Shopping lists

christine_6980
christine_6980 Posts: 22 Member
I always have a hard time with going grocery shopping. I always only want to spend a certain amount but always spend more than I thought I was going to. (I hate that) What are some of your shopping lists? Just to get some ideas? I never go in the store with a list.. I do have a few things in mind but always just pick and go. I am going to try and start using some coupons as well. I have never been a coupon user but I am going to start. Any advice helps! Thank you! =)

Replies

  • shovav91
    shovav91 Posts: 2,335 Member
    Here are some of my staples:
    -Greek yogurt
    -Cottage cheese
    -Almond milk
    -Peanut butter
    -Fresh fruits and vegetables
    -Kashi cereal
    -Fiber One cereal/bars
    -Steel-cut oatmeal
    -Tea
    -Whole wheat bread
  • hummingbird71
    hummingbird71 Posts: 298 Member
    Some of my staples are:

    35 Calorie bread
    turkey meat
    chicken breast
    eggs
    90 calorie buddig meats
    yogurt
    just for one veggies
    fiber 1 bars/brownies
    100 calorie snacks
    cool whip
  • seeled
    seeled Posts: 93
    I am going to try and start using some coupons as well. I have never been a coupon user but I am going to start. Any advice helps! Thank you! =)

    I have found for the most part, it is cheaper to buy the store brand. There are a few things that I insist on having the name brand and for those I do try to find coupons. They are usually few and far between. Give the store brands a try if you are trying to save money.

    My grocery lists almost always includes milk, apples, peanut butter, and eggs.
  • eddie8131
    eddie8131 Posts: 600 Member
    Here are some of my must-haves:

    Tortilla wraps to make sandwiches, I like the veggie wraps
    Thin sliced deli turkey
    Low fat soups like lentil
    Canned salmon
    Apples (my fav lately have been the Jazz variety)
    Eggs (I eat 4-6 egg whites each morning)
    Turkey bacon
    Quinoa
    Tofu
  • nrimas
    nrimas Posts: 83 Member
    Fuji apples
    raw spinach
    tomatoes
    onion
    celery
    baby carrots
    Ezekiel bread
    turkey (Oscar Meyer oven roasted)
    water packed tuna
    FF veggie stock
    Greek yogurt
    skim milk
    protein drink mix
    pretzles
  • world2c
    world2c Posts: 175 Member
    I am a planner, so normally I have three recipes for the week, and then stop in on days when I'm short, but my routines are:

    Fruits
    Veggies (I love salad)
    brown rice
    english muffins
    peanut butter
    milk
    chobani yogurts
    cottage cheese
    some ice cream sandwich bar - I know not the healthiest, but it's way better than a whole gallon- keeps off the sweet tooth.

    I add my recipe needs to the list and try really hard not to deviate from that...I also love our store brand foods too.
  • I pick out recipes and/or meals that I am going to make the following week. If there are good sales on meat and such, I'll try to coordinate the meals I pick out with the sales. Doesn't always work out that way though. lol

    This week, I picked out:

    french bread casserole
    pizza
    crockpot cheeseburgers/baked fries
    crockpot swiss steak
    salmon, fried taters, butter beans
    salsa chicken, rice
    chicken/chicken stew
    fast & easy stuffed peppers*
    easy turkey lasagna
    crockpot burger heaven casserole*
    cowboy stew*
    chocolate bundt*


    I then make my list from those and write down any of the ingredients I don't already have. (The starred ones are the ones I already have everything for). On top of that, i will be making egg beater/spinach/cream cheese wraps for breakfast, so I put the ingredients down for that too.

    With having to buy diapers, formula, laundry detergent, paper towels and other misc household, jar baby food/extra veggies and lunch stuff for my hubby, too, I've been spending about $150 a week. Ack!!

    Hope this helps! Once you get started, it's really not that huge a process as it seems. :)

    (Looking closer at my list, I'll be getting close to 2 weeks worth of meals out of that list. :) lol
  • maemiller
    maemiller Posts: 439 Member
    greek yogurt
    cottage cheese
    low fat cheese
    oatmeal
    bagels
    whole wheat bread
    PB
    Honey
    pretzels
    canned tuna or salmon
    turkey
    fresh fruits vegetables
    dried beans, if you buy canned, make sure you rinse them
    hamburger 96/4
    egg beaters
    tortilla wraps
    unsweetened milk
  • Hey, Firstly always eat before you go shopping it's a nightmare when you're hungry and you usually make the wrong choices.
    Secondly, pre plan your dinners for the week, and write a list of what you need!

