Things You'll Need:
- Pen
- Paper
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Step 1
Before you start making a list of what you need to buy from the store you need to make a list of what you already have. Open those cabinet doors and start writing down items in order of category. Start by taking a piece of paper and drawing a line down the middle then a line across the center of the page, do the same on the back. For each block you created you can categorize things in 2 different ways, you decide which works best for you. You can use each block as a day and gather the ingredients you need for each day by writing in one block rice and green beans. Looking at this block of things you have you will then see that you still need a protein and some fruit so you would then add those items to your shopping list. Or you can use each block to gather alike items by writing in the first block all the veggies you have and the next all the beans, etc. If you are planning for the next 7 days and see that you only have 3 veggies then you know you need to get some veggies. This tip is even easier if you keep your pantry organized. You can keep all the canned veggies together, all the beans together, etc.
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Step 2
Make a list of things that are on sale that you can't live without. Sale ads are advertising tricks. See my article on How to Become a Smarter Shopper below in the resource section. Better yet join The Grocery Game and let them do all the coupon and rock bottom pricing work for you. See resource section below and please enter my email in the referral area so I can get some free weeks of The Grocery Game (kimmysweb@yahoo.com).
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Step 3
Now that you have gathered the item list from your pantry and found the items that are on sale you need to join the two in order to make a menu. Seeing the sales and the list of items will help you use your imagination on what you can create. If you have rice and green beans in the cabinet and know sausages are on sale you can have rice topped with the polish sausage and green beans on the side.
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Step 4
When you are making your list there are two ways to do it. If depends on which you like best. You can start a grocery list with staples like milk, bread, eggs, and butter then group items in categories such as fruits, veggies, canned goods, beverages, etc. Or you can make a grocery list based on the layout of your favorite store. Some stores have an online map of the store layout or a map in the store at the customer service desk. Smaller stores won't have a map so you will need to make your own if you choose this route.
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Step 5
Decide how much you want to spend for the week and stick to it. Always get the items on the list and if you have extra money you can then decide to get something extra. If you are watching the waistline reward yourself with something other than junk like with some flowers. The best way to do this is to take a calculator to the store with you. If you don't have a small one to take you can get one at the 99 cents store or take a pen and paper and round up to make adding quicker since you will need to write it down.
