How to plan your grocery list
I thought you all might like to see how i plan my grocery trip for the fortnight. I actually didn't shop last fortnight so i do need quite alot to top up.
Firstly I always shop online. This means I can see what I have as I go, I can add things as I remember I need them and I can easily see whats on sale. Monday is when the catalogue comes out so this is generally when I start to form my list. First I decide what I have run out of and what I would like to eat for the next two weeks. Off this I start my meal plan. I tend to do everything together rather than one at a time, so I will have the Woolworths app open while I have my menu plan out and be checking the catalogue. This means I can update and edit all three at as I go.
Work out what you have in the house already and see if you can build off that. I always go for simple recipes, no more than about 3 main ingredients plus pantry staples, this saves alot of money on buying ingredients you would only use once then sit in the back of the cupboard for a year. I use pinterest for all of my recipes so I also usually have this open on my phone to see what takes my fancy that week.
My shopping cart is always over budget at this stage. Don't panic this is just the planning stage, sort of like an idea dump. I don't do my final shopping cart until Wednesday because this is when the sales go live and the total will actually reflect the final cost. On Wednesday I go through my menu plan, shopping cart and the 1/2 price sales on the Woolies site. If something I was going to buy is cheaper in another brand then I switch it out. If something I need isnt on sale then I decide if I want to get it or wait, like the Vanish napisan for example goes on sale for half price at least once a month so I always wait, this saves me over $12 usually. Likewise for dishwasher tablets, never buy these at full price there will always be a sale coming up.
Also being a prepper I do stock up on pantry supplies every now and again, this week I noticed they have steak and kidney pies in tins back so im getting two even though they are quite pricey they are great to have in the cupboard incase the power goes out and you lose your fridge. A few other things I try and keep on hand are:
Pasta bake sauces
Pasta
Tinned tuna
Rammen style noodles (rue loves these)
Flour and sugar
Bicarb soda
Vinegar (for cleaning)
salt (for preserving)
When choosing between two products always look at the cost per 100g. Even if its on sale there may still be another product which is cheaper. Nutrigrain for example, the larger box is much better value for money than the small. The 290g box is $1.72/100g where as the 805g box is only $1.06/100g. I get the 500g box just because I don't have enough space to store the largest one.
Likewise the packaged ham will usually be more expensive than the same ham from the deli and especially with cheese which is $8.50 for the woolworths brand 1kg block, or $17 a kilo for the shredded, thats literally twice the price to not have to grate your own cheese...
So get your pens out and start planning, I'll post on Thursday with my final haul and see how close to $100 I get!
Firstly I always shop online. This means I can see what I have as I go, I can add things as I remember I need them and I can easily see whats on sale. Monday is when the catalogue comes out so this is generally when I start to form my list. First I decide what I have run out of and what I would like to eat for the next two weeks. Off this I start my meal plan. I tend to do everything together rather than one at a time, so I will have the Woolworths app open while I have my menu plan out and be checking the catalogue. This means I can update and edit all three at as I go.
Work out what you have in the house already and see if you can build off that. I always go for simple recipes, no more than about 3 main ingredients plus pantry staples, this saves alot of money on buying ingredients you would only use once then sit in the back of the cupboard for a year. I use pinterest for all of my recipes so I also usually have this open on my phone to see what takes my fancy that week.
My shopping cart is always over budget at this stage. Don't panic this is just the planning stage, sort of like an idea dump. I don't do my final shopping cart until Wednesday because this is when the sales go live and the total will actually reflect the final cost. On Wednesday I go through my menu plan, shopping cart and the 1/2 price sales on the Woolies site. If something I was going to buy is cheaper in another brand then I switch it out. If something I need isnt on sale then I decide if I want to get it or wait, like the Vanish napisan for example goes on sale for half price at least once a month so I always wait, this saves me over $12 usually. Likewise for dishwasher tablets, never buy these at full price there will always be a sale coming up.
Also being a prepper I do stock up on pantry supplies every now and again, this week I noticed they have steak and kidney pies in tins back so im getting two even though they are quite pricey they are great to have in the cupboard incase the power goes out and you lose your fridge. A few other things I try and keep on hand are:
Pasta bake sauces
Pasta
Tinned tuna
Rammen style noodles (rue loves these)
Flour and sugar
Bicarb soda
Vinegar (for cleaning)
salt (for preserving)
When choosing between two products always look at the cost per 100g. Even if its on sale there may still be another product which is cheaper. Nutrigrain for example, the larger box is much better value for money than the small. The 290g box is $1.72/100g where as the 805g box is only $1.06/100g. I get the 500g box just because I don't have enough space to store the largest one.
Likewise the packaged ham will usually be more expensive than the same ham from the deli and especially with cheese which is $8.50 for the woolworths brand 1kg block, or $17 a kilo for the shredded, thats literally twice the price to not have to grate your own cheese...
So get your pens out and start planning, I'll post on Thursday with my final haul and see how close to $100 I get!