    It's as simple as that...

    Good luck.
  • some of my staples:
    greek yogurt
    fruit and grain bars
    fresh fruit
    frozen veggies
    oatmeal
    salad greens
    olive oil
    whonu cookies
    whole wheat wraps and bread
    cottage cheese
    cheese
    good crackers...like milton
    fish
    chicken
  • Sweet_Potato
    Sweet_Potato Posts: 1,119 Member
    Tell me about it... last night I stopped at the store for "just a few things" that I needed:

    carrots
    ginger
    avocados
    potatoes
    parsley
    pistachios
    coffee
    Wasa crackers
    tuna
    anchovies
    dog food
    yogurt
    orange juice
    corn tortillas
    cheddar
    eggs

    The total came to $80! And I always buy generic/sale items if there's an option.
  • stephabef
    stephabef Posts: 936 Member
    Steel-cut oats
    Almond butter
    Popping corn
    Veggies (cucumbers, baby carrots, celery, campari tomatoes)
    Fruit (strawberries, apples, raspberries)
    Eggs
    Frozen mixed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, corn - for stir-frying with eggs)
    Soy crisps
    Greek yogurt
    Cottage cheese
    SOUUUUUP

    Those are my staples!
  • gdb86
    gdb86 Posts: 126 Member
    Organic Cottage Cheese (I get the whole foods 365 everyday brand b/c it's less expensive)
    Organic Almond Milk (ditto for above)
    Organic Gala Apples
    Bananas
    Kashi Go Lean (either cereal or oatmeal - it's good to have in the house for quick/easy breakfast)
    100 Calorie Popcorn (An awesome random snack to have! In general, I would say have a few "snack" type foods that are low calorie that way if you're having a moment of craving something you can turn to something healthy easily!)
    Near East Couscous Whole Grain or Quinoa blends (quick/easy side for dinner)
    Organic Frozen Veggies (Always have them stocked up ready to go!)
    Frozen Tilapia and/or Turkey Tenderloin (For dinner protein)
    Low Fat String Cheese
    Organic Natural Almonds
    Organic Kale (For Salads OR Kale Chips which are a-mazing if you haven't made them!)
    Clif Bars (for a quick meal replacement that tastes great!)

    The list could go on, but those are most staples I like to keep in the house so I'm not making excuses to eat other food. I would say in order to not over spend and buy what you'll actually eat - always buy a little less and have a few things like the popcorn, almonds, frozen veggies, etc that don't need to constantly be replenished. That way, if you do run out you have something and you can always go BACK out to the store to get what else you need and you won't feel like you're wasting.

    Haha... I didn't realize I had so much to stay about groceries! Anyway, hope that helped!
  • ogottwald
    ogottwald Posts: 60 Member
    On big weekly shopping-Groceries:

    Frozen vegetables
    Fruit (Apples, Grapefruit) - Bananas tend to be cheapest
    Meat when on Sale (Turkey, Chicken breast - boneless skinless), Beef 90% lean
    White Bread, Multi Grain Bread
    Eggs
    Milk 1%, Whole for baby
    Rice Chex or some sort of cereal but be really careful with portions when eating!
    Progresso or Campbells Light Soup
    Noodles - when not stocked up
    Rice

    THE BIG THING IS DON'T PURCHASE JUNK FOOD! You will cut out about 4 isle in the grocery store! Always amazes me how much crap is for sale in Grocery Store.

