Busy Mom's Grocery List Management

Step 2 in the Busy Mom Diet Makeover: Make a Grocery List

If you despise grocery shopping, if you feel like it takes up your whole day, if you feel like you spend a fortune buying a ton of stuff you don’t need, if you are tired of getting home and realizing you forgot the milk and have to go back....Listen Up! These Grocery List Making tips will put and end to your frustrations, wasted time, wasted money and wasted energy.

At this point, you have taken a few minutes to jot down what you are going to EAT. Now it’s time to make a LIST. This will help you stay focused and organized when you shop for the items you need to prepare your meals.

It is also helpful to know what you HAVE on hand and what needs to be added to your Kitchen to ease the time and prep of your weekly meals. For some of you, it may even be time to give your kitchen a Make Over.

3 Pre-shopping steps to help you Make an effective Grocery List:

1. Take inventory. What do you have in your kitchen that can help you make your meals and stay on track? What needs to be replaced (get rid of the junk!)?

2. Create and use Master Grocery List. Use a notepad, a long skinny shopping list, or even your computer. Just choose one and use it. TIP: I like to use past grocery store receipts. This not only helps me remember what I bought, but helps me keep the budget in mind as well. Keep your Master List on the Fridge where you are more likely to add ideas to it during the week (your family members can help as well!).

3. Organize the items on your list according to the layout of the store. For example: Produce, breads, deli, etc....

This is also a great time to make sure you have the proper tools and supplies to prepare and keep your meals for the week.

I recommend you have the following on hand:

~ Small Tupperware-type containers. Use for storing and transporting your daily meals. Make sure they are small enough to fit into a cooler but large enough to accommodate a full meal.

~ Large Tupperware-type containers. Use for storing larger quantities of food. For instance, use to store the veggies you chopped up for the week or your pre-cooked chicken breasts.

~ Ziplock Baggies – I cannot have enough of these! Keep a box of sandwich and snack size baggies on hand. Yes great for storage, but a great tool for proper portion sizes.

~ Steamer Baggies - These are new! Throw a handful of veggies in one of these nifty gadgets, pop in the microwave and you have a nutritious side dish in no time.

~ Drink containers — Used for meal replacement shakes, water and freshly brewed green tea.

~ Cooler - If you are constantly on the run a cooler allows you to prepare supportive meals and keep them with you. It can be as basic as a cooler you'd take to the park or as practical and fashionable as a purse you'd carry into the mall.

Make It A Habit
Simple or not, a list will not help you if you don't make one and use it. Pre-planning your meals and having the items on hand is the only way to take control. It's time to get into the habit of planning before you shop. Put an end to the waste of your 3 sources of power: time, energy and money and make a Grocery List.

Next I will reveal Savvy Shopping Tips