Ever have one of those days? You have to do a meal plan so that you can do a grocery shopping plan. But you put it off and put it off, and then it’s nearly time to get ready to head out the door and you’re STILL staring at a blank sheet of paper.
*Sigh*
I know I’d totally regret just going to the store without a plan. First, I would spend too much. Secondly, I would miss things. SO first I spend too much by randomly walking the store, and then later in the week when I go to assemble ingredients for a meal, I find a few things missing so I spend even more money filling in the blanks.
And yet, I still stare at the blank page.
Yes, I have those days a lot. Since I live alone, it usually isn’t too bad. But now that I am regularly cooking for my parents while their kitchen is being remodeled, it is incredibly stressful! Planning meals really does save a ton of money though. Some of my old standbys are: kielbasa and sauerkraut, chicken noodle soup, lasagna, chicken divan, baked potato soup, breakfast-for-dinner. Good luck
Since your hubby recently requested Indian, how about a curry?
I hate it when I go to the store disorganized, so I completely understand. Sadly I will be of little use to you bc I take a different approach, I replenish a pantry. I used to do it your way, but then we moved to pseudo bfe, where the nice grocery store is too far away to go to on a regular day, but it is there, about 45 minutes away, so I go once a month. And I try to know the next 2-3 meals I will be making when I do go, for exactly the reasons you describe. But I force myself to create meals solely out of my pantry later in the month, although of course we do need to replenish produce.
Not that this helps with meal planning per se but I think Indian food is the best pantry food ever (and some of the cheapest meals ever), requiring little last minute grocery trips once you keep an Indian pantry.