Update (3/1/18): This particular attempt got sidetracked by life events, including the sudden death of my Dad. However, the intention remained, and I've just recently started a new version of this idea I'm calling the "Spend Next To Nothing Challenge." An explanation is HERE, and you can follow along with the daily blog posts HERE. 

I’m about to begin an experiment: how long can we go without doing “proper” grocery shopping? I.e – spending only a minimal amount for a few essential perishables, but otherwise eating out of our pantry, fridge and freezers. Why would I want to do this?

Despite being crazy busy, I still tend to read a lot. And think a lot. And come up with a lot of ideas. I don't always have time to do anything with those ideas just yet, but every now and then I think "Wait! I really HAVE to do this!" So, lately I've been reading/thinking about such things as:
* How much is "enough"? How much stuff do we need in our house? How much food do we need stored up? How much time do we need to devote to certain activities? How much income do we need? And so on. I read a book called "More or Less - choosing a lifestyle of excessive generosity" by  Jeff Shinabarger. Really makes you think! Definitely a recommended read!
* How to reduce our grocery spending? My fortnightly budget for food, non-food groceries, animal feed and so on is $500. And I generally go over it, which is NOT cool! Part of the problem right now is lack of planning - things have gotten complicated due to the multiple food intolerances, and the fact all of the family comes and goes with varying work hours and commitments, to the point it's hard to know who will be here when, and what foods I will have to exclude, which as made meal planning so complicated I keep putting it off. Our needs have changed since the boys left home, and some previously unrecognised food intolerances have become known. Our old menu plans no longer fit.
* How to find time to deal with the excess stuff that really needs to be decluttered? I KNOW I need to declutter again - busyness tends to lead to piles. But when the season of life is SO busy, it can be hard to get around to it.
* How to make room in my kitchen for the things that really need to be there? It's a small kitchen, with limited storage space. Which right now is packed.
* How to pay off some debt? The credit card has inched up again. I'm still paying off an interest-free hire purchase for my computer. And I'd like to clear those then work on eliminating the second mortgage.
* We really are privileged! Despite often feeling like I can't afford the cost of basic groceries, and despite all the times family members look in the fridge and declare "There is nothing to eat!" really, we are better off than about 98% of the world!! Seriously! We are also better off than some of our neighbours, I'm sure. How's this for an eye-opener? - go to http://www.globalrichlist.com/, enter New Zealand (or whatever country you are from), and put in the total amount of your annual income from ALL sources. It will calculate where you fit in the global scheme of comparative wealth, and show you a graphic of 100 people representing the world's population. How many are richer than you? In our case, only 1-2 people out of 100 are "richer" than us (our income fluctuates, so I did it for a couple of variations). And yet, by New Zealand standards, we are a low-income family. Even so, we're not truly badly off. We CAN make do with less!

So, right now, among other things I need to:
1) Cut my grocery spending
2) Create new menu plans with recipes that fit our food allergy issues and are flexible for our family's needs right now
3) Clear clutter from my kitchen
4) Figure out ways to use all those slightly more unfamiliar ingredients I've ended up with in the cupboard that I purchased intending to learn new recipes when we went gluten/sugar/mostly dairy-free. Use it or lose it.
5) Come to a place where my kitchen does not contain stuff I don't use, and where I have a menu plan, grocery lists and budget I can stick to, which provide us with a healthy and varied diet, suitable to our specific needs, but not extravagant. In fact, I want to spend as little as possible on the groceries in the long term.

And here's the crux of my current idea:
What if we didn't buy groceries for as long as possible, but instead lived on what we have on hand? How long would we last? And would doing so force me to get creative and come up with some new recipes and menu ideas?

I would have liked to buy NOTHING for as long as possible, but after discussion with the family (it helps if they are willing participants!) we decided that we needed SOME money for such things as milk and other essential items that might make all the difference between being able to make a reasonable meal or not. As I mentioned, our situation is complicated by food issues that actually affect our health. Most of us are gluten free, we choose to limit sugar, I cannot tolerate dairy products and my husband is better off without them, one daughter is allergic to cheese, cocoa, rice, most spices, MSG, Vit C, bananas, and needs to keep her iron levels down, I cannot have potatoes, eggs, most spices, or too much salicylates, but need to keep my iron levels up, another daughter is allergic to other foods and so on.

