Five years ago when I moved out and started college, I realized one of my trickiest tasks was cooking for one. I had grown up learning how to cook meals for my family of eight…that’s a big difference. Fast forward to when I got married a year ago, now cooking for two, that task didn’t get any easier. Most recipes you find on Pinterest or in a cookbook are for families, basically 4+ people. Figuring out how to meal plan, grocery shop, and cook meals without extreme excess and waste was a challenge. But I’ve compiled a few tips and tricks that work for me and that I hope will work for you.
Overview: Meal Planning, Importance of a Grocery List, Grocery Shopping on a Budget, Pantry Staples, and Where to Shop.
Meal planning – This is huge. Knowing what you want to eat and when you want to eat it helps immensely when it comes to grocery shopping with a purpose and eliminating excess/waste. Here is my meal planning how to:
First: I start by compiling a list of meals that (1) are easy to make with minimal ingredients and (2) that Sean and I both enjoy eating. I look through cookbooks, I call my parents, or I browse Pinterest for meals with minimal, simple ingredients. Then, I add the meals that sound the best and the easiest to make to a running list that I have saved in my notes on my phone. I have tried and true recipes that I grew up eating, plus new ones that I want to try out on that list. If we end up not liking it, we just take it off, simple as that.
Second: Once I have a decent list of meals I can then create a new note where I choose about 4 or 5 that sound good for dinners in a given week. This helps me create my grocery list, which I will get to in just a minute.
*You could go as far as using a calendar to assign specific meals to certain days (for example, Monday: Spaghetti or Tuesday: Tacos) – I will do that occasionally, but I also like to keep it more flexible, so that we are eating whatever sounds best to us on any given day. Having a short list of potential meals as a guideline is typically good enough for me.
Third: I create my grocery list – which is important. On the same note that I have my list of that week’s meals – I write out everything that we need to get from the store for the meals that we have chosen for that week.
From this example you can see our list of meals for the week plus our grocery list. I go one by one through the meals – I look at the ingredients needed for each meal and I look at what we already have – obviously, whatever we don’t already have gets added to the grocery list. This also helps me to have a better understanding of what is in our pantry and fridge, which then helps me choose meals for the following weeks so that we can use what we have and not let anything go to waste.
On my grocery list you will see a few extras (butter, eggs, flour, toothpaste, etc.) – I make sure to add anything else that we might need to our grocery list so that we don’t get to the store and forget something or start throwing unnecessary things in the cart. Any snacks, desserts, lunch items, or household supplies, get added to the list, along with the dinner necessities.
Once I have my grocery list I can then go through each item and decide the best place to purchase it. For example, we buy almost all of our protein (chicken, salmon, ground beef) in bulk from Costco. We freeze it and then thaw the portion size that we need for specific meals. This ensures that we don’t waste it by letting it go bad in the fridge and that we always have protein for meals without fail. Another example, produce, we purchase from a normal grocery store so that we can choose the amount that fits our needs. I might have to go to a couple of stores, but doing that helps me save money and time in the long run. I will go through a few pantry/fridge staples later and share where I prefer to purchase each one.
Shopping with a list is so important. It cuts down on excess spending and helps you stay within your budget. You head into the store with a plan already in mind. If you are like me, the second I step into the grocery store I get overwhelmed by all of the options and I instantly start wanting to grab whatever looks good. My list helps me stay calm and focused and it saves me money. Don’t get me wrong, we still end up with a few things not on the list but at least we aren’t just mindlessly filling our cart with things we think we “need” as we walk by.
Money saving tip – Use coupons.
Another money saving tip – Don’t be afraid to buy store brand, with most things, you can’t even taste the difference.
And another one – Try not to grocery shop on an empty stomach or else you might leave with one of everything.
Ok, last one – Buy reusable items (dish towels, cups, and plates) instead of paper towels or single use plastic cups/plates/utensils, as well as reusable storage bags and containers. It not only saves you money in the long run but it’s better for the environment.
Finally, a list of pantry staples and where I prefer to buy them:
Baking Supplies (if you are into that sort of thing): Flour, Sugar, Brown Sugar, Baking Powder, Baking Soda – I always have these in my pantry in case I get the urge to whip up some cookies. I purchase these at a normal grocery store simply for storage purposes. I just don’t have the room for these items in bulk…one day.
Spices & Sauces: Salt, Pepper, Italian Seasoning, Trader Joe’s Onion Salt, Ketchup, Hot Sauce, etc. – Find the flavors you like and always have those spices/sauces in your cabinet or fridge – I don’t typically buy these in bulk (aside from ketchup, which I put on everything and hot sauce, which Sean basically drinks), but if you have the room for it, it could probably save you a few dollars.
Protein: Chicken, Ground Beef, Salmon – We always have these frozen in our freezer – like I mentioned earlier, we buy these in bulk from Costco. It seems like a more expensive upfront cost, but in the long run, it’s cheaper, plus you always have protein for meals and don’t run the risk of having to opt for take out.
Rice, Pasta, Pasta Sauce, Cereal – Because these are common items needed for meals in our house, we buy these in bulk from Costco as well. They are shelf stable and last a long time, so we like to make sure we always have these on hand.
Milk, Eggs, Butter, Bread – Butter can absolutely be purchased in bulk from Costco, if you go through it quickly like we do and have room in your fridge. We also use almond milk, which lasts much longer than regular milk, so we buy that in bulk as well (to go with our plethora of cereal). Eggs, however, we do not go through very quickly, so we just buy a dozen from a regular grocery store whenever needed. Same with bread, we purchase one loaf at a time whenever we need it – bread is something we could definitely freeze, but personally, we don’t end up using it if we freeze it. Just look at your habits and decide what you think will work best for you!
And those are my pantry staples, we have a few others that are unique to us (like various snacks), but that is a good list to get you started.
Bonus Section: Leftovers and Lunches:
I wanted to briefly touch on these two topics as well – Sean and I absolutely still have leftovers depending on the meal – we love eating them for lunch the next day. Since most recipes typically serve about 4 people, we can have lunches for 1-2 days with leftovers. Other lunch favorites are sandwiches, quesadillas, wraps, and soups. I love making my lunches for work the night before and keeping them in the fridge so that all I have to do is grab it and go in the morning. I do the same with breakfast – anything quick and easy – like a protein shake or granola bar. Having a few quick grab items is not only easy but also much more cost efficient compared to purchasing those things from somewhere else when you are in a rush.
I hope these tips and tricks will help you and your partner or any single guy or gal out there as you plan and prep your meals. Don’t get me wrong, Sean and I still eat out a couple of times a week, don’t be afraid to treat yourself, but we have definitely seen the difference it makes when we effectively plan and cook our own meals at home. Let me know if any of these tips work for you and if you have any others!!
Elizabeth McGetrick 