Ready....set....SHOP!

Payday around here means a few things....none of them are extravagant! Payday means, pay the bills (duh) and go grocery shopping.....Now I LOVE to cook, but grocery shopping is on my list of "do I really have to" along with folding laundry and cleaning toilets (just where is that fairy godmother anyway)!
Luckily I have a pretty steady shopping buddy! Arielle goes even if it's late (like it was last night) and her hip is hurting (like it was last night) and...yeah, you get the point huh! ;)
So, where do you start when you go shopping? I'll tell you what I do....it's working for me and keeps me ON budget and gets me in and out pretty quick!
*Make your menu (I shop once a month except for the odd trip for milk and maybe some nice fresh produce)
*Plan your shopping list (don't forget staples and things you will always need like milk, bread and Nutella)!
*Rewrite your shopping list into departments taking into account the layout of your preferred store make it two columns so it isn't nine miles long!
*EAT BEFORE YOU GO!!! Nothing makes an expensive shopping trip more than a hungry tummy!
*Grab your coupons (I'm not much of a couponer......I would like to be but I just don't have the energy)!
*Stick to your list! Unless it's on a super sale if it's not on your list you don't need it!
*Take it home put it away and feel good about your stocked kitchen!
*Last bit of advice on shopping.....if you tend to eat out too much and want to stop it. SPEND  your money at the grocery store that gives you 1: a well stocked kitchen and a menu to stick to and 2: No money to go out to eat on! :-D
I try not to shop and cook on the same day, it's exhausting! I would rather shop at night when the store is being stocked. Figure out what works for you!
Now it's time to get your monthly recipes together. If I have new things I am going to try I print them out and put them in my black recipe binder. That way everything is all together and if Arielle is making dinner that night (which she does once a week...man I love that kid)! she doesn't have to wonder where said recipe is!

That's it! Now you are ready for a month of eating dinner with your family (make them help you cook too, it's so much fun to cook with your kids! Even little kids can help out. Avery is a better egg cracker at 8 than most adults are)!