So we have decided to allow $50 per week for FOOD items. This is for 4 adults and 1 teenager plus assorted frequent visitors.
 
I'm also allowing $50 per week for non-food items (toilet paper, soap, shampoo, dishwashing liquid, cleaners etc), but my intention is to use as little of this as humanly possible, finding ways to make as many alternatives as possible with ingredients I have on hand. However, I need to be realistic about the fact that while my knowledge and intentions are high, my time is very limited right now.
And initially I'm allowing $50 per week for animal feeds and care. I know, sounds a lot. But we have currently 1 dog, 3 cats, 24 ducks, 24 chickens, and 20 sheep. The chickens and ducks account for a lot of it - most of those it is time to eliminate one way or the other. Sell them or eat them.

So, that means we will still be spending up to $150 per week, saving $100 per week. Actually more, if you were to count how much beyond our budget we've ended up spending lately! But in theory, $100 per week will be going towards reducing debt. More if I can spend less than outlined above!

How long will we last? How much will we save? Watch this space! For the purposes of blogging, I'm going to call this the $50 Grocery Challenge, as the main focus will be on spending less than $50/week on food (or $10 per person).

Some of you are probably thinking, but why would you want to use up the contents of your pantry/food storage? What about disaster preparedness? What about having a cushion for hard times? What about storing up seasonal produce to eat the rest of the year? Are you just going to devour all of that? Is that truly wise, or thrifty?

First, I do believe in all of the above. However, a backlog of items that aren't getting used and might expire before they're used doesn't help anyone, and is a waste of space and money. Secondly, there is a balance point somewhere - storing sensibly, having a plan to use it, not being overwhelmed by too much stuff and nowhere to put it, planning meals to save time and money and so on. Right now things in our house are out of balance for various reasons. Clearing out some of the excess food stores and putting myself in a position that necessitates creative use of supplies is a useful thing for us, in the short term.

Also, my intention isn't to use up every scrap of stored food - particularly things like recently preserved/put up seasonal produce like tomatoes, marrows, pumpkins, garlic etc, I still want to have stores of when this challenge ends. My main focus is on using up all the miscellaneous bits and pieces and general pantry items.

And finally, I don't believe it's all about me and what I can do. I believe that God expects us to be wise and sensible, and to work hard and use the resources He provides as wisely as we can, to meet the needs of our families and to help others. But ultimately, our supply doesn't come from us - it comes from Him. I need to make changes to how things are running here, and I can work on that trusting that God is watching over us. That's a peaceful place to be.

Sometimes I wish I could just point them at the garden and tell them go to graze, but in reality, children and husbands expect to be fed. Regularly. Every day. Over and over. Even if I don't feel like it! So I have a choice. I can be:

Silly Sally - who has no plan, and at about 4pm every day starts to wonder what's for dinner, struggle to figure it out, and either dashes to the supermarket for some ingredients and is inevitably late getting dinner out, no to mention frazzled and worn out, or decides it's all too hard and ends up buying takeaways. Again. Sally always spends too much as a result of her haphazard lack of organisation. And she never feels peacefully in control of this important area.

Or Wise Wanda - who planned her menus before she went shopping, bought exactly what she needed, has everything on hand, knows what is for dinner, and quite possibly got everything prepared or started early in the day so that later when she's caught up with other things, it takes but a few moment to turn things on or finish up dinner prep. She feels good - she has kept within the family budget, and meals are on time, nutritious, and she is relaxed enough to enjoy this important time with her family, gathered around the meal table.

Menu planning isn't hard, but it IS important! Deciding ahead of time what meals you will prepare allows you to properly plan your grocery shopping, control your budget, keep your family happy, organise your time, use what is in season, and ultimately to plan your garden too. Even if you are the only person in your household, having planned meals will be beneficial - freeing time, money, and ensuring you eat a range of nutritious food.

