Ya'll notice I've changed my blog background again. It's the 2nd one this week. I guess I'm a little fickle. The other one just wasn't as great as what I originally thought.
Anyway, that's NOT what this post is about....it's about makin' a grocery list. Something that takes WAY too long for me every week.
You see, I'm not one of those people (and you know who you are) that can enter a grocery store, and just make up their list for the week in their heads while they browse the aisles. The thought of doing that makes my hands sweat. I'm an organized person, but not that organized. Guaranteed I would go over my $100/wk. budget, or I'd forget an ingredient.
No, I'm much more of a logical/pen to paper kind of person. It's all about the lists, baby, and you know my obsession with lists!
Here is what my meal plan for the week is:
TODAY (SATURDAY) - tuna patties, cottage cheese, roasted potatoes, homemade applesauce, green beans
SUNDAY - sandwiches for lunch, supper out with friends
MONDAY - Orange chicken and wild rice, green beans, mac and cheese
TUESDAY - breakfast
WEDNESDAY - shredded pork/chicken tacos, chips, and homemade salsa
THURSDAY - (softball practice) leftovers
FRIDAY - (football game) hot ham and cheese sandwiches, watermelon
SATURDAY - homemade chicken strips, corn, strawberries, homemade biscuits (maybe...)
SUNDAY - ?????
MONDAY - (labor day) grill hamburgers and hot dogs
Whew. This is the longest part of my list making....thinking of original stuff every week. I once added up all the homemade meals I've probably made in the 13 years I've been married, and the number was way too BIG! But I was spoiled as a kid, I'll freely admit that. My mom made us a homemade meal almost every night of the week. I decided early on I wanted to do the same thing for my kids. Family dinner (AT THE TABLE) every night is when we find out the most about our kids, and I like making something healthy for them to eat.
So, after the 1/2 hour to one hour preparation time that it takes to MAKE the list, this is usually what it looks like.
I first check the sales fliers for the grocery store, make sure I have coupons for the week, and synchronize it all to our calendar for the week, and then I make sure it doesn't exceed my $100/wk. budget. I know, it sounds a little OCD of me, but it's also....laid out according to the aisles in the store. (you can all stop laughing now!) I do this because it's easier to find things, and since I basically go to the same 2 stores every week, this isn't hard to do. The hardest thing about it is keeping it to $100/wk for the 4 of us. Come on, can anyone say Toilet Paper? Good grief! This and Kleenex and Shampoo and Conditioner and TOOTHPASTE could break the bank!So, this is just some of the things I brought home today.
As you can see, I'm not a brand name snob. This is some of my most favorite coffee...
AND it's from ALDI'S. It tastes like a cup of DUNKIN DONUTS coffee, and it's only $3.99/bag. Not bad if I do say so myself!
Don't these look good too?
The yellow ones are GINGERGOLD. Really? GINGERGOLD. Sounds like a made-up name. I mean, who actually gets to make up apple names. Hope they taste good!
So, what I guess I'm trying to get at is...making a grocery list is hard. If ya'll have any ideas on how to help me out with this...let me know.
Oh, and have a great weekend too!
Remember the list I made after Meredith showed me hers? On the computer it was itemized in the order of the store with the items I bought most often. Then I only had to write down an amount needed and notes if necessary. I left blank places for other things to be written in. It worked pretty well!
ReplyDeleteHave you heard of emealz.com? It might be worth it for you to check out. And my only comment on TP, toiletries, and toothpaste is that you need to figure out how to play Walgreens and CVS. they almost always have that stuff for next to free! ok, TP is definitely the hardest.... :)
ReplyDeleteLove this! (You knew I would...) :) I always hate the toilet paper week. Or the dishwasher detergent week. I especially hate when they fall on the same week.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the Donut Store coffee tip! (What a funny name!)I'm not a coffee drinker, but Cory swears by DD coffee. I'm gonna try it!
love this....they're in the process of putting in a new ALDI down the road from here. now i'm kinda excited to check it out :)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Aldi's! Ours was closed for remodeling for several months a year ago and I thought I was going to die.
ReplyDeleteHA! I'm just getting around to reading this one. Yes, I still make my weeks menus as I browse the aisles. But I DO now keep a running list going on my fridge to write down items as I run out of them or I would forget to replace them. My memory is failing in my old age.
ReplyDelete