How do people plan their food shops?

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ProfessorYaffle1@reddit

I do my main shop online so I can just wander round and peer into cupboards to see what I am running low on.

At home, my parents always used to have a list - there was a pad on the fridge dor so if they oticed something was running lo they would add it to the list, then before doing the shop myu mum would plan the mels for the week to come and add anything that needed buying.

Meal planning - batchcooking is useful - ideally try to do a couole of batches so you have choices when you just want to defrost and cook something - for instance, at the moment, I've got several portions each of spag. bol, beef casserole, and chicken curry in my freezer, so I can have decen home cooked meals with variety and minimal effort.

If you meal plan, you don't need to plan for evey day, just to plan x number of meals (and make sure that you check expiry dates and freeze stuff f you are not cooking right away.

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Popular_Sell_8980@reddit

Family of six. We have a calendar with meals on it. If it’s from a recipe, we put the page number and book. Popular suggestions and new additions are added in the future. We do all the shopping online on Thursday night with Tesco Click and Collect (£2.50 a month for any slots you want), collect after Parkrun on Saturday. Everything is made from scratch. £70-£80 a week all in.

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pinkdaisylemon@reddit

Can you share some ideas. That sounds so cheap. Would love some pointers!

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Popular_Sell_8980@reddit

(I’ll take a photo if one month to help illustrate this)

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pinkdaisylemon@reddit

Thank you!

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Popular_Sell_8980@reddit

Meal ideas? Yes, sure! The children are now old enough now to have a valid opinion, so they join in with the recipe choices. We try and rotate cook books, and if you like a recipe, you put a post it slip on the side. If it’s made and liked this moves to the top.

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UnknownTerrorUK@reddit

We have about 20 recipe books I just open them at random pages and pick the meal to cook. I'll write down all the ingredients whilst checking if I already have it or not in a cupboard somewhere. Then write on this whiteboard thing we've got in the kitchen what meal we're having on what day, what book and page it's in. We generally shop for about 7 days at a time so we'll plan 7 meals.

Then I go ahead and order it online crossing each ingredient off as I've added it to the basket. Usually get it click and collect, I can't stand shopping and some of these ingredients would take me hours to find as opposed to someone in store with a handset detailing the exact location.

For the rest of the stuff, like toiletries or sundries, snacks etc. it usually comes up on the checkout with things we buy regularly so I'll just add it from there.

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ledow@reddit

I shop only once a month. I have done for the last 7 years since living on my own (for the first time ever in my life, and I'm in my 40's).

Apart from money struggles, it was easy:

How many meals a day?
How many meals will I get out of that.

Overestimate a bit the first month, so you have a base stock of very basic foods (pasta, bread, etc.).

Then I made a list of everything I bought (fortunately, my Tesco card was linked to the website, so everything I bought was listed on the website) and I keep it on my phone. Whenever I run out of something, I unmark it on the list again. Whenever I think "Oh, I haven't had X in years and I love that", I would add it to the list.

Every month I go to Tesco, I use Scan & Shop, and I literally WALK EVERY AISLE zigzag. That way I have to walk past everything in the shop and think "Do I still have soup at home?" because I've seen a can of soup. Also stops that nonsense with "where have they moved the soup to this time?!". The Scan & Shop lets me check prices and put things back if I find something better later on (e.g. a pack of frozen mince when I've already picked up a bag of mince, etc.).

I use the list as reference towards the end to make sure I have everything (and I often think "Nah, not this month" and skip something I would normally get). Because of walking every aisle, I also pick out something new / different every month that I've never tried before. This adds interest, doesn't cost much, and I can start bringing in new foods if I like them and keep them on my list.

And, for me, one trolley full of stuff is always enough for 1 month for 1 person. In fact, what often happens is I think "Oh, I can get at least another week out of what I still have, plus I should really use up that old pasta and then buy a new one", and I go shopping later in the month than I normally would until I've used it all up.

That means that every year for the past 7 years, I've skipped at least one month's groceries entirely because I didn't need it, because of the overlap.

The only requirements I had to really take account of - I have a second tiny fridge and freezer. I buy a month's worth of shopping, put lots of it in the main freezer and the little freezer and only when the fridge runs out do I get stuff out of the freezer (usually the 2nd week or so). Then I empty the little freezer first and turn it off for the rest of the month.

I also watch the expiry dates and organise the fridge and cupboard by expiry... and then I always try to the stuff that will expire first. Otherwise I had a couple of times where things went off before I got around to eating them, and it wasted quite a bit of money.

I make soups, stews, pies, etc. so I always have plenty of those ingredients in the freezer/cupboard (tinned potatoes are great for stews and cottage pie topping, and really cheap, if you have no proper potatoes left). That's my "fallback food", along with a huge bag of pasta, sauces, basic ingredients, etc. I could live for a month just off those alone, I reckon.

