Meal planning vs. shopping sales...

[Diana in OR]

I want to be more efficient at meal planning and prep and save money on my groceries at the same time. I do really well on my grocery shopping by using coupons (Grocery Game), a whole food co-op and sometimes organic produce delivery. (I consistently average a 60-75% savings on grocery items.) But that doesn't necessarily lend itself to good meal planning. When I take the time to plan my meals, then I tend to spend more on groceries. I am willing to make ahead and freeze some things, but don't want to do once a month cooking.

 

Is there a good balance? If you plan your meals ahead, how far ahead? If you do bulk cooking and/or meal planning, do you save money?

 

Every article I read about meal planning says you save money because you use a list and don't impulse buy. What if you already don't impulse buy, then where's the savings?

 

I guess the bottom line is, I want to be organized in the kitchen, feed my family healthy, and save money on my groceries at the same time. Ever the challenge, I know. <sigh>

[Jayne J]

It is really tough to know which is the right course. I've tried both and found that when I shop based on sales, I do save a bit of money...but I waste money because I end up throwing away food that I didn't use. It was a great deal, but... So I have settled on the well-stocked pantry principle. The idea is to understand what foods you routinely eat, and really know your prices. Then, when you find a good deal or sale, really stock up. I've created a cookbook full of healthy, low-cost meals that revolve around some basic ingredients and buy those things in bulk. Then, weekly I fill in the edges, buying fresh foods and milk etc (the stuff you can't really stock up on) and the "special" ingredients that keep the menu interesting. I'm interested to hear what others do!

[Janet in Toronto]

I tend to plan my meals for the upcoming week on Sundays when the flyers come with the paper and I can check out the sales. Then I shop first thing Monday morning. (Or Tuesday, depending on when the sale(s) start.)

 

I only plan a week at a time as I cook from mainly fresh food, so this system works very well for me.

[cjzimmer1]

I don't do alot of advance meal planning mostly because I usually have a specific taste for something and thus my meals are based on my mood of the day. While the rest of family would probably eat whatever, (they don't usually get a choice), I would be most unhappy eating spaghetti because that's what my meal plan called for but I have a craving for tacos. So our suppers are dictated by my taste buds and my time (I'm 37 weeks pregnant so that also plays a huge factor in the what's for supper game). But overall, I simply keep my freezer and cupboards well stocked. I have more than enough food that I "could" easily create a meal plan for a couple of weeks without going to the store for anything but perishables.

 

For example, I have 20-30 pounds of cooked ground hamburger frozen in one pound bags, another 10 pounds of uncooked ground hamburger. 4-6 bags of cooked chicken (1 pound packages). 3 5 pound bags of uncooked chicken breasts/tenderloins. 1 small uncooked turkey, 3-4 whole uncooked chickens, 1 ham, 4-6 chuck roasts, 4-5 bags of pork chops (some marinated in sauce and some plain), a couple of bags of shrimp, a bag of breaded chicken tenders and probably a couple of meals of other kinds of meat if I dug through the freezer. My selection of frozen vegetables is equally stocked. I also have about a dozen pans of already made meals that can simply go in the oven if I'm too tired/busy to cook a meal that day. There is also things like frozen stuffed pasta, piorgies, garlic bread, frozen pizzas when I need to pull things together quickly. I use Artisian Bread in 5 minutes a day to keep fresh bread dough in the fridge that can me made any day it seems to go with the meal.

 

I shop the sales and stock up heavily and then plan meals from what I have on hand. Very rarely do I I actually need to go to the grocery store to get an ingredient for what I want to make because I keep such a large variety on hand. So I do great with the sales thing but as I stated before I'm not much into meal planning.

