Need some advice with my shopping list/cost. Is meal planning effective in cost control?

I am going to the grocery store this afternoon. I can only go about twice a month, so I buy two weeks worth and always spend like 300 or more dollars, and I am finding that I seem to throw away the produce because some of it rots before I use it, like salads and cabbage. I don't do meal planning. I just go to the store and throw stuff in the basket, which I think is part of the cost problem. Do you think if I plan meals out, it will be cost effective? Also, have any of you used those green bags or whatever they are that are supposed to keep produce longer. Do they work? I live so far from the store I can only go twice a month, so produce is not lasting. I can't buy frozen lettuce obviously and certain things just don't freeze and you can't buy them frozen. Any advice on cost control? How to keep produce longer? Thanks?Need some advice with my shopping list/cost. Is meal planning effective in cost control?
This is something I have been researching too since I am done working for a while and our budget is going to be shrinking some.





We have many stores within a few minutes distance of us, but I have found that I hate grocery shopping with a passion and also that when I go more often I spend more than if I just go once or twice a month.





I have been trying to do some meal planning (looking at the ads helps decide whats on sale). And when I find a good deal I often buy extra and freeze it. Most meats freeze very well. I open the package (say a pack of chicken) and put the meat in freezer bags according to how many of that item we will eat per meal. So an 8 pack of chicken gets divided in two (4 pieces per meal, we like leftovers).





I also will make like spaghetti sauce in larger amounts and freeze the extra sauce for a meal another night. Its quick to heat up and is good!





Another more cost affective way is to really use your leftovers, like if a recipe calls for half an onion, try to make a recipe next that calls for the other half of that onion. Or if a recipe calls for 2 chicken breasts and you have a pack of 5 then the next meal you make should use the other 3 chicken breasts. This really helps save on the waste factor.





As far as lettuce goes, we buy the packaged lettuce (I hate chopping lettuce) and wash it in the strainer, and then keep it in a larger tupperware container. It keeps pretty well. A lot of rot happens if your fridge's temp is set wrong (some have a separate temp guage for the produce) so make sure that its not TOO cold...when stuff freezes in the fridge it tastes gross and is ruined.





I believe the ziploc company makes some green bags type of things so you might check those out, should be able to pick them up at the store, I haven't used them, but would love to hear if they work for you or not!





ETA: Definitely agree about the slow cooker/crock pot. We use ours pretty much all the time. We make chili (stew meat is super cheap and cooks up nice and tender in the crock pot). And we make all sorts of other things in it. I love throwing stuff in there and not having to worry about it (and the house smells great all day!).





ETAx2: DYOT, you know you love me!





ETAx3: How did you get a spare? I have tried just about every lie in the book to get Bank of America to send me a spare but everytime they send me a new card they cancel the old one. I have even specifically asked them not to and they still do. Drives me nuts. I go through debit cards like crazy.Need some advice with my shopping list/cost. Is meal planning effective in cost control?
I don't do meal planning either. But I am trying my best to do. I see how this week goes with my meal planning. It hard to do and I don't know how it go with me. It reminds me I got to do meal planning for this week.
tell them
Begin buying frozen produce when possible, make a list of everything you have in the house, then a list of meals you make frequently.


Only buy what you need. I spend about $180-200 every two weeks for myself and my daughters(dairy free which is expensive), my four cats, and diapers for two, always Pampers. A crock pot is also a real money-saving tool.


But ultimately yes, you need to plan meals. Also figuring out meals with common ingredients can help save by buying in bulk. Getting a pork roast? Get a large one, cut it in half then make a roast one night and bbq pulled pork another. Beef roast? Make stew too.


The green bags help but I plan my meals around my produce, making 'fresh' items on week one, and using frozen produce during the second week.
I have family members who have used the green bags for months and really believe they work to keep stuff fresh longer. I would only buy the smaller bags of salad. Look for the ones towards the back of the shelf because they have later expiration dates and stay fresh longer. I would buy more frozen and canned veges than fresh. Same with fruits. I freeze lunch meat sometimes and it stays fine that way. I think meal planning is a good idea, but personally I never do it. I always use a shopping list every time I go shopping though so we only get what we need. I think that helps some with cost control.
[scratching head] I can't believe I just thumbed-up KELSEY!!! for once. Solid advice. Anyway...





Yes, even a bit of planning will save a fair bit of coin.





I live in the sticks and one thing that makes a big difference is how fresh the produce is to start with. If I buy some mouldering junk from a Wal-Mart ';supercentre'; or whatever, it's garbage in five days no matter what. If I go to a farm or a proper greengrocer, stuff can keep for weeks if properly stored. Be extremely picky -- if there're two soggy grapes on the bunch, one wilted leaf in the lettuce tub, pass; it's not long before the rest of it will look like that.





If you can find a good place to shop it'll make all the difference -- your food will taste better, you'll probably spend less to get better produce, and, if you want to make stuff in advance and freeze it, that's the way to go. I'd rather have stuff I made from _good_ ingredients out of the freezer than stuff from ';fresh'; produce that really isn't.