You can plan all meals and snacks, or just plan the main meals for each day, and then also purchase the basic fixings for breakfast and lunch to have on hand. In this article, we're going to focus on planning the main meal, but you can repeat or expand the process to cover the other meals too if you like. If you at least have dinner planned, life will be so much easier!

Begin meal planning by coming up with a list of things you already know how to cook, and that your family likes. Brainstorm on paper, listing every meal you can think of that you often prepare, either currently or in the past. A quick glance through your most used recipe book might refresh your memory, but don’t go hunting for recipes - start with what you know.
 
Get your family in on the act - have a brainstorming session together, and if you like, make it extra fun by “rewarding” all ideas. For example, buy a large block of chocolate, break it into squares, and “pay” for each meal suggestion with a square of chocolate. You can do the same with M&M’s, or your family’s favourite healthy treat, such as nuts or dried fruit.
 
Meals or main dishes that are already familiar to you are by far the easiest for basic meal planning! They are easier for you to plan for, buy for and cook, because you KNOW them. See how many you can come up with. The minimum number of main meal dishes you need is 7 - enough for one week. If you can think of 14, then you can use those for a two week rotating menu. And so on. Here’s a list of some of my own personal favourites, just off the top of my head. (Some are linked to recipes.) It doesn’t matter if you don’t know what they are - they may spark your own thoughts. Read through this, then make your own list of family favourites in your journal. (Ed's note: Ok, I got a little carried away - meant to just include 14 ideas as a sample, but most of my old ideas were from before we had to change our diet due to food allergies, so was going to add a few GF etc ideas. I looked over a couple of my websites for ideas and recipes I've already posted, and before I knew it I had a much longer list. This isn't meant to overwhelm you - just give you a starting point and ideas to get going with. Your own list is likely to be much shorter to start with)

The next step is to go back through your list of meals, and divide it into groups of 7 days. Two such groups will make a menu for two weeks; four for a month. It’s fine to allow a blank day here and there for leftovers and impromptu simple meals, or eating out etc. Generally though, I plan for 7 meals for 7 days, and if we don’t use one of them, I simply won’t need to buy the ingredients for that next time, as they are already on hand.

When putting together a list for a week or two weeks, think about spacing out like foods - for example you might not want to eat red meat three nights in a row - I’d be more inclined to alternate with fish, vegetarian or chicken based meals. Think too, about whether any particular nights you need to eat early or later, or have more simple meals due to other commitments in the family. Plan easy or crockpot meals for your busiest days.

It is useful to have your menus written out on a chart - that way you can see at a glance what is planned for when. I recommend posting your chart on the front of the fridge - that way everyone else can see too, and it avoids the endless questions of "what's for dinner?" Also, if you have older children or adults in the house, if you are busy they can see what is for dinner, know all the ingredients are on hand, and get it started for you.

Click HERE to download some sample charts in Word - you can change it to suit yourself, or make your own. The three options I have included are:
1) Boxes to plan out breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for each day
2) A daily dinner box, with space to put options for other meals more generically. I also have a "Remember" box - this is to write any main events of the day which will affect meal times/planning. For example, my daughter does an ambulance shift on Tuesday nights, and I need to remember to have dinner ready early on Tuesdays so she can eat before she goes.
3) A chart that focuses on planning the main meal and side dishes, with some space at the bottom to write options for other meals. Again, this has the "Remember Today" section.

In our house, I plan and prepare the main meal, but everyone helps themselves for breakfast and lunch - my job is just to make sure there are plenty of suitable foods/options on hand. This works for us well now that the kids are all old enough to fend for themselves; with them all coming and going I would be hard pressed to know how many to make food for on any given day at lunchtime anyway. When they were all small, I used to prepare all the meals each day.