 

Stephanie

[Jennifer in MI]

It is really tough to know which is the right course. I've tried both and found that when I shop based on sales, I do save a bit of money...but I waste money because I end up throwing away food that I didn't use. It was a great deal, but... So I have settled on the well-stocked pantry principle. The idea is to understand what foods you routinely eat, and really know your prices. Then, when you find a good deal or sale, really stock up. I've created a cookbook full of healthy, low-cost meals that revolve around some basic ingredients and buy those things in bulk. Then, weekly I fill in the edges, buying fresh foods and milk etc (the stuff you can't really stock up on) and the "special" ingredients that keep the menu interesting. I'm interested to hear what others do!

 

 

This is what we do too. I look at the circular and put the sales things that I want to buy/stock up on on my list. Then, I make a list of food for the week based on what we have on hand mostly. Then, I fill in the edges with fresh veggies, fruits, eggs, etc.

 

Oh - and I don't know if you're aware, but you can stock up on milk! Just open it and pour a little out into another container. Then, freeze the milk! It takes about a week for one ot thaw in the fridge, so you need to plan ahead a little. But, we save a TON of money this way. We also freeze cheese.

 

This summer I've been tracking my spending on groceries. We've been spending an average of $108/week for my family of 6! That doesn't include a big coop order though. I tend to spend about $200 at my coop twice a year and stock up on wheat berries, rice, oatmeal, sunflower seeds, almonds, etc. So, it's probably a bit higher than that, but I was pretty proud of myself!!

 

Good luck!

[Twinmom]

I do the GG as well...have been doing it 3+ years...and I also do meal planning. I know how difficult it can be to make the two jive! Doesn't always work. The GG suggests that you plan meals from what you have in your stockpile for the best savings. Therefore, you'd have chicken tonight if that had been on the list that weekend. Fine, but what about all those pesty other ingredients? Gets tough...

 

What I've found that works and is easiest for me is to use a meal planning site such as Saving Dinner or MenuMoms and get some regular menus whose ingredients I can work on stockpiling over the 12 week cycle. For example, I subscribed to SD for a while and built up a list of well-loved weekly menus, saved in their archives. I got used to what was on them ingredient-wise, then I'd know what to stockpile in the future. Meal costs were higher in the beginning but got better as I used the menus more frequently. Clear as mud? :D

 

Another thing that helped when I had more time on my hands (pre-homeschooling!!) was to do one of SD's freezer menus. I used to do the big ones (mega menu mailers of 25+ meals!), but the 5 for the freezer ones worked better for me. Should chicken be on the List, I'd download and make the 5 chicken freezer meals and stockpile those. You are freezing fresh ingredients for this rather than a full-cooked meal, so there's less prep time and the final result tastes better (no "leftover" taste here...it's thaw and stick in the oven...)

 

Anyway, I feel your pain. Hope my suggestions help!

[KS_]

So I have settled on the well-stocked pantry principle. The idea is to understand what foods you routinely eat, and really know your prices. Then, when you find a good deal or sale, really stock up. I've created a cookbook full of healthy, low-cost meals that revolve around some basic ingredients and buy those things in bulk. Then, weekly I fill in the edges, buying fresh foods and milk etc (the stuff you can't really stock up on) and the "special" ingredients that keep the menu interesting. I'm interested to hear what others do!

 

I guess this is probably what I do . . .we have 2 chest freezers along with a well-stocked pantry and for most things, I only buy them when they're on sale. I know which types of foods we eat a lot of and that's what I stock up on. Then I'll get the fresh fruit and veggies for the week (and those will normally be the ones that are on sale that week).

 

I'm not so good at the meal planning part . . .I'd really like to have my meals planned out for the week (or 2 weeks), but usually only manage to get a few days in a row planned out.

[melissel]

It is really tough to know which is the right course. I've tried both and found that when I shop based on sales, I do save a bit of money...but I waste money because I end up throwing away food that I didn't use. It was a great deal, but... So I have settled on the well-stocked pantry principle. The idea is to understand what foods you routinely eat, and really know your prices. Then, when you find a good deal or sale, really stock up. I've created a cookbook full of healthy, low-cost meals that revolve around some basic ingredients and buy those things in bulk. Then, weekly I fill in the edges, buying fresh foods and milk etc (the stuff you can't really stock up on) and the "special" ingredients that keep the menu interesting. I'm interested to hear what others do!

