Streamline Your Shopping with a Master List

Planning my cyclical menu makes the task of developing a grocery shopping list so much easier. I usually start this process over the weekend when I have the brainpower to concentrate on it.

To start, I make a separate shopping list for each week of the cyclical menu. Arranging it this way allows me to save the list on the computer and print it again later when the week of menus reappears. Though it's a bit of up-front work, it saves time down the road. Even though I don't actually go shopping until Wednesdays, by doing the list on the weekend I have a few days to review it and add or cross off ingredients based on what I already have in the house. Plus, getting to the store with a detailed outline of what I need helps me stick to my budget, limits the time I spend there, and it generally means I'll bring home less junk or unnecessary food.