I'm so unorganized!

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JessesGirl05
JessesGirl05 Posts: 253
in Recipes
When you go to the grocery store, do you take a list with you?

If I don't take a list then I feel like when I get home I didn't get the "right" stuff to make meals with. I feel like I get random stuff that just sounds good or that I think I can use. but if I look at recipes and make a list that way, then I usually forget what recipes I was going to use come meal time...or I lose the recipe (I don't have a printer to print them, so they just stay online).

I am so unorganized! How do you do it?

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  • robertthesnail
    robertthesnail Posts: 110
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    I don't know what your situation is, I just grocery shop for myself generally. I have found that what works for me is to eat pretty much the same thing all the time. That way I always get the same groceries. If I think I am going to want to make a meal or something that deviates from the plan, I buy the groceries for it same day. That way I always have healthy regular staples to eat (which for me is pita bread, hommus, bagels, and sandwich stuff and salad stuff) and I don't have to worry about a fridge full of healthy food going bad if I don't end up cooking it. I only need a list when I make something different than my regular stuff, since I pretty much have it memorized.
  • Aetarac
    Aetarac Posts: 135 Member
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    I like to have a list when going grocery shopping if not a staple of diet. Otherwise i end up forgetting something or buying things that i might use (but usually forget i have). As to new recipes i usually do that on the fly and jot down list of what I need for new recipes that day and go shopping. If i try to plan to far ahead things go south.... Have been looking into freezing things to have ready meals that I know are nutritious rather then just scrambling last min. Also freezing works cuz i am single and cooking for one is difficult so usually i have left overs.
  • LissaBaby14
    LissaBaby14 Posts: 46
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    I go through my meals for the week & write down what I need, whether that be by a recipe or off the top of my head.. Then I go through my fridge & cabinets and make sure I have my staples. Also, kind of off topic but I make sure to drink a bottle of water or have a light snack otherwise im tempted to grab bad things lol Hope this helps! :)
  • ellenangel
    ellenangel Posts: 106 Member
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    I plan most meals in advance then make the list according to what I need- saves money and time!
  • cicadagirl
    cicadagirl Posts: 51
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    Yes, I use a list...I even organize the items on the list in order of where they appear in the store, so I'm not constantly backtracking because I forgot to get something in the deli case, or something like that!

    But what I haven't ever done is plan out my meals ahead of time. But a friend of mine has a great way of going about it! On Saturday, she and her husband sit down together with cookbooks, recipe sites, etc, and plan out their week's menu. They have a calendar on the fridge, and write down their dinner plans on each day. Then they go over the recipes to figure out what they already have and what they need to buy, make a list, and go to the store together on Sunday and only buy what's on the list. Then during the week, they just refer to the calendar and cook what's listed there!

    Way too organized for me, but it works for them! Keeps their costs low, too, because they're not always impulse buying.
  • adristory
    adristory Posts: 42 Member
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    I definitely have to have a list. If I don't, I end up spending a lot more money and may end up with still trying to figure out what to make. What works best for me, is to get a healthy magazine (cooking light or weight watchers) from any old stack I hadn't gotten to yet, and jot down the recipes that look good. I am usually able to plan 2 -3 weeks with of meals from it. I usually jot down the ingredients for the ones I am going to make that week and shop from that. I like to make extras to have for lunches or days that I am rushing.

    I get bored with making the same stuff all the time, so this is what works for me....and planning always helps me stick to my diet!
  • WifeMomDVM
    WifeMomDVM Posts: 1,025 Member
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    I tend to eat the same stuff over and over. I have about a dozen "go to" recipes. I have a magnetic pad on my fridge, when I run out of something or I see it's getting low as I'm using it, I jot it down, even the non-grocery items like personal hygiene items.

    Then, when I do make a trip out of the house, I know exactly what I need! It's very easy!

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