 

This is pretty much what I do too. Fortunately, my clan likes relatively simple meals--baked chicken, homemade pizza, spaghetti, chicken sausage and eda mame, simple burgers, quesadillas, etc. When the ingredients for our main meals go on sale, I stock up on them, then I make simple sides like baked potatoes or rice or even just a fresh or frozen veggie.

 

I've found that my costs rise when I meal plan because I tend to get creative with my recipes. Then I need a million ingredients I didn't have in the first place. DH loves those nights, but the kids almost never like what I come up with. So, I've just decided to aim for keeping it simple and using what I can stockpile.

[Tutor]

I liked PariSarah's compromise. She shopped based on what was on sale, but also planned menus based on "themes" over a two-week rotation (themes included breakfast-for-dinner, soup night, Mexican, etc). Shopping by sales offered the greatest savings, but the themed menu allowed them flexibility in their cooking so they could use ingredients they had on hand, accommodate multiple cooks, and not eat the same meals night after night. She shared her menu rotation, but I can't remember it. Hopefully she will see this and share her plan again.

[lynn]

I have found that the fewer trips I have to make to WM/Super Target or publix the fewer impulse buys and buying things just because thus spending less. So every week or 2 that I do shop has it's own emphasis on my list. Besides basics that we always need like fresh vegetables, fruit, milk, and any really good sales etc I make a 4 week menu break it down to what I need. 1 week I stock up on chicken, hamburger, sausage, steak etc for the entire month. Next week sides, snacks, chips, next week paper products/cleaners. etc. I do keep stock of basics like beans, tomoatoes, vegetables, rice, pasta, sauce (things that make quick meals) by the case and stock up every month or so. I keep a list on the fridge when I open something it goes on the list to buy during the next stock up trip at WM. the idea is to never run out of anything that would cause you run out to the store when it's not shopping day thus costing gas and more $$ than planned because you want this or that also. does this make sense. I don't find coupons useful because i either forget to bring them with me or just do not use the product. I don't like running around for sales but do stock up when I do see things I use regularly on sale. I do watch for check things like butter, spagetti sauce etc that we like to be on sale when I do shop and will stock up then.

[PariSarah]

I liked PariSarah's compromise. She shopped based on what was on sale, but also planned menus based on "themes" over a two-week rotation (themes included breakfast-for-dinner, soup night, Mexican, etc). . . . She shared her menu rotation, but I can't remember it. Hopefully she will see this and share her plan again.

 

Thanks for calling me over!

 

Well, over the summer, the rotation is:

 

Sun: Breakfast for Dinner, or something from the freezer

Mon: Crockpot bean dish

Tues: Pasta

Weds: Stir-fry or Salad

Thurs: Nice Vegetarian, or Indian

Fri: Grill Night

Sat: Pizza or Company Dinner

 

I highly recommend the book (everyone joins in and says it with her, because we all know what she's going to say): How To Cook Without A Book. The author gives basic formulas that you can plug various ingredients into. Four or five nights a week, I cook something like this--a variable formula that I can plug the on-sale stuff into.

 

So, I keep a basic stocked pantry, and buy whatever's on sale that week. I know, for example, that I'll need two veggies, an onion, and a protein for the stir-fry. So I look for the two cheapest veggies and the cheapest meat (or, if meat's not good that week, I get a can of chickpeas). I know that I need a grillable meat, a grillable veggie, and either potatoes or fries for grill night. I pick the cheapest grillable meat, and so on.

 

You can see a few examples of how it works on my blog, here, here, and here.

[Diana in OR]

 

I've found that my costs rise when I meal plan because I tend to get creative with my recipes. Then I need a million ingredients I didn't have in the first place. DH loves those nights, but the kids almost never like what I come up with. So, I've just decided to aim for keeping it simple and using what I can stockpile.

