How do you organise food shopping/meal planning?

I just want to get organised with my food shopping. Currently DH goes every 2nd day with a list written by me! This works but isn't very economical and DH shouldn't have to go every other day. So I am wondering how others do it? I think my main prob is that I don't meal plan so I never know what we are having. Do you have a set list of things you get each week? If I do will I end up with multiples of things I don't get through? I don't have a big pantry or cupboard space to store stuff.
And I know once baby is born that we can't continue this was, hence looking for some good ideas!
PS I like to buy according to meals as there are just 2 adults, so I don't do a huge vegie shop then figure out what to do with them!

Yep meal plans work best. I make a list of everything I need for all the meals that week and that's my shopping list for the week. I shop once a week. I also buy what's on special, so even if I don't need it that week, then I'll grab it if it's on special as it saves money in the long run. My list is pretty much the same every week unless I'm trying out some new recipes :)

I hate to say it but I also meal plan and find that works best for shopping. I get a big shop once a week (from coles online atm - loving the convenience of that) - this is for pantry items and staples. I go to the markets on weekends for all my fruit and veg and I go once a fortnight to the butcher for meat. Usually I am in a shopping centre once a week at which point I will pick up chicken and any other ingredients that I may have forgotten or perhaps plans may have changed.

The majority of my meat and chicken I freeze and simply defrost as I need it, that way there is no wastage. And most of ny veg are transferrable between meals ie if I dont end up using broccoli on Monday nite I will use it Tues instead.

Another one here for meal planning. I used to be a big fan of the cheapo magazine Super Food Ideas and have heaps of back editions. I randomly pick one and all my meals for the week have to come from that magazine.

We do a big shop once a fortnight where we stock up on pantry staples, meat that we normally use and vegies for that week. In the middle week I'll do another meal plan, but generally we only do a small shop of vegies as there will be enough staples and meat to match that weeks plan.

We only just went back to the meal planning a few weeks ago as we were in a similar situation to you. Shopping all the time, not spending $$ wisely and then chucking stuff out that we didn't use. This way we are eating healthier and spending less $$.

im with the above, almost exacly the same as fionaw...except i have heaps of good taste and a few other mags. i pick a few mags and then pick 5 meals from them. have a few weekly items that i get ever week for lunches etc and DH sorts dinner twice a week so i leave that up to him. the supermarket is only round the corner and i find it quite easy and a good little outing for DD an i if i have forgotten anything. if i dont meal plan i find im at the shops every other day!!!

I did try to do meal planning, but didn't really have much luck (okay, admittedly, I don't know how to meal plan :redface:), so I shop for staples in bulk if I can, and what's on special. I think as I shop as to what I have (in terms of fresh items at home) then what else I need for the week's meals. I usually end up underbuying, and have to go a second time during the week, but usually also then need things like nappies (which are the bain of all existence! :redface::rolleyes:). We have a good size pantry, so there is always a good stock of pasta, passata, rice, and a few other things, plus my baking staples. Freezer wise, I try to always have frozen veg (yes, I do buy fresh too), and bread (as when the boy is over it disappears, or if the Man is in a bread mood).

When I get home, I divvy up all the meat, freeze what I'm not going to use in the next few days (see, I do plan!). I freeze everything flat so it defrosts easier (inc sausages, if you freeze them flat on a cutting board or similar, then just bundle them up when they are frozen, you can very easily get however many you want).

Maybe try to get an extra cupboard for all your bulk dry staples?

yep me too. I shop once a fortnight on pay week, without Darcy as she adds too many things lol. Preferably without DH also.
As for staples, every fortnight I buy white vinegar, bicarb, flours, eggs, butter, cheese, milk, bread and yoghurt. The rest is what I've planned.
I have a huge list of meals we like - about 60 and just pick what I feel like. Then I get meat to match and veges that are in season and go with most. I don't often cook to a recipe unless it's something I want to try. Any veges left over I make soup with.
I make most of our snacks or we have fruit/yoghurt.
Nate eats exactly what we eat so theres nothing separate for him.
I'm lucky to have a big pantry though so if there is stuff that we use regularly on special I can buy lots. I also have 3 freezer spaces so usually we buy meat in bulk.

I should also mention we live in an apartment, so buying in bulk is tricky. We have quite a small pantry so have to be quite frugal with what we can stock up on.

The other advantage to meal planning (while I think of it) is that it keeps food interesting. We often make different things that we haven't made before and stops us getting into a food rut, which means more take away, which means less $$ and likely weight gain. So there are other advantages to food planning which I like to focus on, as it helps me keep on track with it.

I do an informal meal plan. I think of how many dinners I need to cook for the week and I pick a few dishes.

So this week we have had schnitzel on Monday night, apricot chicken last night and tonight and we are having lasange tomorrow night and probably friday night too. So I just buy the ingredients I need for those dishes.

It doesn't need to be any more difficult than that ;)

Thanks all. That's what I was wondering, Holly.
How far ahead do people plan- say 5 or 7 days?
And just plan dinners and buy that stuff along with a set weekly list of lunch/breaky/snack food?
I may have a peek at Super Food Ideas. I subscribe to delicious and I love the mag but most of the food isn't practical for dinners for us either in terms of ingredients, cost, availability and personal likes.
I am jealous of Kim's list of 60ish regular meals!

