Part 3 of Once-A-Month Shopping ~
To get started with your grocery list, think about the various sections of a grocery store. You have dairy, fresh fruits & veggies, breads, etc. My grocery list is based off of this as well as how my pantry and cupboards are lined out. Come up with a way that works for you.
Here are my categories:
Baking Needs
Condiments
Pasta/Rice
Fresh Fruits & Veggies
Dairy
Meats
Snacks/Breads
Canned Goods
Frozen
Miscellaneous
Download a FREE copy of my Master Grocery List!
Now, take a look at your meals. What items do you need to make those specific meals?
What items do you use on a regular basis that are not covered by what is needed for your meals? What is currently in your pantry? The way I started was by taking my friend’s list and then taking off what our family never uses that her family does and adding what I needed for my meal list. This is one case where cheating is allowed!
The Miscellaneous section is where I put things like trash bags, ziplock bags, laundry detergent, etc. I also have room here to jot down anything extra I may need that month that falls outside the norm like shoes for the children or a storage container or printer ink.
My list is full of items I do not buy every single month. I keep them on the list because we do need them often enough to justify allowing them to have a permanent place. This is where a Master List differs from a regular ole grocery list. I’ll demonstrate in a moment how this works.
But first, you need to consider 2 things:
1. How many of each item on your list do you go through in a month?
2. How many of each item do you wish to “have on hand?”
Here’s an example:
I like to have 2 boxes of spaghetti on hand. Very rarely do we go through a full 2 boxes, but it is good to have that option. Trash sacks are the same way. We don’t go through a full 2 boxes of trash sacks in a month’s time, but we will go through more than 1, so I need to have 2 on hand. Make sense?
Here’s how it will look on your list:
_____ Trash Sacks 2
_____ Spaghetti 2
The number following the item is how many you would like to have on hand.
The line in front of the item is for you to write in how many you need to buy in order to achieve this number.
If you don’t need any that month, don’t write anything on the line.
Once you have done this for all the items on your list and saved it to a word document or some such thing, you can now send your big kids a runnin’! Every month before shopping day, I send my oldest to inventory what is left. I know some people keep a running inventory posted beside each refrigerator/freezer, but I am just not this organized. I did try this once, but it was a disaster because inevitably someone took something out and forgot to mark that they took that particular item out. Pretty much defeats the purpose of an inventory check-list.
The easiest way I’ve found to do this particular step is to use my master grocery list and rattle off an item and ask him to find out how many we have of that item. Of course, if you do not have big kids or you are worried that your big kids won’t count correctly, then you are welcome to do this step yourself. I’ve just found it to be a wonderful asset to have a helper who can do this alongside me. We go through the entire list, pen in hand, and mark exactly how many of each item we need to be fully stocked. It is also at this point that I add all the little extra items I need to my list. I keep a running list of these random items on our dry erase board.
One thing I want to stress is that your list will be LONG.! My list is 4 pages!
But, this will not be the only thing that will make you an oddity in the grocery store…more on that in the next post entitled Shopping Day.
Download a FREE copy of my Master Grocery List and get started!
Once A Month Shopping Series:
Introduction
Master Meal List
Master Grocery List – this post
Shopping Day
The Munck Family says
Just in the past 2 months I have noticed I’ve had to go to the store twice a month. My kiddos are geting bigger and what I’ve bought isn’t going as far. So, I’m going to redo my list and, fix my extra storage in the garage to hold the extra. We have a deep freeze and 2 frigs. Thanks for the new ideas like the idea of keeping how many you want on hand. Even moms who think they have it together can ALWAYS welcome new ideas…THANKS!
Alissa says
Hi there,>I love this series of posts! I’ve been taking notes, as I’m trying to make my own shopping experience much more efficient. May I ask, when you have a number beside an item on your list, is that how many UNOPENED items you want to have on hand? (ie – do you always have one unopened package of baking powder on hand, in addition to your open one, or do you count the open one as 1?) I know, it’s a nitpicky detail, but I’m trying to figure out the best way to go about this. Thanks so much!
Danielle says
Thanks for the grocery list. I have a master shopping list but I like your idea of keeping the inventory right on the list.
Amy says
You are welcome! 🙂
Valerie Dunlap says
Thank you SO MUCH for posting your master list! I have been wanting to do this for a long time, but it just seemed too overwhelming! Thank you, thank you!!!
Amy McDermott says
Hi Amy–A friend just sent me the link to your site, and I am excited to explore further! I do have a question for you on your once a month shopping. How do you handle milk and fresh fruits and veggies. I find that even if I am stocked up on everything else, I do need a weekly run for these items. Some things will last like carrots and apples, but most spoil quickly. And when you are going through a gallon of milk a day, even with an extra fridge, there is not enough room! Thank you and God bless you!
Amy says
Hi! We don’t go through that much milk (not big milk drinkers here). But what I do is buy as much as I can for the first 2 weeks (at Aldi, that’s about how long the milk will be dated for). Then, I go 2 wks later and pick up more milk and eggs and fresh fruits and veggies. It also helps to dice and prepare the veggies when you get home and freeze what you can. So, yes, I do go back, but often I send my husband for the few things we need halfway through.