    Side Note: My wife recently got into coupon's after watching Extreme Coupons. You can save a lot of money. Just gotta learn the game. This week we are already over 90$ saved. Get a couple Sunday papers and look out for sales. Stores tend to match up coupons with sales.
  • Goal_Seeker_1988
    Goal_Seeker_1988 Posts: 1,619 Member
    Almond milk
    bananas
    oatmeal
    chicken
    cottage cheese
    all natural pb
    mixed nuts
    apples
    loose hamburger
    fish
  • One big help is to create a master shopping list of things you always need on hand. Then before you go to the store, just check of the things you need more of to get you through until you shop again. I've also found that when shopping for "healthy" items, a lot mentioned above, be sure to look at the sugars per serving. All the reading that I've done that I trust indicates you want to try and stay under 9g per meal. This may be a little tough (it is for me), but I use it as a guide. My favorite example is Greek Yogurt. I used to always buy the Fat Free flavoried varieties, until I realized that the sugar content for that little 6oz container was as much as two meals worth. Then the understanding that the full-fat version has the good fats we need and low sugar so our blood sugar doesn't spike, really saved me. I don't always know what I'm going to buy but if I see something that looks or touts itself as healthy, this is my first easy check to see if its even worth my time.
  • kidbxrs
    kidbxrs Posts: 50 Member
    i always make a meal menu out for the week before i go to the store. Like say 5 meals example: Monday, roast chicken, w/ steamed veggies, Tuesday spaghetti & salad, Wednesday vegetable soup w/crackers...... you get the idea. Then i will use those 5 meals and go meal by meal what items i need from the store to prepare each of those meals. Once i have the dinner shopping list made up i will decide two things for my lunches to take to work. Like one week might be turkey sandwiches or smart ones... the next week is tuna or salads for the week. i always do two choices so i don't get bored. i add that to the list then Once i have all of the items for meals and lunches written down i will think of anything else like shampoo, soap, paper towels and write that out to the side as well. I hardly ever pickup things that are not on my list unless they were really important and i had forgot about them. It keeps me safe and on a budget. It feels nice having a plan and knowing what meals I have to be prepared for the week. I keep my menu on the refrigerator and mark them off as I cook them. i don't really stick to the days its all more about just know what meals you have to be prepared not so much the night you make them. :-)
    Some staples for me
    Luna bars
    Activia
    Peanut butter
    snakums pickles
    Carnation instant breakfast
    Bananas
    Silk
    Bran Flakes
    Instant oatmeal
  • peanut_parker2
    peanut_parker2 Posts: 27 Member
    I shop on budget and try to get the healthiest foods..sometimes it's hard because the healthy stuff is sometimes the most expensive stuff..in my house we eat alot of FRUIT, LOW FAT YOGURT(100 calories), CHICKEN BREASTS, CRAB meat(Ceviche-crab meat, tomato, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and a lil salt<delicious) and SOUPS(veg and chicken) I like cesear salad alot too:)

    We Dnt eat much beef unless we go out to eat somewhere
  • kidbxrs
    kidbxrs Posts: 50 Member
    we do the same thing. I replied to this post pretty much the same thing you did. i Guess I should have read all of the replies. I do my menu and list by the two weeks at times too depending on when our pay periods fall.
    It does seem a little bit daunting at times but I couldn't manage to do it any other way. No telling what would happen if I went to the store without a list and my menu. Im sure i would spend to much and quite sure I wouldn't have what i needed to cook with when i got home. LOL.
  • I write menus for my family every month. By doing this I know exactly what I am going to buy and about how much I will spend. Our 1st paychecks every month are bigger than our second one so I write the first 2 weeks of my menu go shoppiing and if there is any meat on sale(safeway does a lot of BOGO's on meat)I we buy it while we have more money,write the next 2 weeks of our menu based on the meats I buy and then usually we just have to pick up fresh veggies and a couple other little things here and there for the rest of the month.
  • sburde2
    sburde2 Posts: 178 Member
    My list changed a bit this week since I'm trying to eat healthier...

    Bananas
    Almonds
    Eggs
    Wraps
    Turkey
    Feta
    Frozen berries
    Edamame
    Kashi Cereal
    Skim Milk
    Frozen shrimp
    Pasta
  • SarahBrown1979
    SarahBrown1979 Posts: 229 Member
    Have always been told to shop only the outside of the store. Meaning stick to all fresh. Are normal list is:

