The Next Step in Planning to Keep Grocery Spending Within Budget

After making out my just-the-basics grocery list for March, along with a plan for sticking to it, I spent about 10 minutes brainstorming more of the details. In this brainstorm, I just listed a few suggestions for each category. Here are my categories for items to make ahead: breakfasts, casseroles, soups, treats, and breads.

And this is what I came up with in about 10 minutes.

brainstorming breakfasts that I can make ahead
muffins
**pancakes (double batch a couple of times in the month, for the freezer)
waffles
**boiled eggs
toast
granola
**trail mix (easier to make than granola, but it can have granola chunks in it, if I want to add grains)

brainstorming casseroles that I can make ahead
ham and pasta with creamy sauce and green veg (broccoli?)
**ham fried rice with carrots, onions, cabbage (do 2 for freezer)
ham and potato casserole
**ham, cheese and egg strata, with bread (do 2 for freezer)

brainstorming soups I can make ahead
**lentil soup, using ham bone
vegetable-noodle with either chicken or beef
**chili con carne

brainstorming treats that I can make ahead
magic bars
English toffee
**almond bark
brownies
cupcakes
**banana muffins
toffee schnecken
cookie dough for the freezer

homemade breads that I can keep in stock
**French bread
**whole wheat sandwich
**scones (dough for the freezer? or baked ahead?)
dinner rolls

Once I made my lists, I went through and double-starred two or three from each category. These starred items are the ones that I feel will be the most do-able for me, this month. From what I had planned, as was outlined in yesterday's post, combined with this more detailed plan, I now have some very concrete ideas to help me stick to a "basics" grocery list.

Avoiding Editing My Thoughts
Okay, so remember my rule yesterday, to include ideas that might not even work? That's all part of brainstorming. I probably will not make toast ahead of time.

I don't edit my thoughts while brainstorming; because if I did, the whole process would slow down and I might miss something valuable. Who knows, now that I've even thought about making toast ahead of time, I might also some day figure out a way to make that do-able and tasty.

Asking for Input
There's one last step to this planning -- asking for feedback. This is where you all get to tell me your suggestions!! My ears are open for suggestions in any of the areas of breakfasts, casseroles, soups, treats, and breads. If you were operating with a rather generic pantry, fridge and freezer, what would you add to my list? (It's usually my daughters who give me their input. Today I'm reaching out to you.)



*Wednesday afternoon I baked a ham; that's where the ham-theme in the casseroles and soup originated.

Planning the Grocery Shopping for this Next Month

As it is now the beginning of a new month, I am preparing a master shopping list of necessary items. This will be a tighter month than previous ones, as I have depleted much of my stock of canned goods and long-keeping produce. In addition, March is a 31 day month -- more days to feed us all. On top of this, March is a birthday month for my two daughters. I have all I need to bake a cake, and I even think there may be ice cream in the freezer. I will still need some festive foods for the celebration dinner. It looks like I will need a plan to get though this month.

This is a basic list, there are no luxury items on this list.

1/2 lb cocoa powder

1 gallon vinegar

10 lbs apples

10 lbs oranges

45 bananas

10 to 15 lbs carrots

5 to 10 medium dozen eggs

10 lbs potatoes

3 peppers

3 bundles celery

a few heads of red and green cabbage (should be good deals on cabbage this month)

50 lbs brown rice

2 large boxes frozen spinach and collards

1 gallon soy or almond milk

4 or 5 gallons dairy milk

vegetable garden supplies
4 lbs raisins
2 lbs sunflower seeds
3 dozen flour tortillas
large package corn tortillas
whole chickens
lettuce (at the end of the month when the produce stand opens)
asparagus (at the end of the month, when the produce stand opens)

As I find deals on butter, meat and cheese, I will pick those up, too.  I will evaluate other "deals" as I find them.

How to Stick to a List

In addition to making my shopping list, I also spent some time, yesterday, planning how I would stick to a tight budget. I have a technique for this type of think-time. I brainstorm various ideas, and then after the brainstorming, I sift through my lists and formulate my plan. 

This is how I brainstorm:

I ask myself, "what can I do to make this happen?" Then, I randomly  list all the things that come to mind that I can do to plan for a tight month, even listing those items that I may not do after some thought. Here's my list.

• make a meal plan for all dinners
• make a suggestion list for all lunches
• bake and prepare lots of breakfast items ahead of time
• keep homemade bread in stock
• keep homemade treats in stock
• avoid buying luxuries/non-necessities
• take advantage of sales on milk, produce, meat and eggs
• use up pantry items, while waiting for better sales
• use oil instead of butter in most baking, save butter for bread, blend oil with butter for spreading, use olive oil for dipping/drizzling instead of butter for garlic bread or bread and butter with dinners
• use cream cheese for toast and muffins in place of butter
• make all of my own convenience foods for the month, by preparing ahead several dishes on weekend afternoons

Okay, so now I have a list. Next, I scrutinize the list, and put the items in order according to my estimated dollar savings, most to least.

• make a meal plan for all dinners
• make all of my own convenience foods for the month, by preparing ahead several dishes on weekend afternoons
• keep homemade bread in stock
• take advantage of sales on milk, produce, meat and eggs
• avoid buying luxuries/non-necessities
• keep homemade treats in stock
• use up pantry items, while waiting for better sales
• bake and prepare lots of breakfast items ahead of time
• make a suggestion list for all lunches
• use oil instead of butter in most baking, save butter for bread, blend oil with butter for spreading, use olive oil for dipping/drizzling instead of butter for garlic bread or bread and butter with dinners
• use cream cheese for toast and muffins in place of butter

These items are my stepping stones to meet my overall goal of reining in the spending for the month of March.  Having the list prioritized tells me what to focus on. Clearly, planning dinners in advance is something I value right now. Also, having pre-made meals ready and waiting for the week ahead is something that I think will help me save on groceries. The priority list is based on my needs for right now. Your priorities might be different.

With this list in hand, I can ask myself what I could do, today, to meet a stepping stone goal. Today, I can bake a large batch of whole wheat bread and some cookies. This priority list also means that if someone in the family offers help, I will know right off the top of my head, what would be beneficial.

Clarifying My List Items
In addition to making the lists, I often need to clarify some things for myself, such as defining list items. Maybe I need to define what those pre-made breakfast items should be, given what my ingredients on hand are. Or, what would be easy casseroles to make for the freezer over the weekend, given my on-hand ingredients. Or, what are my current luxuries?

I tackled that last question, and came up with this list: crackers, soup mixes, lunch fixings and take-out lunches, ready-made food items (unless on a great sale, like at Thanksgiving prices), prepared sweets, commercial bread, and candy.

Does this sound like extra work? It took me about 30 minutes, including thinking through some of my options. However, by making out this list, I stand to gain about $25 to $30 in savings on prepared foods or treats, lunches from takeaway places, and buying ingredients that I could make-do without. So, for 30 minutes of my time, a savings of $25 to $30, yields an hourly wage of about $50 or more. That's a pretty great wage, I think.

What's your takeaway from all of this? Maybe nothing. Or maybe, it might give you some ideas on thinking through your own budget woes. This brainstorming technique works for all manner of issues. You can transfer this idea to how to save for your next vacation, or how to lower your electricity usage, or how to make retirement more affordable. At the very least, having a typed out plan is comforting; every time the worry monster creeps in, you have an actual list that you can refer to, to allay those worries.

Anyway, I thought I'd give you a peek into my mind and processes.