By Max.
What kind of Groceries should I get?
Let’s assume you already know how much money you have available for groceries. I usually dedicate about $120-$130 every two weeks to groceries, because I both feed myself and keep snacks on hand for three or four other regular guests at my house.
To start with, what are your priorities?
Think about food items that you use constantly and know you need every time you go to the store. In my case, this is milk, bread, sliced cheese, pop, and other staples like noodles or ramen if I’m out of them. Depending on your diet, this can also include produce and meat, like ground beef for recipes.
Next, try to list out things you don’t need need, but you know you will without a doubt eat.
Things like certain freezer meals, mac and cheese cups, and ‘meals in a box’, tend to be foods I will always eat. ‘Meals in a box’ are things like pasta salad mix, stuffing mix, and dried au grautin potatoes.
Then, list out your snacks!
What are your go-to snack foods? Cookies? Chips? Gummies? List them out. Try to order them by priority that you think you’ll need to buy them, then go online and find a price for them. If you shop at Walmart or similar stores, this part is super easy because you can actually put in your local store’s address on their website or app and view the total for your groceries and see if what you need is available in-store or not.
Add up your items as you go.
Make sure to get items for meals you know you’ll make and eat. This is what I would include in the staples or non-essentials, but not in the snacks section. You want spaghetti? Add sauce, noodles, beef, and any other ingredients you need for spaghetti to your list and price it.
Add up your total
If you have leftover money from your grocery budget, I recommend that you buy extras of your non-perishable staples! Go for items like canned foods and pastas. I tend to keep a surplus of these so that if it’s a tight month, I still have options.
Which staple items should I get?
Your staple items will vary depending on your household.
Here is a rough list of ideas to get you started:
- Milk
- Bread
- Eggs
- Pasta
- Canned vegetables
- Bottled water
- Coffee or tea
- Pasta sauce (I always forget to grab this and have a surplus of noodles)
- Condiments
- Rice
- Cereal
- Oatmeal
- Chicken broth
- Spices
I also personally recommend:
- Cream of Chicken Soup
- Cream of mushroom soup
You can make pretty much any casserole with those.
Why do I need to meal plan?
The truth is that you don’t really need to meal plan. It’s not a requirement. But it really is helpful. Meal planning, or even just making a list of meals that you know you know how to make and actually like to eat, will help you plan for how to best spend your grocery budget! It’ll also help you see common ingredients between your common meals, and add it to your “staples” list.
How do I meal plan?
The process of meal planning is different for everyone. I personally start by making a list of dishes and recipes that I already know how to make, even if I don’t like them. I then narrow it down to meals that I like and meals that I know I’ll eat during the week. I randomly pick different days for them from there.
On the opposite end, you can also meal plan based on what you have on hand already. I love the website MyFridgeFood for this. You can select the ingredients you already have at home and it will give you tons of recipes. You can even sort them based on dietary preferences and meal types.
This post was originally created by Max, on February 28th, 2023 in The Homeschooler’s Discord server, and edited by Anne. Learn more about Max and Anne on our About Us page. Cover photo by Anna Pelzer on Unsplash.
The Homeschooler's Chat 