Oct. Sept. Freezer Meals: Step 2, Shopping Trip

October is almost over....and I haven't been very good about posting about the freezer meals! Here is the next step in the process. Luckily, there is only one more step, which I will have out by the end of the month.

So now that you've planned your menu, the next step is to make your master ingredient list.

Here is a document that can help you do this! Basically, you write down the type of food, then go through each recipe and tally how much you need. When I did this, I broke it down into types of food- grains, veggies, freezer food, canned food, etc. This makes a more efficient trip- you don't have to spend time weaving back and forth through the aisles multiple times.

I decided to go to Costco and Wal-mart, since they tend to have lower prices, and because I will actually use the things I buy in bulk! I adjusted things a little: for example, I needed spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, and tomato paste. Instead of buying about 10 different cans of different forms of tomatoes, I bought a huge can of crushed tomatoes from Costco. It cost less than 3 dollars, and lasted me for 6 different meals. Normally, I would have spent anywhere between 5-10 dollars.

Here is a small portion of my list. I used excel, but this sheet will be just as effective. I actually will use the paper version next time, just because I like being able to tally and write on my own.

I ended up spending almost $200, which is a lot for me to spend in one trip, but is about what I would spend if I did $50 a week for 4 weeks.

Now it's your turn! Go write your list, and go shopping!