If you have fridge space, fill it with jumbo jars of good deli what-not. I have huge things of marinated artichoke hearts, marinated mushrooms, good pickles, peppers, a big tub of feta, stuff like that. It's cheap if you buy in bulk, and it's a good kick for bland food that's easily stored.
Usually planning meals helps you consolidate ingredients and use more of what you have. Look through what you seem to have a lot of right now, and try to use those ingredients in some of your meals. Since you're shopping for 2 week's worth of food, you don't have to worry too much about being stuck with your meal choices. It's not like you have to assign specific meals to specific days. Just make sure you have the ingredients for all of the meals you want to make, see if you can re-use ingredients for similar meals close together (freeze them if you don't want spaghetti and lasagna right after each other), and see how it works out.





We're pretty bad about keeping produce for any amount of time, too. In my area, apples and potatoes end up being the freshest at the store and the ones that will keep the longest. You could try doing one week with tons of fresh produce and the next week with more frozen, dried, or canned fruits and veggies. Do your salads, fresh fruits and veggies, and all of that fun stuff in your first week while it's still good, and then take an off week where you focus on frozen veggies and fruits (or canned if you need/want).





Some veggies will freeze and then cook well, even when you can't eat them like fresh. Tomatoes, peppers, and carrots definitely don't work well to eat ';fresh'; after they've been thawed, but they work really well in soups and fajitas and whatnot.





Apples should last for 2 weeks, and you can get a batch of greener bananas and separate them. They should spend the first few days ripening and survive for another week or so.





And, not that you really need to hear this: double check to make sure you have your debit card before you go. :)





Edit: They let you get a spare? I've really been wanting to do that but keep thinking that they won't let me or something (not sure why, though). I had two for 3 years because I got to keep my old one with my maiden name when they issued a new one with my married name. The old one still worked, and I loved having it in case I left my card in my pants pocket or on the dresser. I'm happy for you!
I would suggest in your case perhaps getting canned or frozen produce for the second week.





Meal planning would help. Is it possible your just buying too much food? Do you need to throw the produce out because it is bad before the end of 2 weeks, or because you just aren't eating it in those 2 weeks?





I don't think you'll notice a great difference with the bags. Also most produce I buy does keep 2 weeks without a green bag...
the birdseye steamfresh veggies are good, and not super expensive. TOTALLY YES on meal planning - you can sit down and see what foods are on sale that wk at the store, and plan around that, spaghetti is pretty quick and easy, and cheap - box of noodles is like 1-2$ same for a jar of sauce. you just have to stick to your list...thats usually the hardest part. but having a meal plan also has the advantage in that you aren't sitting there at 400 in the afternoon going, i don't know what to make for dinner....


don't know about the green bags.
At the very least, you need to make a list before you go to the store. You'll save a ton of money that way. Don't allow yourself impulse buys. If you know what you're looking for, you can skip by a lot of the aisles instead of browsing, and stop yourself from throwing junk you don't need in the cart. Buy store brand whenever possible, too.





Another thing is to cut out the pre-packaged, processed garbage. Make things from scratch. Buy dried beans instead of canned, cook them, and freeze in small portions so they're easy to use. Make a big batch of cookie dough, cook a few, freeze the rest - much cheaper than buying logs of dough or boxes of Little Debbie snacks. Make a double batch of pancakes, muffins, waffles, etc and freeze half so you have some quick breakfasts. You can also buy extra of some items and freeze it so you don't have to run to the corner store and pay more in between shopping trips. Bread is one thing that comes to mind.





I also have been getting very good at making sure nothing goes to waste. Once every day or two, take a good look at what is about to go bad, and make sure you eat it soon. Re-purpose leftovers when possible. I found a recipe for oatmeal raisin muffins, so that little bit of oatmeal left over doesn't get tossed. Tiny bits of veggies leftover that no one wants to eat get thrown together in the deep freezer to make soup or stock later.





One other way I save money is by shopping at places like Big Lots or Dollar General for cleaning supplies, paper products, cat litter, stuff like that. You can usually get a pretty good deal. If you have a Sam's Club or Costco membership, those are a good way to buy things like that that won't go bad, as well.
Buy less produce and choose the produce that will last. Potatoes, onions, apples, carrots, dry oatmeal, corn meal, beets, cabbage keep well. Buy dried beans and keep them in jars with a bay leaf. Soak dry beans the night before, throw out water and cook beans an hr or more till tender.Buy whole mushrooms and store them in paper bags in the refrigerator. Eat the fruit and vegetables that won't keep the first week. For later, dried fruit (like raisins, apricots, etc.) will do. You can soak them before use if need be. Cooked cereals like oatmeal, make nourishing breakfasts.
well, first of all, make sure to eat the stuff that goes bad fast first. make your meal plans (your going to have to do it) judging by what will go the fastest.


second, when I became a sahm a couple years ago I started planning my meals and found it really did save me money. I'm embarrassed to say it, but I even made a game of how cheap I could make a healthy meal. I set a budget for suppers and if I stuck to it at the end of 2 weeks we indulged in an expensive meal.


Good luck.





Edit: OMG I forgot the slow cooker! It's great for cheap cuts of meat and root veggies, which last pretty long.