Monthly Grocery List

[warramra]

We all know that grocery prices are rising. I was watching the news a couple of nights ago and the report was about how overall grocery prices have risen 5% this year. They ended though with the statement that a year from know the current prices are going to look like bargains.

So, I've been thinking about our grocery list and what do I absolutely have to have to make nutritious and varied meals for a family of six. I am returning to baking our own bread since the local bakery thrift shop has closed. I also bake all of our snack foods and I am going to start making ketchup from scratch. I am doing this mainly because I am trying to reduce the family's intake of HFCS to as low as possible. This could be best considered a winter grocery list as I try to buy fresh fruit and vegetables from the farmer's market in season. Other caveats; We bought 20lbs of Rice this Fall and will not need to buy anymore this year and I am currently stocked up on spices and bouillon cubes.

Here is the list for us:
1 lrg Oatmeal
1 bag Grits
10lbs Flour (5lbs All-Purpose and 5lbs Whole Wheat)
10lbs Sugar
2 lb Brown Sugar
5lb Potatoes
5 bags frozen veggies
3 bags frozen broccoli
6 cans tomato sauce
8 cans tomato paste
6 cans diced tomatoes
10 pkgs raman noodles
2 bags dried beans
6 cans beans
4 lbs spaghetti pasta
1 lb elbow pasta
2 bags egg noodles
6 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 tub margarine
1 lb butter
3 doz eggs
4 gallons milk
1 dry milk (last 2 months)
4 gallons Apple Juice
5 lbs various cheeses
2 lrg containers vanilla yogurt
1 lb lunch meat
1 bag popping corn
3 boxes Graham Crackers
2 boxes Saltines
1 jar Peanut Butter
1 jar Simply Fruit Grape spread
1 bag Choc Chips
1 box Family Size Tea Bags
10 pkgs flavored drink mix
3 boxes instant pudding
2 boxes Pancake/Waffle Mix
1 Pancake Syrup
1 Lrg bag Dog Food

Meats I buy when I find Manager's Specials and Markdowns so I never really pre-plan. Generally I have a good freezer selection of meat. I want to limit myself to $40 per month of fresh meat. Things I look for marked down are:
whole chickens
chicken thighs
chicken breasts
Beef Roasts
Top/Chuck Roasts to cut into stew meat
Ground Turkey
Sweet Italian Sausage
Ground Beef
Pork Butts
Bacon

All of this based on our current prices runs right at $200/month. We like soups/stews, casseroles, pasta meals and baked potato dinners. And, since we homeschool all our meals are at home. With this list I should be able to add another $50 per month for misc (spices, baking needs etc as needed) or a special treat here or there. And then another $50 for diapers and HBA items. That should get me to $300!

So, what do all of you kitchen mavens think; Does this give us enough to fix a lot of different meals? Does anyone else use a monthly 'master' list?

[justpeachy92]

The only thing I see missing is any fruit, rather canned, frozen or seasonal fresh fruit.

[warramra]

You are absolutely right I did forget to list fruit. I generally buy 3 cans each of lite pears and peaches, 5 lbs of bananas and 5 lbs apples. Plus I freeze seasonal fruits like strawberries and blueberries. So, I need to add about another $15 each month for fruit. Totally slipped my mind...

[lwlynch]

I learned alot when I inventoried my pantry and freezer. I really try to keep up with it and is seems that I really dont need as much as I thought..

[Becci]

I shop fortnightly and i try to keep it well stocked (ie enough for that particular fortnight plus some extra so if the next f/n is low on cash I can make so with most of what I have).
I have made a master shopping list (which I'm still refining a little. Might have to have a summer and winter list I think) which I print out every fortnight and then mark on it what I need. Our budget will be going up $50 f/n after christmas. I wanted to do this last year but have managed all year so far, but now we have to. So we will be $300 f/n (don't forget thats Australian $) plus every couple of months we go to the butchers and purchase about $150 - $200 of meat to stock up. So I guess that makes it about $700/month for us a family of four including two teenage boys.
I'm am frugal but could be better. I am not frugal becasue we need to be but becasue I want to have more for my buck. So we do have some treats occassionally so we don't do too bad.

[NewLeaf]

I plan a dinner menu for two weeks at a time. If I am really trying I can plan to cook a meal and then use the leftovers in a different way for another meal (stew, soup, pot pie...). I usually spend about $100 in one big (2 wk) grocery shopping and then end up picking up odds and ends as I need them. I hope to get better at planning because those "quick trips" to pick up overlooked items really cost me....I always save much more if I shop at Save a lot stores but sometimes I get lazy and just do all the shopping at Walmart. (that's a bad idea).

[MomToTwoBoys]

I also shop every two weeks or so and I buy things that'll carry over into a next meal. If I buy a ham, I make sure I can get at least two meals that week out of it. If I buy french fries, I try to get the stuff to make fish and cheeseburgers and meatloaf. If I buy ground beef, most of my meals surround that for the two weeks.

We find ourselves going back to the way we used to shop, which is buying a bunch at once and then buying more things throughout the week. It's freaking me out. I really hope this is a phase for us because I can't take much more shopping sporadic trips through the week.

[elphie]

This looks like a pretty good list to me and with some creativity and planning you should be able to get a pretty good menu from this list. I just posted my master list around here somewhere...

http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1080119#post1080119
Mine isn't really a shopping list, more of an inventory that I can look over before I go to the store to help me make a list. After looking at your list I see that I forgot saltines, peanut butter, and jelly so thanks!

I also made a master menu and everything needed for that menu has ingredients from my master shopping inventory. My menu has over 60 recipes and as long as I follow this list I can make anything on that menu. I am in the process right now of making sure I have a stocked pantry and freezer with everything on the list so that I can just replace things as they are used or stockpile them as they go on sale. My next project is a master side dish and dessert menu to go with my main dish menu.

[fixer]

Your list looks a lot like ours. We buy flexible ingredients that allow us to make a lot of different things. You can take a few raw ingredients and make several different things so you won't get tired of something. We plan meals around the vegetable we have canned and in the freezer. We eat meat almost every meal but a lot less than we used to. We will split a steak or big chicken breast. Then we have three or fours fruits and vegetables we grew. For us, this is very economical.