Grocery Shopping Lists

Writing grocery shopping lists is a snap since I developed a system that saves me time and money.

Simply keep an inventory of what's in the freezer and a list of easy to make meals your family likes on the refrigerator.

Instead of planning a weekly menu every single week, you'll know what's in the freezer and note what can be made with it. Not only will you save time, you'll save money because you eat what's on hand and are less likely to go out to eat or order a pizza…a big plus!

Every week I pick six meals from the meal list and make sure I have enough ingredients to make them. Here's a sample of some of the items on my family's meal list. Tacos, pot roast, chicken and rice pilaf, clams and linguine, Frito boats, and pasta and meat sauce. I look in the freezer and notice I have everything to make those six meals except ground beef, so I add it to the list. It's that simple.

Keep two running grocery shopping lists on the refrigerator:

• The weekly grocery shop that includes staples such as milk, bread, fruits and veggies
• The monthly or bi-monthly warehouse club Costco list that includes such items as diapers, paper towels, eggs, butter, etc.

Another great time saving trick is to rewrite your list for groceries according to the store's layout. Prior to going to the store, rewrite lists with the store map in mind so that when you arrive, you can follow the route on the list reducing time consuming wandering through the store.

If you have time on you hands, you can develop a list that follows the store's layout on the computer and print several blank copies. See below and to the right for an example:

This way each week you can grab a copy and simply check off what is needed and the list is based on the outline of the store.

You can also check out the next two links for free grocery lists that you can download on your computer.

The web site www.WorkingMom.com not only offers free grocery lists, but also free printable coupons.

Back to saving money, another great tip to save money is to watch the weekly sales ads and plan meals accordingly. I've found the “use what's on hand method” for my meal planning to be the cheapest, but if you need to add a meal or two to your meal list, this is a good money saver. It also pays to stock up when things go on sale, or when you see great coupons, or both, but we'll talk about that later in Grocery Shopping On a Budget Saves Time and Money.

I don't enjoy grocery shopping especially with three young children and by utilizing these systems; I cut time spent in a store down to fifteen to thirty minutes max. Using grocery shopping lists and meal lists will definitely save you time and money.

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