Life in Southeast Alaska

Planning Our Monthly Menu

This is the second month of shopping just once for groceries.  I used to shop weekly, then switched to every two weeks, and now just once a month.  It is working good - we have definitely saved money.  It takes some planning, but this month was easier than last and I expect it will just get easier as we go.

I start with planning out what meals we will have on a calendar.  Crystal has some on her site if you want to print one out - look for the link "The Homestead Kitchen" on the left side.  We eat leftovers for lunch, so I just plan what we will have for dinner.  To start, have a list of your favorite meals.  I have a binder that I keep our favorite recipes in, so I just pulled that out.  Now start writing when you will fix what.  I take into account what I already have in the freezer, fridge, pantry that has to be used up - plan meals around those ingredients.  Also, think about any nights you have activities planned - I have a class on Wednesdays, so we have leftovers that night.  I save the more complicated meals for the weekends.  So here is how our March menu looks:

T:  Tacos
F:  Honey BBQ Salmon, Rice, Peas
S:  Salmon Patties, Egg Noodles, Green Beans

S:  Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Corn
M:  Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Peas
T:  Chuckwagon Beef & Beans
W:  Leftovers
T:  Tacos
F:  Halibut Enchiladas, Rice & Beans
S:  Moose Roast, Potatoes, Carrots

S:  Shepard's Pie
M:  Steak, Baked Potatoes, Beets
T:  Hamburger Pizza with green pepper, red onion, mozzarella
W:  Leftovers
T:  Tacos
F:  Sweet & Sour Shrimp, Rice
S:  Corned Beef, Cabbage, Potatoes

S:  Leftovers
M:  Potato Soup
T:  Black Bean & Rice Casserole
W:  Leftovers
T:  Tacos
F:  Pan Fried Halibut, French Fries, Broccoli
S:  Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Peas, etc.

S:  Leftovers
M:  Easy Taco Casserole
T:  Sloppy Joes
W:  Leftovers
T:  Tacos
F:  Salmon Market Meatloaf
S:  Moose Stew

Now I have 2 monthly menus - for April I can use ideas from the past two - add in a few new meals, change things around, or just copy one of the other months!  Now on to the grocery list.

I look at each night's meal and jot down what I will need to buy to prepare that meal.  You can look at my previous post to see what I bought to prepare our March meals.  I make sure I put the quantity that I need as well.  I then organized the list by store - some things I can get at Costco cheaper than the other stores - other things I don't need a quantity of.  I had three stores to visit.  I went alone and it took me a total of 2 hours 45 minutes to complete the shopping.  It took about 20 minutes to put everything away - so just over 3 hours total.  I probably spent an hour making out the menu and list this time.  Not too bad!  We were $84 under budget in February and $50 under budget for March.  Cool!!

monthly shopping

5:05 PM, Monday, March 5, 2007 .. Posted by mccrjill

looks like you are really saving money with monthly grocery shopping! i may try it. love your interesting blog! I acquired another alaska friend today too! jill

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5:09 PM, Monday, March 5, 2007 .. Posted by CandyFoote

You are very organized, plus a great shopper!

We are still looking in to moving up to Alaska.
Do you know anything about the Saxman/Ketchican area?

Thanks,
Candy

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4:05 AM, Tuesday, March 6, 2007 .. Posted by BlueApple

You are doing great! I have found that the longer I can keep myself out of the grocery store, the more money I save!