Writing a Grocery List

Writing a grocery list is not a unique idea. As I mentioned in the last post, most of you will recall that it’s something your mother did.

Somewhere along the way (as life got busy), we forgot that planning ahead using a list is the best budget tool.

I plan ahead by thinking about the number of meals I’m going to cook and eat at home during the upcoming week. These days I eat out less, because like most of my friends, I’m economizing. Generally, I anticipate maybe one dinner and a lunch out per week, which means I plan for at least 6 lunches and 6 dinners at home (plus 7 breakfasts).

There's no need to panic, imagining that you have to know exactly what you’re going to eat for all those meals, instead, just think in terms of volume for the number of people who’ll be eating with you.

For a good example of volume look at the picture in the previous post -- that's my week's groceries at the check out and then packed into one bag. One bag is enough volume for one person for one week.

Now here's a sample list, one that I'd use:

Produce: apples, pears, celery, sweet potato, beetroot bunch, braising greens, zucchini, spring onions, bell pepper, avocado, ginger root, garlic bulb, eggplant, organic tomatoes

Bulk section: couple cups millet, rice, cup black beans, cup of chic peas, 3 oz mixed nuts

Meat/fish: Turkey, fish, red meat,

Dairy: 1/2 dozen eggs, yoghurt

Snack aisle: Chips, and or crackers

Deli: feta or mozzarella /olives

Other: Pud Thai Sauce, pack of small, frozen corn tortillas