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The key to a well-run kitchen is planning out your menu  and grocery list ahead of time.  I plan out my menu for the week, including snacks, every payday and then make a grocery list accordingly.  I also write in if I know I am eating out that meal or if I’m eating leftovers.  I choose to do this on payday and go ahead and get groceries as that is my biggest expense for the week.  I use the below template for my menu planning:

After I have filled in all the details, I then use this template to make my grocery list.  I like to open another Excel file and fill in everything I need as I go through each meal.  For me, this is helpful as I order my groceries online so I can have the list up while I search for and add each item to my cart.  Anything leftover that I couldn’t order online, I then add to my shopping app (I use Out of Milk because it syncs with my husband’s list but there are several good options out there) to pick up in person.

Now, I hate grocery shopping.  It is one of my least favorite chores.  So, I actually use the Walmart Pick-up option for most of my groceries.  With this option, I can easily place my order online for the next day and take about 30 minutes out of my day to go up there, have them load my groceries in my car, and get back home.  I don’t even have to get out of my car.  For the few items I don’t like to get at Walmart or that they don’t have available, I then go to Publix to pick up.  But this doesn’t take long since the bulk of my shopping is done.  I have heard good things about delivery services, too, but have not tried these yet.

Once you have the menu planned and your groceries ordered make sure you print out your menu and put it on your fridge or somewhere you can quickly see it so you know what you are making each day.  Most likely, you will have some meat items that you put in the freezer after purchase that will need to be taken out the day before and it is much easier to follow your menu if you get in the habit of checking what the next day’s meal is so you can make sure you take the right items out of the freezer for defrosting.

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