Then my shopping happens when I a) get bored of what I have, b) get a craving for a particular thing I normally have or c) when I literally run out of food except the basics. Works out to be about once every 5-6 weeks in reality.

By which time I have a big list of everything I bought last month on my phone, I've "ticked" anything I've already used up, and that's my shopping list for this month (I just untick the whole list), plus any extras I feel like. I never need a top-up shop. I think I've bought ONE pint of milk extra outside of that grocery shop in the last 7 years (and that was because my parents wanted to have a cup of tea! Fortunately, there's a farm shop right at the end of the road).

I also used to use the Tesco Clubcard Plus thing which gives you 10% off a big shop (and my monthly shop was a BIG shop so it worked out well) but now it's barely worth the effort. I spend about £180-200 each month on one shop, so it's £18-20 off, but it costs £8 a month, and lots of stuff isn't eligible and sometimes it doesn't work, and it's a faff to get it to read the phone, etc. I gave up and instead occasionally shop elsewhere.

And I've never cared about "eating the same meal again". It's a nonsense. You can have the same breakfast for 20 years straight and nobody bats an eyelid but you have pizza two nights in a row and everyone is up in arms. Ignore it. Food is food and your body doesn't care, so long as you're eating something else different AS WELL. In fact, your body knows far better than you what it needs, so if it's craving a food two nights in a row... have that food.

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keerin@reddit

Love this. You are modern consumer marketing's end-level boss.

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keerin@reddit

We wrote down every meal we all like and will eat as a family (we have 2 5yo kids), and every week, we pick 7 of these and write down the ingredients we need for each (check cupboards because onions and potatoes last longer than a week, frozen stuff exists etc).

Then we check around the house to see if we need anything like toilet roll, tin foil, oil, milk, etc. Lunch is usually salads, sandwiches, soup, or leftovers, so we top up on things for that. Breakfast is toast or cereal, so we make sure we're prepped for that, too. Kids need snacks, so we add those as we see fit in the shop.

If you take 30 mins to 1 hour to prepare initially, it will be incredibly easy going forward for the rest of your life. I appreciate that grocery shopping costs will be different in different places, but I'm in N.E. Scotland and weekly shopping for our family of 4 is around £90 on average. It can be more if we top up on cleaning products or go a bit mad with treats.

Here is this week as an example of how we eat (dinners only):

Mon: Steak pie and chips Tue: Roast chicken, roast potatoes, steamed veg Wed: Sausages, mash, gravy Thu: Kids going to granny, mum and dad having aglio e olio Fri: Bolognese Sat: Chicken curry Sun: Chicken Gyros, Mediterranean salad

This has shifted a bit with the weather. More cottage pies, etc, incoming!

Like I said, lunches for us parents will be leftovers or sandwiches or that (honestly, we waste money by not being more prepared here). Kids typically get free school lunch, but it's holidays just now. That whole roast chicken will be doing heavy lifting this week.

We will often pick neals knowing the types of offers that the supermarket will have. So Morrisons usually has 3 for £10 on a selection of meat (chicken breasts, mince, meatballs, sausages, burgers, etc). Knowing this, we'll try to make sure we get the most of this deal. From the above, we have chicken breasts x2 and sausages x1. We know we can buy steak mince cheap enough on the side as well as a small chicken. So 3 of our 6 meals with protein cost like £20 max (or less with fractional costs of goods that can be used for multiple meals)

I hope this helps. As I say, family of 4. Typically less than £400/mo for groceries and other house supplies. Getting this under control has been an incredible help with the cost of living because we can't reduce rent, power, or transport costs!

The unspoken advantage we have here is basic cooking skills. If you don't have these, that should be your priority because it's free (youtube) and pays incredible dividents over the course of your life. Plus, I can say with experience that being able to crack an egg cleanly with one hand while holding a conversation is often seen as incredibly sexy haha

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Harrry-Otter@reddit

“I’ve not had that meal in a while, let have that next week.”

“Oooh, they’re selling mouli. What the fuck do you do with a mouli? Let’s find out”

“Fuck me, a side of salmon reduced to £1.50! Having that!”

I might go in with a vague idea of what I need, but usually come out with anything and everything. My wife actually looks forward to coming food shopping with me because apparently I shop like a crackhead.

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oliviaxlow@reddit

This gives me major anxiety. Props to you for being able to operate like this haha.

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Harrry-Otter@reddit

I’m the polar opposite. If I went in with a list of stuff that I had to adhere strictly to I’d be hopeless.

