Of shopping and dinner planning bliss

Meet me at Mikes’ Pip wrote on her blog about her shopping list. Her organisation inspired me to share my scheme and my pimped out trolley. It really is a work in progress- one day it will feature more stitch and maybe some bling too.



I am a list maker (Thanks Mum), my menu and shopping list is on the computer, a database even; it gets compiled, printed and then attacked with a highlighter. (I can’t believe I just admitted to that.) I select a meal and the printout will tell me where the recipe is and ingredients required.
I would rather shop for treasures than flour so monthly I do the supermarket(s) shop (a huge day), with little weekly or sometimes more market or corner store visits (and my pimped out trolley).
My menu lasts a month in weekly blocks, although I can't commit to days. That is just too much organisation. I also like to cook double (or triple!) quantities and freeze for busy creating days. The feeling of being able to continue to make, and create knowing I can feed by family at moments notice gives me a feeling of more wealth than I can tell.
I do notice when I don’t plan I spend more money and more time making more average food; an incentive to keep it up to be sure. Apart from having to follow thru and sit and plan once a month the only part where it falls down is with my new year plan to make the kids and husband cook too. Can’t get them to commit in advance yet. Aahhh…. we are all a work in progress.