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Shopping Made Fun!

About 2 months before we PCS'd (moved), we decided it was time to try to eat up as much of the food in the pantry as we could. This led to our realization of how much we were wasting, food and money, at the grocery store each month. I would go to the commissary (military grocery store) and grab random things off the shelf, buy random meat products, and impulse buy fruit and vegetables. By the time I'd get around to making dinner, I'd use maybe half of the things I'd buy.

That was when we decided to make a change. We decided it was time to meal plan, and stick to it. Or at least stick to it so long as I remember to thaw the meat in enough time. Now, we sit down with those cookbooks that you impulse buy at the checkout stand and mark which recipes we would actually think about eating, pick out a week's worth of meals, and make a grocery list.

I am very deliberate with our grocery shopping list too. I write down everything the recipe calls for and then go to our pantry and fridge and cross off what we already have. At that point, I ask my husband if there is anything he needs and either add it to the list, or more than likely, I go upstairs and find the item that he needs in our stash of extra items. Finally, I look to make sure we have enough drinks, breakfast foods, snacks, and lunch items. Now, you can spend money and use an online meal planner such as Food on the Table or eMeals, or you can use a pencil, pen, and cookbook you already own. There are also free templates you can download to help with the planning.

Having that list in hand helps to keep me from buying food that we don't need that will just go to waste. It helps keep our pantry in check so it is not busting at the seams. And, best of all, it gives my kids a well-balanced diet.

The grocery store run is more enjoyable now and quicker. I have a list that I stick to, with very few exceptions. Now when we go to the grocery store, I can have my daughter, Payton, look at the list and count how many more items we need until we can pay and leave. We can also use the fun racing car shopping cart since it holds less food. It helps keep both kids occupied while I shop. And if they start to get anxious and ready to leave, I pretend that they are driving like crazy people and start making zig-zag moves. Some people may think I'm losing my mind, but we have fun.

Living where we do, we are also fortunate to have a lot of farmers markets close to us. I have one list that is specifically for the farmers market. It is a bonding experience and a learning experience for Payton and me. We go to the stand and I tell her that I need a certain number of the fruit, vegetable, or herb and she helps me to pick it out. While there, she also asks me what the other items are and we can talk about them and how good they are for her.

Now of course, there are still days where we either have to do a quickie meal or go out to eat. I may forget to thaw meat in advance or I just have a rough day and don't want to cook. But it does help us to stick to a budget, stick to a meal plan, and make the recipes from the cookbook that we buy but often put in the bookshelf and never look at again. It's worked for us and I can't imagine going back to how I shopped before.

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