If you can, plan up to four weeks of menus. But don’t worry if you haven’t enough ideas!! Work with what you know! Two complete charts will mean two weeks of meals, and you can easily just keep rotating these two menu plans indefinitely, until you have fresh ideas later on. Only eating the same thing once every two weeks will be just fine for ensuring variety and balance in your meals, and is a good place to start.

Just one more quick idea - if you still can’t think of any meals, use these charts and write down what you DO eat for a week or two, then use that info to plan.
 
So, take it one step at a time - I know you can do it!! This is going to make your life so much easier!! Go for it!

One idea that might help you to plan a balanced menu is this:
Remember back in grandma's day when Monday was washing day, Tuesday was ironing day, Wednesday was baking day, and so on? Well these days we might not take all day to do the laundry, but there is some merit to having a focus for each day of the week. This comes into play in general household planning, which I'll talk about separately, but for our purposes here, how about having a general outline for the week. For example:

Monday - mince
Tuesday - soups
Wednesday - chicken
Thursday - lamb or beef
Friday - pizza
Saturday - crockpot
Sunday - roast

With a theme for each night, all you then have to do is pick suitable meals to match. To come up with a month's worth of meals, you'd need 4 mince based meals, 4 soups, 4 chicken dishes, 4 lamb or beef dishes, and so on. Make sense? Having this concept in mind can save you spending lots of time looking for too many meal ideas - you know you just need to select a certain number of each type.

Once you have some weekly menus planned, you are going to want to create a grocery list to match each menu, so you'll know just what to shop for. Collect together or write out the recipes for each item on your menu, and then go through them and write a list of ALL the needed ingredients. HERE is a chart you can use to do this, divided by item types to make shopping easier. I like to keep a copy of each menu and it's grocery list together in sheet protectors in a binder, or in a clearfile folder.

In fact, taking this one step further, why not have each menu AND a copy of all of its recipes together in your clearfile? I do this and it makes it so easy to prepare dinner - the recipes are to hand, the ingredients are in the cupboard, and I or any of my family can access them all. Using sheet protectors or a clearfile also means they can be used in the kitchen, and any splatters wiped clean.

If you are using a Master Grocery list (highly recommended), then you might want to create a modified version of it to go with each menu, so you won't forget anything when you shop. Otherwise, just update the individual ingredients on it each time you use it to prepare for shopping.

I will write a separate post on this, and for now I don't want you to be overwhelmed, so start with a basic set of menus for 2 weeks or so. But just to give you a vision of what could be possible, consider this.....

Imagine having a folder full of menu plans. Each menu plan is for one month of main menus, and it is seasonal, based around what is in season in the garden at that time of year. So there is a Spring menu plan, a Summer menu plan, an Autumn menu plan and a Winter menu plan. Each menu plan is used three times - so in the course of three months you eat each meal three times. And then the season changes, and so does the menu. You'd be eating a good variety, seasonally.

Imagine having your garden planned so that everything you are able to grow that is needed for the menus will be ready in your garden at the right time. No more wondering what to plant, when, or wondering what to do with it. You'd be saving even more money because you'd be using lots of food you grow yourself. Those things you needed to buy would be in season, and so at their lowest prices.

Imagine having every recipe necessary all together in one place, in a binder. No more hunting for recipe books.

This IS possible! Of course, you'd want to do something different every now and then - no problem; you'd just switch out a planned meal here and there.

But, basically, you'd know just what to plant, what to cook, what to purchase. You'd become such an expert on what your family needs and uses that you'd easily spot a good bargain and be able to stock up on the right things at the right price at the right time.

Good menu planning takes some time to start with, but in the long run it will pay dividends in time and money saved. The effort will pay off - and you will have more time to relax.

There are so many different brands/sizes/prices of nearly every product, not to mention so many stores to pick from! How is a thrifty shopper to know WHICH one is the best buy and when specials are really specials worth stocking up on? By developing and using your very own Price Book!

A price book is simply a place to record the prices from various sources on products you regularly buy, with dates and a break down per kg (or relevant size). This way you can see at a glance who usually has the cheapest price, what the price normally is, whether today's special is really that great and, over time, whether there is a seasonal pattern to when this item generally goes at a really good special price (that's when you'd plan to stock up!).

