Menu Planning and Buying In Bulk

I HATE to grocery shop. I really hate it. I've tried delegating this job to Mike, ordering groceries online and eating out way more than I should. None of this worked. So recently, I just took a moment to be pissed and then took a breath and accepted that I will NEVER be able to avoid this chore. So...the only way this is going to work for me is to buy as much as possible in bulk, planning out menus so I have to go once/week for fresh produce and live off of everything else for as close to a month as possible.

With that said, this takes some prep work but it is totally worth it if you are operating on a budget AND hate grocery shopping.

Here is what I do:

Costco: buy meat, cleaning supplies, bath supplies, soda/bottled water, frozen fruit/veggies, some canned items, milk, eggs, cheese and some prepared meals. I just bought 6 lbs of hamburger, 12 chicken breasts, 2 meals of salmon and 8 tilapia fillets. The question arises...what the heck am I going to make with all that? Here's what I came up with:

Hamburger 6lbs: meatloaf, tacos, spaghetti, lasagna, shepherd's pie, beef mac n cheese. This will give a family of four at least 13 nights of meals including leftovers. Chicken Breasts: Flautas, Fajitas, Chicken and Broccoli Casserole, Chinese Chicken Salad, Chicken Marsala Lasagna. This will give a family of four 11 nights of meals. Salmon: Miso Salmon and Blackened Salmon. This will give a family of four 2 nights of meals. Tilapia 8 fillets: Japanese Panko Fish, Fish Tacos. 2 nights of meals. Shrimp 2lbs: Shrimp pesto linguine, chilled shrimp salad, shrimp and bacon with rice. 4 meals. GRAND TOTAL: THIS WILL FEED A FAMILY OF FOUR 32 NIGHTS OF MEALS. So approximately one month of dinners if you don't eat out at all which we do once/week so this will enable us to have people over for dinner a couple of times and still make it through the month.

After I planned my dinner menu, I bought as much of the ingredients as I could at Costco and a discount grocery store. I also purchased cereal for at least 3 weeks, bread (one goes in freezer), frozen juices, side dishes and other snacks and stand by items like pb&j, cheese, lunch meat, produce (apples, bananas, salad mix, broccoli, green beans, corn, peas, stir fry veggies, carrots, celery, onions and potatoes), soda for the month, bottled water, cleaning, laundry and bath supplies, dried pasta, sauce and seasoning mixes, canned soups and dried fruit, a month of diapers & wipes, ziploc bags, drink mixes, flour, sugar, some spices, handsoaps and glade refills. Oh paper towels and toilet paper too.

I think my grocery total for the month will be right around $500 which really isn't that bad for four people.

I know those people who cook at home and cook simple meals that yield a lot of leftovers really can stretch their budget. I know my meals aren't very gourmet and I could do a lot more salads, vegetarian dinners, lowfat cooking. I try to use light, lowfat and whole grain substitutions as often as possible except for pasta. I hate whole wheat pasta. But I don't buy white breads or cereals, I use a lot of rice and we have a green veggie each night that I cook. I'm trying to keep it real, simple and as fresh as possible as long as I don't have to do major grocery shopping every few days.

Hope this look into my life and my meal plan can help you on your budget, ideas for buying in bulk and meal ideas.

Happy relaxing (instead of stressful shopping)!