Groceries Post #1

 For years I have made out a menu every week for the meals to be prepared for the upcoming week.  I scan the grocery ads first, so that I can use recipes to take advantage of what is on sale that week.   Previously I lived in a very small town which did not have a decent grocery store, so it was essential that I try to have everything needed for the next week.  To get to a decent grocery store, it was about a one hour round trip.


Now we live in a much larger town, with a somewhat decent grocery store about 10 minutes away.  Now that we are plant based, however, this grocery store is inadequate for all of our needs.  I tend to gravitate between three grocery stores now, the one that is close to our house, one that has much cheaper and better produce, and one that has those specialty items I need, (but which is quite a bit more expensive).  I wish I could get it all at one, affordable store, but that is not the case.  It would be very rare for me to go to all three grocery stores in one week.
 

It may be daunting to buy an entire week's worth of groceries in one trip, but with a good shopping list, it's not too difficult.  I list the week's menu on the back of my grocery list, and use this throughout the week.  By doing this, I avoid buying the ingredients for a recipe and then forgetting what I bought those particular ingredients for.  I have definitely done that in the past. 

Many years ago I made up my own grocery list.  My list includes categories for Dairy (really non-dairy now), Beverages, Sauces & Condiments, Cereal, Grains, & Beans, Canned Goods, Baking Supplies, Ethnic, Breads, Laundry & Kitchen Cleaners, Bathroom, Hygiene &  Meds, Paper, Plastic & Foil, Frozen Items, Miscellaneous, and the all important Produce.  When I was an omnivore, I had "Meat" listed instead of "Ethnic", and my Produce section was smaller.  It can be tailored for each family's needs.   This list seems to save me a lot of time in the grocery store.  It doesn't matter which grocery store I shop at, because the list is by my categories, not according to how the grocery store is laid out.






I always feel a huge sense of accomplishment when I have finished buying the week's groceries.  I always think it's humorous that after buying that large amount of groceries and putting them away, I am sometimes too tired to cook that night.