Hello everyone! Yes, this topic is every moms FAVORITE thing to discuss and spend their money on… not! haha. When me and Jake first got married I absolutely DREADED grocery shopping and cooking. A: I didn’t really know how to cook all that well, and B: I found myself going to the grocery store ALL OF THE TIME! And every time I went, I spent way more time and money than I wanted to, and really nothing to show for it!
We had a limited budget then and we never knew how much Jake would make that month. After a couple of months like this, I knew I needed to get more organized. I knew grocery shopping was one expense that I COULD control. So that’s when this system was born! I thought I would share this so maybe you guys could benefit from it too! (especially you newly weds!).
Before I share my list, I should mention that it’s VERY important to find what you want to buy before you actually go to the grocery store. Planning is key to making sure you don’t grab random things that you won’t use. So before I go to the grocery store, I look up recipes/snacks that we want to make (I have about 25-30 dinners that I plan for). Then I write all those ingredients down and make a list of everything I will need. I try to find ingredients that can be used of a lot of different recipes.
I organize my list by category, you can use whatever system works for you but I put mine into these categories: Vegetables, fruits, meats, dairy, baking, Baby, and misc items. (Side note: I used to get all of my toiletries, cleaning and doggy things too but I now make a separate trip for these because it was just all WAY too much to fit in the cart with my baby! Plus the check out clerks don’t hate me as much! Haha).
For my list I usually organize it by how I move throughout the store. So for example, the first thing you see in my store is the vegetables and fruits. So those are the first on my list, then after that is the meat section so that’s next, etc, etc. I do this so it saves me time. Then I’m not running back and forth to the same areas, which used to happen to me ALL the time! It was so annoying!
I print my list off and put it in a plastic page protector. Just so I don’t have to keep writing my list down over and over again. After I have done that I get a black sharpie and cross the things I get as I go, it helps me make sure I didn’t forget anything. (Be warned: When I bring this nice list with me people seriously give me the WEIRDEST looks! haha. I caught a girl once looking at my list and then walk away shaking her head! haha but I don’t care, It works for me!).
However, I also have been using an app that keeps your list for you as well! If you don’t want to carry a list with you, this might be a better option. I like to have both, that way if I forget my list I still have it on my phone to refer to!
Also, another helpful thing I do before is I go through/clean out my pantry, fridge, and freezer. This helps me know if I have enough or too much of something, and it helps me have a space to put all of the groceries that are coming home with me. Plus I get a clean fridge and pantry. It’s a win win!
With my pre-made list, I go do my grocery shopping! It’s seriously SO nice when most of the hard word is done. Plus, I actually use the ingredients and I know exactly what they are used for! I know a lot of people like to do the online pick-up but honestly I haven’t ever really had good experiences with it, so it’s all what works for you.
I hope that helps you guys! I know that it’s really helpful especially when you are trying to keep your pantry and fridge organized as well! In a later post I can show you all how I organize my fridge and pantry if you are interested? Let me know if you all have any tips and tricks you have below as well!
Thanks for reading!
xo, Jamie