    Fresh Fruits and veggies
    cheese (Swiss- lower in sodium and I have HBP)
    Fish
    Chicken
    Turkey burger
    Sandwhich thins (100 cals)
    Thomas english muffins (100 cals)
    Milk
    eggs
    I can't believe its not butter lite
    lunchmeat
  • hello77kitty
    hello77kitty Posts: 260 Member
    I go to different stores to save money on stuff. For example, I hit up Costco for berries(Giant clamshell for $3), bananas, salad, and water. For more variety of fruits and veggies, like ones I will only eat once or a few times a week I go to an ethnic grocery store.We have many where I live. I either go to a Korean or Mexican grocery store. Their produce is much much cheaper. I also find seafood/fish to be very affordable at my Korean market. I go to Kroger for frozen dinners, fiber bars, greek yogurt, almond milk, cereal etc.
  • Fruits and veggies-sweet potatoes, broccoli, baby spinach, onions, banana's, blueberries
    Low fat fruit yoghurts, fat free plain yoghurt for smoothies
    Soy milk
    Fiber bars
    Dried red lentils
    Baked beans
    Cans of tuna
    Rolled oats
    Prune juice
    Light crunchy peanut butter
    Honey
    Hommus
    Wholemeal spiral pasta
    Light cheddar cheese

    I also plan out meals, and buy the ingredients I need for them
  • cantobean
    cantobean Posts: 287 Member
    Fun!!

    Here's what I usually get:
    -milk
    -a dozen eggs
    -cheddar cheese
    -another cheese (maybe goat, gouda, or laughing cow wedges)
    -greek yogurt
    -1-2 types of fruit (whatever's in season and looks good...right now I have apples and grapefruit)
    -3-4 types of fresh veggies (right now: spinach, eggplant, chard, celery, and carrots)
    -chicken breast
    -whole wheat bread
    -another whole wheat gain: tortillas or english muffins or something



    In addition to that, I always keep these things on hand in my pantry for making dinners:
    -brown rice
    -dry beans
    -whole wheat pastas
    -polenta
    -chicken broth
    -salsa
    -tomato sauce
    -lentils
    -onions
  • katkins3
    katkins3 Posts: 1,359 Member
    I make my grocery list a bit differently.
    I go in the kitchen and see what i need to make breakfast every day in the upcoming week. Do we need cereal? milk? yogurt? etc
    Then I move on to lunch. What do I need to make lunches all week? Sandwich fixings, soup ingredients etc.
    Suppers. How about meats, starches, salad fixings and other veggies? What do I need to make the meals?
    Lastly, snacks. Fruit, popcorn, Cliff bars, whatever.
    I think in meals and what I need to complete them.
  • This is such a great topic I love it!! this weekend I will go thru and use this to make my grocery list. Thank you everyone!!!
  • ratellcm
    ratellcm Posts: 164 Member
    Every two weeks, I spend around $50 on groceries. I divide my grocery list and my cupboard by protein, grains, fruit/veg, dairy and other. To save money, I make my list while looking at flyers and also keeping in mind what I already have. I walk farther to the mall instead of the grocery because there are a few stores that I can visit to get the best deals. (I'm not a vegetarian, but I do find I save more money by eating lentils and beans instead of meat!)

    I usually have:

    -coffee
    -tea

    -skim milk
    -yogurt or cottage cheese (but right now I have both because they were on sale!)

    -carrots
    -something green (pepper or broccoli or zucchini usually)
    -either salad greens or spinach
    -a frozen veg (usually peas or corn)
    -apples
    -bananas
    -some sort of citrus fruit (a bag of oranges, or grapefruit)
    -some other sort of fruit (I change it up... grapes, or avocado, or pears)

    -a loaf of bread
    -brown rice (or whole wheat pasta)
    -hot cereal (Red River)

    -tuna or eggs
    -almonds
    -lentils and beans (dried and canned)
    -peanut butter

    -a snack for busy days (either granola bars or dried fruit)
    -dark chocolate
  • LisaMarieee
    LisaMarieee Posts: 176 Member
    My grocery list usually consists of:

    Bananas
    Watermelon
    Pineapple
    Broccoli
    Bean Sprouts
    Carrots
    Iceberg lettuce
    Dates
    Dried figs
    Cashews
    Larabars (sometimes)
    Grapes
  • JustinOliver77
    JustinOliver77 Posts: 13 Member
    Awesome. I was just trying to make a shopping list, and was getting stuck. So I decided I would post this question on the forum and see what kind of replies I get. But I did a search first, and found this! Thanks everyone, what a great site.
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