Bulk buying, or stocking up, can save you a ton of money over time. But if you don't do your research first, you won't know when to stock up on what for the best savings. Living payday to payday and think there is no way you can afford to bulk buy anything? Don't worry, I will show you how! If you read all the articles I post in THIS section of my website (and this one too), and begin to implement the ideas, in no time at all you WILL be able to afford to start building a store of supplies, and bulk shop to save maximum amounts!

But whether you bulk buy or not, it is invaluable to know the likely cost of an item, and where best to buy it. Apart from saving money, this also comes in handy if you wish to estimate the cost of buying everything on your shopping list prior to going shopping, so you can trim the list if needed before you head out the door (for more on this read my Master Grocery List article).

Here's how to create a price book:
1) Use either a half-size loose-leaf ring binder with alphabetical tabs, or an index notebook with multiple pages per letter.
2) Create headings under the relevant letter for items you regularly buy - in a looseleaf notebook this will probably be one item per page. In an index book, you will probably have 3 or so items per page, with lines ruled between.
3) Little by little over time, record the prices for these items from various sources. Be sure to date each entry, note the store name (use shorthand code such as CD for Countdown, NW for New World, and so on), brand, size of pack, and price. I mark the price with an * if it is on special.
4) To the right of each line, calculate the price in regular units, such as per kg for most food items, or per whatever is relevant to the item. That way when you're glancing at prices for an item, you're seeing the true comparison per unit. Make sure you identify what the break down is (eg Per kg, Per 100, Per unit etc)

That's it! It's not difficult, but it does take a little time. But this time will pay off big dividends and revolutionise your shopping! Take the price book with you when you go grocery shopping. If you're not sure a price is worth it, check your book. Don't be sucked in by the supermarket's careful arrangement of products, ranges, specials etc, all designed to get you to part with as much of your precious money as possible - beat them at their own game with a price book!
Below is an example of what might be recorded in your price book - in this case for whole raw almonds. Once you have an idea of prices, if you see a price at a different source that is clearly more expensive, there is no need to bother recording it, as you won't choose that location to buy this item. After you've gathered several prices for an item, you will only add to them if you see a good special on that item, or a new source with better prices. Note that the column headings are there for your benefit - I don't bother to put them in my actual price book, for the most part, except to indicate what unit the final breakdown is for. Remember an * indicates the item was on special when this price was recorded.

Don't make yourself crazy over this! Just make a start with the items you buy most often. Look in supermarket flyers when you have a moment, and write down those prices. Each time you shop, add a few more. You'll soon have a very useful, fully functional price book. If you have already created a Master Grocery List, you will have a clear idea of what products you need prices for - there is no need to collect prices on items you never buy!

Remember, the purpose of your price book is:
1) To show you where the best places to buy particular items are
2) To help you judge when a special is really a good special
3) To help you see seasonal patterns to prices on some items, so you can plan ahead and know when to stock up
4) To provide a tool for you to estimate the cost of your grocery spending before you go shopping
5) To save you money!

Don't over-complicate it, or you won't use it.
Keep it simple and in a format that works for you, and you will have a very handy tool in your thrifty Kiwi arsenal!

I'm sure you've heard the commonly given advice for grocery shopping:
* Never shop when hungry
* Always use a grocery list (and stick to it)

Good advice. After all, if you shop when hungry, the chances that unauthorized chocolate bars and nuts and oh, definitely items from the fragrant bakery department, will somehow dive into your grocery cart when you're not looking are very high, not to mention just buying more of things because you're hungry! And if you don't have a list, you will no doubt forget important things, and buy things you don't really need.

However, most people who DO use a list aren't very systematic. The list is probably more like a partial list, scribbled hastily on the back of a handy envelope. This is definitely better than no list at all, but usually still results in the shopper relying on spotting other things they need as they go around the store, and usually means spending more than intended, and/or buying unnecessary extras.

