getting a grip on dinner...pre-made shopping list

Walking through the grocery store collecting stares the friendly "boy, you have your hands full" greeting is no place to be making decisions or organizing a list. So that should be done in the peace and quiet (chuckle) of my home. The grocery list are organized to include the following categories: produce, dairy, meat, frozen, beauty/paper, and other. If you keep a list on the fridge, divide it into the same categories. As you fill in the items, you will be making your shopping trip more pleasant with each pen stroke. The grocery store is divided into departments, make your list fit the store. It is much easier standing in the dairy department knowing you need cheddar cheese and milk than figuring out you forgot the cheese when you are at the check-out line. Or, even worse making the discovery when you are preparing a meal. Bringing a pen helps if you mark things as you buy, but scanning the entire list in each department waste precious time. The best foods are in the perimeter of the store. Wendy Boswell says is well, "That's where all the fresh foods are. The less you find yourself in the central aisles of the grocery store, the healthier your shopping trip will be. Make it a habit—work the perimeter of the store for the bulk of your groceries, then dip into the aisles for staples that you know you need." By using the divided list, it is evident when when I am taking to many dips into the aisles. The meal system shopping list for the first week looks like this: Please remember the first two weeks may be a little more expensive and time consuming than the other weeks because we are beginning to stock our dinner arsenal (freezer). Stick with the program, the reward is great! As a little bonus... this is the matching fridge list. Simply cut in half and use a magnetic clip to keep in on the fridge. Enjoy! P.S. I am excited to share this system. Please leave me a comment, let me know if you have any suggestions to make it better or what part you enjoy the most. Tell a friend, too.