 

:iagree: I do like to get creative, and dh likes it, but the dc don't so much. I figure when they are grown, there will be a little more wiggle room in the grocery budget and I can experiment then!:001_smile:

[Jacquelyn in NC]

I plan my meals and grocery shop once a week. I try to incorporate sale items into my weekly menus, and use up things in my fridge and pantry. However, when I am out shopping I always browse the meat aisle and buy reduced-price meats (the ones that they mark down to get them sold by their sell-by date). Those items I put in the freezer. The NEXT week when I plan my menu, those are the meats I plan around.

 

This system usually gives me the benefits of a list as well as the savings of buying sale items. It's not perfect, but it works pretty well.

[KAR120C]

I counted all our favorite recipes and it came to 13 weeks (six recipes per week, allowing for one night of leftovers or frozen pizza). Then I made a database.... listed all the ingredients... put in all the non-sale prices...

 

Okay I don't actually recommend this approach (because clearly I'm nuts! LOL) but what I found is that in 13 weeks (one quarter), we use a TON of a few ingredients, like chicken breasts and thighs, and lettuce, and tortillas, salsa, milk, cheese, butter.... and given a solid number for each of those, I know just how much I can buy ahead without worrying about being overstocked, and exactly which choices we can make that will have the greatest effect on my total. Lettuce is huge because it's so perishable and we eat so much salad every week, so slightly cheaper lettuce makes a big difference in the long run. Also, if I were to plant lettuce for even part of the year (spring and fall around here), it would make a big difference too. We don't have a chest freezer (yet?) but I know exactly what would be in it if we did!

 

The happy middle ground is probably to figure out what you eat the most of and focus on that. So if you know that you have chicken about twice a week, then it would be worth it to stock up on chicken (and freeze it) when it's on sale. And if you don't really like fish that much, it isn't any use to buy it on sale and have it sit in your freezer forever. The way I do my buying ahead now, I don't keep more than a quarter's worth at a time. That way I'm not hanging on to chicken for two years watching it get freezer-burned.

[Ashleen]

I counted all our favorite recipes and it came to 13 weeks (six recipes per week, allowing for one night of leftovers or frozen pizza). Then I made a database.... listed all the ingredients... put in all the non-sale prices...

 

This is awesome. This is exactly what I've wanted to do for several years but I can't seem to get my act together and do it. I quickly get overwhelmed by the enormity of the project.

[KAR120C]

This is awesome. This is exactly what I've wanted to do for several years but I can't seem to get my act together and do it. I quickly get overwhelmed by the enormity of the project.

I started out just putting in the list of recipes and fields for an ingredient list (long text/memo) and instructions, so all it really did was print recipe cards. That was pretty straightforward. And about 10 years ago! LOL It did give me a good place to keep all those recipes from magazines that we might use sometime... And it was neater than tearing them out and keeping a file.

 

Then I started a table for the ingredients (with unit sizes and prices), and a table that linked each recipe to the relevant ingredients with quantities. That took a bit of work, but it paid off in spades -- that's all you need to make the grocery list and calculate the total cost per recipe.

 

The slightly-nuts level was adding a field to mark which "week" each recipe belonged to, so I could have a standard "week 1" list (etc) and to add a recipe entry that listed everything we keep on hand for a week's worth of breakfasts and lunches (and a duplicate of that x13 so I could include that in calculations of a whole quarter at a time...) But that's also the point when I made 13 neat little printouts of the recipes for each week and put them in sheet protectors in a binder, so now everyone knows what we're having this week without asking! :)

 

When I've completely gone off the deep end I'll link everything to the USDA nutrient data files you can download... you know... so I can make sure my family is getting enough, er, riboflavin or something ;) But that involves matching up my own unit size to their 100g standard (and whether that's 100g of edible portion only, or if it includes bones and rinds and seeds and shells.... I used to know how it worked... *sigh*) and multiplying everything out from that. I figured I'd wait until they had soluble and insoluble fiber split out, and last I checked they didn't yet.

 

Right now I'm just working on convincing DH that we need a chest freezer...