Let me introduce you to a better way....... the master grocery list!

A master grocery list is a complete shopping list which has everything you would normally purchase listed on it. I use this list to check what I need before shopping, and then modify it so I have a smaller list containing only the things I need to take with me. This way I don't miss anything. But the list has several other features that help me save money and plan well - it's a very thrifty tool! Let's go step-by-step through how to create a master grocery list, and then I will explain the additional features......

1) The very first step in creating your own master grocery list is to take an inventory of your pantry, fridge, freezers, bathroom & laundry cupboards and so on. I include food, cleaning supplies, animal food, toiletries and everything else I normally buy when grocery shopping. This list doesn't have to be fancy - just get everything written down in a readable format.

2) The second step is to create your master grocery list on the computer, making sure you save it in a location you can easily find it. I chose to set mine up in a Word file, with the page set to landscape, and setting the page up in two columns. This means when I print the list on A4 paper, I then cut it in half, stack the pages, and staple them together. I now have an easy to handle A5 size shopping list in my purse. In each column I set up tables in which there are several columns which I will explain more fully shortly. The main column has the items from my inventory listed, arranged in groups under headings by type. The groups are in roughly the same order as the layout of the main supermarket I visit, so I'm working through the list in order. Therefore fruit and veges are first, followed by baking supplies, and so on. Here's what the first page of my master grocery list looks like:

My master grocery list has 5 pages like this, with sections for fruit & veges, baking supplies, soups/grains/beans/pasta, frozen food, meat/fish/chicken, bathroom & laundry, pet supplies, first aid & cleaning supplies, dairy, bread/spreads & other, nuts/seeds & health foods, herbs & spices. In fact, since it could save you a lot of time, I'm going to share with you my master grocery list in Word HERE - you can download it, modify it, and use it as your own if you like.

3) The third step is actually using your master grocery list. You can either print a copy each time you're due to go shopping, and write on it, or keep a copy in sheet protectors and mark it up with a whiteboard pen. I go through all my supplies with list in hand, and cross out everything we already have plenty of, then mark next to those things we need the number or weight of items needed. Next, I go back to the computer, save a copy of the master grocery list under a separate file name (I call it "Groceries this week" and save over the top of that one each time), so that the master list remains intact, and then modify this newly saved file so that ONLY the items I need to purchase remain on it, with quantities added. Then I print this shorter list, cut and staple it, and I'm good to go.

Additional features:
You will notice that there are a couple of extra columns on the grocery list:

The Stock level column is one I used to have permanently filled out with the total number/weight of the item I liked to have on hand. So, for example, if I liked to make sure when I finished shopping there were 6 cans of tuna in the cupboard, 6 would be in the stock column next to canned tuna. When I look in the cupboard and find only 3 cans remaining, I would write 3 in the Needed column, as this is the number that would bring me back to my stock level. I use the stock level column more when I am working off set menus, as the number would be based on what needs to be on hand for those menus etc. This has another advantage - if I'm busy/sick/away, any member of the family can use the master grocery list, check off what is in the cupboards, and know how many more of a given item to buy - that way they won't miss anything important when they do the shopping for me, or if they're just helping me prepare the list, they can do that part on their own easily. I'm not using the stock level column much myself right now, as our diet changed so much recently I need to rethink things, but it really is very handy!

The Specials column is a feature that can save you a lot of money! Here's how I use it: after making my modified shopping list for the week, I browse through the flyers from places like Countdown and New World. If they have any items on my list at a good price, then I write in the specials column in code - eg N.W $2.99 next to butter would mean New World has butter on special for $2.99 each. I use CD for Countdown, PnS for Pack 'n Save, and so on. If I don't have paper copies of the flyers, they are easily accessed online, or I might grab them from the supermarkets themselves when I first get into town, and look them over before I start shopping. Now, when I actually go shopping, I work in a particular order:

First I stop by the farm store to buy bulk animals feeds. These are fine sitting in the van while I get everything else. Then I go to specialty stores for non-perishable items I know I will find cheapest there  - eg Asian market, Gilmours, bulk store etc.
Next, I go to Pack 'n Save, the supermarket which I generally find cheapest overall, for the rest of the groceries. However, as I go through each of these places, I check my list. If I get to Pack 'n Save and see their butter is $3.50 each, and I have NW $2.99 written down in the specials column, I know not to buy it at Pack 'n Save, but to make a stop at Countdown on the way home for butter and any other items that are at better prices there. If it turns out there is only a tiny savings to be made overall by a stop at Countdown, I might choose to go ahead and buy at Pack 'n Save and skip the extra stop. But if there are enough items/savings to make it worthwhile, or if I need to go there anyway for some things I can't get at Pack 'n Save, then I do so. Make sense? Finally on my way home I stop into the other supermarkets if there are savings to be made there, and lastly stop, if needed, at places like the vege market or butchers on the way home. I don't visit all of these places every time, usually, but according to our needs and best thrifty shopping at the time.

There is one more way that the master grocery list can make my life way easier and help me stick within budget - if money is really tight, and I know I absolutely must NOT go over budget with the shopping, after making my specific list, I will go through it and write next to each item it's approximate price. The prices are drawn from specials flyers, past experience, my Price Book (which I'll write another post about), or looking them up online. I can then total it all up and know with a reasonable degree of accuracy what the shopping will cost. If it's too much, I can choose now, at home, what to cross off the list. I leave the items crossed off visible, but with a line through. That way when I actually shop, if I beat the prices I listed and have some extra dollars left over, then I might choose which crossed off items are highest priority and be able to get some of them after all. This also motivates me to even more diligently look for the best priced items and brands in the store, so as to free up those few extra dollars.

When money is tight, it is much more comfortable and less stressful to go shopping, list in hand, and KNOW you will be able to afford the chosen items, and possibly even "win" by being able to get a few more, rather than going HOPING you can afford everything, and then being stressed about having to put things back when it's too much. That's how a thrifty kiwi rolls!

Another way to use the master grocery list - pin a copy up inside the pantry door. When anyone notices something has run out or is running low, they can circle that item on the list. If you are running to the store in between main shopping days for a few perishables, you can tell at a glance if there is anything else that might be urgent enough to pick up at the same time, if it can't wait until the next shopping day.

And just a couple more tips: In the past when I've had kids helping me shop, sometimes I have spilt the list up, giving some of the kids a page or section each, and their own trolley or basket, to run off and get those items and bring them back to me. Also, on my original master grocery list I was very specific about preferred brands, item size etc, so if someone else shopped for me, they knew EXACTLY what to get. And thirdly, when you have helpers, a set of walkie-talkies is fabulous - I could direct a given child to go to an aisle and get a couple of items. When they got there and compared prices, they could use the walkies to check in with me which brand I would prefer, given the prices, and then bring me back the right one. This saves time in not having to change things, and makes it fun for the kids too. With a couple of walkies and three kids helping, I could do shopping that would normally take me an hour alone in 15 mins flat! When kids bring things back to me, I would check them off my own shopping list as we transferred them to my trolley, so I would know everything was covered.

Note: when you first use a master grocery list, it might feel like it takes you a little longer. But stick with it. I find after a while of doing this, the list and what I need this week are so familiar, that by the time I've taken inventory and made my list, my brain knows exactly what is on it, and I can cruise through the supermarket very fast (skipping unnecessary aisles and not needing long to make decisions), and then just pull my list out near the end, check everything off, and maybe cruise back down an aisle on the way to the checkout for the one item I missed. A little preparation saves time!

To gain the maximum savings of time and money, use a Master Grocery List in conjunction with Menu Planning and a Price Book - each of which I will post about soon.

To sum up, using a master grocery list will make planning your shopping easier, save you money and time, and help you remember everything you need. It can take the stress out of sticking to a budget, and rescue you when you need other family members to help with inventory or shopping. I wouldn't do it any other way! Are you ready to start using your own Master Grocery List, and shop like a master?