I shop only once a week so plan for 7 dinners and the weekend lunches. Weekday lunches are just leftovers for DH and sandwiches or something for DS & I. Breakfasts are always the same, cereal or toast or pancakes or eggs so we always have those staples on hand.

i like the IDEA of meal planning, cooking bulk batches, shopping to suit the meal plan etc.

but i have no idea how to put any of it into practice.

the logistics overwhelm me.

just the maths of working out how much you need for all those meals!

i realise going to the supermarket less times, is more economical, i just don't know how to get from where i am now (shopping chaotically, no meal plan, freezing fish/meat in portions e.g enough for one meal for two adults, and i am lucky enough to have a pantry, so do stock up on dry goods when at a good price e.g tinned fruit)
to
being a person who plans meals, goes to supermarket once a fortnight ONLY, cooks up bulklots, freezes lots of meals, etc.

how did you make the change?
what is the first step?
i am so lost every time i start thinking about this topic.

I've never been one to be organised enough to do a shopping list! DH and I do the grocery shopping together and have a 30min drive to get there, so we discuss what we want for dinners on the way there and buy what we need for those. If regular things we use are on special we also buy those regardless of whether we actually need it that week. We plan for 6 meals for the week because we know one night we will either have take away/go out or just make do with whatever we find in the house.
I would like to be a bit more organised, but it never happens! DH also usually ends up back at the supermarket a day or two later to get a few things we forgot!

Gigi- I am trying to get from where you are to somewhere a bit more manageable. I think this is my plan:

a. Make a list of all regular meals that I can/want to cook and organize under main ingredient ie chicken, mince, vegetarian, fish etc (nice table in Word would be good)

b. Do another chart (ie procrastinate a bit longer) of Monday to Sunday down one side and blank the other so each week I can write in meals in pencil then rub out

c. Then write a shopping list from there for the meals.

d. Add in regular items and non food groceries ie detergent etc

e. Shop once in the week off the list only.

I think if I can get started on that and even if I stuff up and have to go a couple of times to the shop in the week it will be a start. This way I don't have to freeze portions (beyond me) or cook in bulk (beyond me too).

Any other suggestions are welcome in managing planning and shopping!

KatieRabbit - I plan for 5 meals, depending on how many nights we are home. We tend to go out on weekends either to friends, family or just have quick meals like omlettes or toasted sandwiches. As for lunches it's either leftovers, we buy our lunch (one luxury) or we just leave bread, cheese and a few other staples at work to make something up. We then also buy the normal snacks we like (fruit, crackers, dip, yoghurt etc) that we use to munch on. We don't have a snacks list as such, just what we normally buy each fortnight.

Then as I said earlier we do a big shop each fortnight and a little shop in between for fresh vegies and anything else that is in the meal planner for the upcoming week that we don't have. It's normally not much.

Gigi - It's all about the list. When I started it could take me ages to work it out. But once you do the list then stick to the list. Also, ziplock freezer bags are my secret. Irrespective of what meat we buy it always goes into the freezer in portions for two. Then I know how many 'meals' I have by how many meat portions I have. Portion controlling stuff can also work for other foods at first to get the hang of it.

I am a meal planner here too, I plan for a fortnight at a time because I hate shopping, and find it much easier to go and get it all done in one go (plus I also find it cheaper for some reason). What we do is start a shopping list the day we get home from shopping and just add things to it as we run out.
The day before shopping I sit down and thing of about 12 meals, some of them will be meals that I cook double batches and freeze half for work days on the following week. I also try to make sure we have a good balance of cheaper cuts of meat, mine, gravy beef for casseroles etc and more exspensive meat such a chicken steak etc.
Once I decide on meals I check the pantry to make sure I have all the other ingredients and if not add them to my list, along with any other pantry/ cleaning items we are getting a bit light on.
This week I shopped at coles online because I dont have the temptation of adding lots of extra things into the trolley as I walk down the isle, and I have worked a 4 day week- so not really alot of time to fit it in. I will go to the butchers to buy our meat (usually in bulk) and divide it up, and I will go to the markets on the weekend to pick up fruit and veg.

i'm also a meal planner - if i don't then i end up at the supermarket every other day picking up bits & pieces to make up meals.

i tend to shop once a week - would love to do it fortnightly but our fridge freezer are quite small. like others, it's all about the list here as well. i write out the days of the week & then put a meal next to them. then i check what we have in the pantry & put what we're missing on the list. i also write down the regular household sort of stuff as i go during the week so i don't forget it. if something like toilet paper is on special, i'll buy it whether we need it or not.

since being on mat leave & having less money, i've got better at making meals where we have ingredients (instead of making things that mean i have to buy all the ingredients) & i bake at least once a week instead of buying things like muffins or biscuits.

my aim is to keep any additional trips to the supermarket to be only for something like milk.

I tend to meal plan here too. I usually just write down the days of the week and put a meal next to it. I work out my list from there. I also have a whiteboard so as I run out of things I put them on a list there.
I stopped meal planning and noticed how much more I was spending so have gone back to meal planning