We’ll see!
What’s your grocery bill for the week? For how many people? Do you plan meals first or shop first?
Comment by Kelly from Almost Frugal on 14 July 2008:
Thanks for the link! If you have the room, milk and bread can both be frozen. We only really use milk for cooking, so I buy the stuff that can stay at room temperature before being opened (there is almost no fresh milk available in France). Bread, on the other hand, we eat a lot of, so I buy several loaves at a time and freeze some.
Here is a link to a recipe for something you can do with stale bread:http://almostfrugal.com/2008/03/09/frugal-dessert-apple-custard-bread/
Not at all low calorie, but delicious.
Comment by Toblerone @ Simple Mom on 15 July 2008:
Beautiful blog! I’m a sucker for great design, so I’ll have to stick around and read what you have to say.
Thanks for the link. I appreciate Kelly’s perspective on this as well - both of our methods are valuable. I say the planning is the most important part of the equation - thinking through what you buy and what you make, instead of just going on a whim. That’s when money is needlessly spent.
Comment by Twiggers on 15 July 2008:
I am having this EXACT same dilemma this month! I plan my shopping around meals…but I am in a total funk regarding meals. I’ve been cooking the same boring thing for months and I need something new!
Comment by Sylvia on 15 July 2008:
Kelly - great recipe… I’m adding to my planned list ala Tolberone
Twiggers, to find variety, get your hands on past Gourmet magazines for recipe ideas. They really work! I’ll also start posting some budget recipes here.
Comment by Toni on 26 October 2008:
Such timely advice! During my single-young-mother-with-two-kids years, I always planned the week to 10-days menus and shopped accordingly. Once life became easier, though I could afford to buy more, I stuck to the habit. Now, as a grandmother with only myself and hubby to feed, i STILL plan menus a week in advance. So nice not to have to worry about what\’s for dinner. And it saves me money at the grocery, a good thing during this unsettling time.
As for coming up with ideas for menus, I like to sit down with various old cookbooks and browse. Lets me try new recipes and gives my tired brain some ideas.
thanks for a great column!