How to Meal Plan and Organize Your Grocery List on a Budget

The Benefits of Meal Planning

Meal planning can provide many helpful benefits. It saves time and reduces stress around what to cook each day. Planning out meals in advance also leads to less food waste since you only buy what you need. And it helps keep grocery costs low by allowing you to take advantage of sales and bulk pricing.

How to Get Started

If you’ve never meal planned before, it can feel overwhelming to start. But just follow these steps to get into the habit.

Take inventory of what’s already in your pantry and fridge. This will help inform what you need to add to your grocery list.
Browse cookbooks, websites and social media for recipe inspiration and ideas.
Decide how many meals to plan for. Many people start with dinners only.
Use a meal planning template to map out the week ahead.
Make your grocery list based on the meal plan.

Sticking to Your Budget

When meal planning with a budget in mind, be sure to:

Plan meals around what’s on sale at the grocery store that week.
Incorporate less expensive proteins like beans, eggs and ground meat.
Buy store brand items when possible.
Purchase ingredients for leftovers that can be repurposed into future meals.

Organizing Your Grocery List

An organized grocery list will make shopping efficient and help you stick to your budget. Try these tips:

Group items by the grocery store section/aisle.
Mark staple items you always want to have in stock.
Indicate quantities needed.
Sort produce by type for faster picking.
Distinguish between needs and wants.

FAQ

What are the main benefits of meal planning?

The main benefits are saving time, reducing stress about what to cook, preventing food waste, and saving money on the grocery budget.

How many meals should a beginner plan for?

Most people recommend starting small with just planning out dinners. As you get into the habit, you can expand to breakfast, lunch and snacks.

What are some good low-budget proteins?

Great inexpensive proteins include beans, lentils, eggs, canned fish like tuna, and less expensive cuts of meat like chicken thighs and ground turkey.

Should my grocery list be organized by food type or store aisle?

Organizing by grocery store aisle makes shopping much more efficient since you’re only traversing each section once. It also makes it less likely you’ll forget items.

Should I include staple items I always want to have on hand?

Definitely. Keeping a running list of staples you want to replenish like olive oil, rice, spices, etc. helps ensure you don’t run out between shopping trips.