What do you do when the cupboard is bare? Go shopping! My pantry is now stocked and my freezer is full. Such a good feeling! After taking inventory and creating a list of meal options for the upcoming month my daughter and I enjoyed a day on the town together, stocking up for the month.
Our big shopping day looks something like this:
- Use The List. Years ago, as a school assignment, my oldest daughter created a master shopping list on the computer using a word processing program. We mentally walked through the stores where we shop. She typed in the items we usually purchase in the order we come to them, aisle by aisle. Each month now I print of a copy and check off items that need replenishing. It’s easy to compare the list to what’s on the pantry shelves, and even easier to pick up what I need when the order of items on the grocery shelves. Master Shopping List
- Check sales ads, coupons, seasonal items. While I have a general idea of the meals I’ll be preparing for the month, I stay flexible, keeping an eye out for good deals.
- Go for the bargains first. We have 2 bent-and-dent stores near us, a hometown grocery that runs sales each week and gives extra discounts with their club card, Aldi, and a large box-type supermarket. That’s the order we shop the stores. By the time we get to the last store, there are only a few items we need to pick up.
- When we arrive home, Mom and her helper put their feet and our home-side crew pitches in and unloads the vehicle and puts away the groceries. It’s a family affair. “If you don’t work, you don’t eat” is a proverb often heard around here.
Coming soon will be more about my Big Cooking Day. Other posts in my Freezer Cooking Series include: Menu Planning, Freezer Cooking – The Apron Strings Way. You’ll find some of the recipes I use HERE.
I’m also sharing a favorite lunch meal idea over at Marriage, Motherhood & Missions – just in case you are wondering what to feed your happy helpers today!
Sharing this post in some of these wonderful places.
First of all, I love your new blog look…it is so clean and fresh-looking!
You have a lot of good pointers in this post. I am inspired to make a master list, thinking that it would help to have the items in order of their layout in the grocery store. Grocery shopping is one of my least favorite homemaking tasks (I’d much rather clean toilets!), so I need all the help I can get!
I had to smile when I see that you prop your feet up while the others put away the haul. I do the same thing most weeks, sometimes with a twinge of guilt. Thanks for the confirmation that it’s okay to do this! 🙂
Well, Cheryl, if you were closer I’d do shop for your groceries and invite you to come clean my toilets!
And I, too, am relieved to know that there are other moms who are willing to sit back and let other serve 😉 Yes, ma’am, it is absolutely okay to do so!
Thank you for admiring the new look. I’m very please and hope to make a few more improvements and adjustments so please come back for a visit soon.
Have a blessed week
I love a stocked pantry! I love a stocked house period! I stock mine up by ordering from Amazon.com and Walmart.com a lot too! I love taking advantage of their free shipping! The gas money and time I save cancel out my coupons most of the time. I buy things like Batteries, spices, flour, specialty flours, toilet paper, zip lock bags, garbage bags, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, sugar, vinegar, laundry detergent………….seriously this list could go on and on! My UPS man hates me! LOL
LOL, Amanda. You sound like one prepared woman! I never thought about buying those staples online. Hmm, I may need to revamp my system! And your UPS man? sounds like you are helping keep him in a job so he can stock his pantry 😉
I have heard of freezer cooking but have yet to try it. I have tried freezing cookiedough balls and they don’t seem to rise like the the same recipie when its fresh. I like the idea of freeaing some meals though for nights when I spend too much daylight out in the yard or some such thing. *smile* I tend to keep some easy meal foods on hand for those days though. *smile* Thanks for sharing. Sincerely, Mommy of two growing blessings & so much more!
Having meals at-the-ready for upcoming summer nights is a great idea 🙂 I’m always grateful on those days when I can quickly get a healthy nutritious meal on the table.
I have not had good luck with freezing cookie dough balls, but I do sometimes freeze it in a log shape. For cooking, I let it thaw slightly and cut 1/4 – 1/2 inch slices, and cut those into 1/3 or 1/4’s and bake as usual.
I hope you are enjoying a taste of spring these days!
My cupboards are not as filled as they once were and I don’t need to run the extra freezer in the garage. It was hard trying to downsize the quantity of what I cooked after cooking for nine for so many years, LOL!! I DO NEED to make a current list of my own again as the one I had in the past needs tweeking. Thanks so much!!
I can relate, Judith. I’m learning to cook for 6 again, which might sound like a big deal to some, but it seems so small to me! On one hand, I’m enjoying it, but on the other, I get a tad weepy, missing my clan all about me. Have fun tweaking your list!
I’ve always wanted to make a master list. Thanks for linking up this week on #kidsinthekitchen
having a master list is so helpful – I highly recommend taking the time to make one up. thank you for hosting kids in the kitchen, Melinda!
Our favorite grocery store remodeled back during the holidays. I STILL haven’t figured out where they’ve put everything which means we have to go down every aisle. sigh. We also have a system. When we arrive home I take the baby inside and my other 4 minions unload the van and put away the groceries. I LOVE having big kids! 🙂 Thanks for sharing via Everyday Family Living.
I can relate to the rearranging of the grocery store. Our smaller hometown grocery does not change things up too much. So nice. Our Aldi has totally revamped their store a couple of times recently and I’m still getting used it.
What a lovely system you have in place! Yes, it is very nice to have big kids who are good helpers! Thank you for stopping by today!
I also do large stock up trips for our pantry and freezers. But I have only recently started using a menu plan. I like your – if you don’t work, you don’t eat rule. It is so much work to bring it all in and put it all away.
Having a menu plan makes is so helpful, isn’t it? And when everyone pitches in the work is not so great 🙂 I’m so glad you stopped by today, blessings!
I was excited to see that your post was featured on the Good Tip Tuesday linkup! Congrats and I look forward to reading more of your great tips.
thank you, Sherryl 🙂 It is always exciting to find out I’ve been featured! thank you for co-hosting Good Tip Tuesday
We also have a master grocery list made up by aisle.. though the way the stores keep changing things I do need to re-do a few sections of ours. My husband and I have started shopping together now that the boys are old enough to stay home alone and they all help trek in groceries and put food away. It is definitely a family affair and I’m pretty sure I’ve told them more than once that if they don’t want to help they don’t have to eat.
Shopping together – what a nice date/tradition!
My stores also change up the aisles. I still use this list printout but it needs a major overhaul! I think it’s time to assign this to one of my students 😉