Grocery shopping can be overwhelming, especially when you have a long list of disjointed ingredients to track down in every corner of the grocery store.
As busy moms, we can all benefit from simplifying our daily tasks to save us time, money, and head space.
It might seem like making a grocery list and going shopping is just a necessary task because we all need to eat, but there are ways to make it easier and less stressful.
And best of all? Simplifying your grocery list can save you time and money!
1. Choose Simple Ingredients and Recipes
The easiest way to simplify your grocery list is to not try to be overly elaborate with your meals.
When you try to make fancy meals, you can end up buying lots of ingredients you wouldn’t normally get with plans of only using them in one recipe.
Not only can this lead to increased food waste from ingredients going bad from not being used in time, but it can lead to a lot more time spent in the grocery store tracking down special ingredients.
Now, don’t get me wrong, fancy meals definitely have their place, especially for holidays and other special occasions. If you want to simplify your grocery list and shopping, however, it’s better to keep those meals on special days.
By choosing simple recipes, you can also save time in the kitchen since you won’t have to work through a 30-step recipe to get supper on the table.
If you love cooking, maybe that’s your chance to relax. If so, go for it! I’m the kind of person who needs to be inspired to spend long periods cooking, so I’m all for quick, easy meals that feed my family and give me more time to do other things.
2. Use Ingredients Multiple Ways
How often do you buy an ingredient with grand plans for how to use it and then you:
- Use part of it but never finish it?
- Don’t make the dish again because your family didn’t like it?
- Or, don’t use the ingredient again before it goes bad?
One way you can keep this from happening is to buy ingredients that you can in a variety of different ways.
This way, if you try a new recipe and figure out no one in your family likes it, you can use the ingredients in other ways.
Some very versatile ingredients you can use in creative ways (but also in simpler depending on your family’s taste) include:
- Rice
- Pasta
- Tomato Sauce
- Bell Peppers
- Onions
- Potatoes
- Mushrooms
- Chicken
- Ground Beef
- Baking ingredients such as flour, sugar, baking powder, yeast, etc.
By keeping simple “base ingredients” like these on hand, you can mix and match them with other ingredients to keep some variety in your meals without extending all that variety to the items on your shopping list.
3. Try New Recipes (but keep them simple)
Don’t know multiple ways to use an ingredient? Try something new!
Trying something new doesn’t mean you have to go “all out” in terms of flavor or complicated recipes.
However, it can help keep you out of a cooking rut when you’re trying to keep your grocery list simple.
By learning how to combine ingredients you already have in your pantry in new and creative ways, you can maybe even find some new family favorites!
Not sure how to combine the contents of your fridge to make new dishes? Here are some helpful sites that can get you started:
- Shelf Cooking (helps you learn how cook with what’s in your fridge or pantry and make substitutions if you’re out of something)
- Recipe Finder (input the ingredients you have and it will give you recipes that use them)
4. Keep a Master List
When you start your grocery list from scratch every time you go shopping, it might seem like you always forget something, even if you buy it on a regular basis.
By making a master grocery list, you can check if anything you regularly by needs to be restocked.
The next couple times you go grocery shopping, take your receipt and make a list of all the things that you. After a couple shopping trips, or over the course of a month depending on how often you shop, you should have a pretty thorough list. By looking at this list, you can have a good idea of which foods you buy repeatedly.
Sure, there will probably be some things that you bought that are ”one-off” types of things, but for the most part, you’ll probably have at least a couple dozen staple ingredients that you use in a variety of meals and that your family loves.
Add ingredients to your list until you’re pretty sure you have a majority of the things you buy regularly on that list.
Divide your list by type
Now that you have a hand-written list (if you’ve already typed it, you’re ahead on this step!), take the list and type it (if it’s not already) and divide it by the type of food.
Sample categories include:
- Produce
- Dairy
- Meat
- Freezer
- Dry Goods
- Baking Supplies
These categories will help when you’re in the store since you’ll be able to quickly glance at your list and see what else you need in that section of the store. They’ll also be helpful when you’re check what groceries you already have since like items tend to be stored together.
Make it reusable
If you have access to a laminator (most libraries have them if you don’t own one), laminate your shopping list so you can use it over and over again.
Before you go grocery shopping, you can check what you have in your fridge, freezer, and pantry and mark anything on the list that you need. You can even leave space next to the items to write the quantity.
Once you’re done shopping, you can simply wipe the list clean and it’s ready for next time!
Tip: Leave some space, either in a ”miscellaneous” category or at the end of the separate categories, for extra things you might need on that shopping trip but don’t need all the time. This includes things such as seasonal produce, supplies for a birthday cake, food for vacation, etc.
5. Add Variety with Seasonings
Simple, affordable food doesn’t have to be boring.
Even something as simple as chicken and rice can be turned into many different cuisines just by switching up spices. A few spices can transform this plain dish into tacos or fajitas, italian chicken, or a Greek-inspired dish.
Don’t know what spices to add? There are tons of homemade mixes you can be and try! Here’s a good one! By making your own spice mixes, you can learn how to use the spices you probably already have in many different ways! You can also make a little or a lot of a mix so you can try different flavors without buying a whole bottle of something.
Cooking wholesome meals from scratch doesn’t have to be complicated. By buying some versatile ingredients, you can simplify your grocery list, add variety to your cooking, and save money!
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