Apparently my wife’s parents used to have the same approach to shopping and meal prep. They seem genuinely shocked by the idea we usually don’t know what we’re gonna have for dinner until it’s time to start making it.

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wordsfromlee@reddit

If I went in with a list of stuff that I had to adhere strictly to I’d be hopeless.

Why would you be hopeless? You just get the stuff thats on the list.

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Harrry-Otter@reddit

I’d hate the experience though, and feeling that restricted in what foods I could eat.

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penguin17077@reddit

Nothing stops you from buying stuff that is not on the list as well.

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Harrry-Otter@reddit

That doesn’t sound like “strictly adhering to a list” though.

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nathderbyshire@reddit

If something is missing from your list especially if it's part of a recipe you need leeway! Being strictly list is too nerve wracking - reduced stuff doesn't count either

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V65Pilot@reddit

I'm the same, but I'm really good at throwing various reduced items together to make a good meal. Went out earlier for some milk and bread. came home with a bunch of salad fixings

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hoganpaul@reddit

At the top of a sheet of paper I write MTWTFSS and put the dates next to them. W16, Th17, F18 etc

If there are days when I don't need to cook - going out on Friday, say, I put an X next to that day.

I write a list of things I need and/or won't compromise on. Flour, salt, eggs, chocolate etc

I write a list of things I'd like to eat that week

When I go shopping I try to get all my needs and then select from the like list to fill in the blanks for my days making sure that there is something thta will still be good for the last date/s. If the supermarket has offers/specials then I will get them if I like them and know how to prepare/cook them.

I try not to get tempted and buy things that weren't on my list.

The aim is to have none or very little wasted food and I have gotten pretty good at that.

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Mikon_Youji@reddit

I have a shopping list that I add to through the week of things that I'm running low on. I also plan meals a week ahead so that I know what ingredient to buy.

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Spirited_Syrup612@reddit

"full shop or I end up not using things in time and having to toss them (I’m getting better at this though). I’m also not good at planning meals, I can easily get stuck eating the same two meals that I batch cooked and froze for a week straight"

Totally relate to these problems. I found that there are 2 approaches people use (at least):
- There are people who just look at what they have in the fridge and figure out what to do with it (this is not me)
- There are people who plan ahead and buy what they will need for the week to come (this is more me)

I'm actually working on an app that covers the second scenario (chefyourself.com.au).
You capture stuff you usually eat (either pick from indexed recipes or add your own recipes) and the app rotates recipes for you each week and gives you a shopping list, super simple.

This way you know what you are going to cook ahead of time, and you know you have all the necessary stuff in your fridge:)

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PsychologicalNote612@reddit

I plan the meals I'm going to have between shops and get the food for that. Once a week I also buy the things I'll run out of, peas, peppers, onions, carrots, flour and vitalite, along with washing powder. I always have enough food to make an easy meal, like pasta or something with rice but usually have enough to make a real meal too because on the rare occasions I buy fresh food that I don't eat, I freeze it

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1968Bladerunner@reddit

I keep the same list of stuff I buy almost each big shop (about every 3 weeks), then top up on essentials & fresh stuff from Tesco, Lidl, or local butchers & bakers while on my regular walks. I also keep my eye out for reduced deals, or will occasionally pick up a takeaway for a change.

I batch cook a few dishes - chilli, creamy cajun chicken, & bolognese being my easy go-to's, so there's always individual tubs in the freezer I can defrost & do with a baked tattie / packet rice / pasta / cheesy garlic bread.

Food waste is a big no-no for me - I'll either prep & freeze, or put together weird ingredients to use stuff up - some work out well, others are edible & filling lol.

I'm very cognizant when shopping to look at expiry dates & plan out my meals in my mind, digging in the back for longer dates if necessary.

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Apple22Over7@reddit

Sunday night, we get the recipe books out for inspiration and decide on the meals we're having that week, taking into account any evenings we're going out or away or whatever.

Check what we need for the meals against what we've already got in. Write out a list for what we need to get.

Add staples to the list - milk, bread, eggs, stuff for lunches/breakfasts/snacks.

Order online or go round the shop. I try to write the list in the same order that stuff is organised in the supermarket to make it less stressful if we're going in-person.

Avoiding food waste - anything freezable (meat, fish etc) is frozen. Fresh veg I'll often just use up what we've got, even if that means more than the usual recipe. Leftovers from meals are either frozen or used as lunch/dinner the next day. The only waste we have is if plans change half way through the week and we end up going our/having takeaway instead of the planned meal. But even then, we try to have one 'store cupboard' meal planned each week with longer life ingredients, meaning we can shuffle the plans around so that the fresh stuff is (almost) always used up.

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TheGrumble@reddit

This is why I love doing the big shop online, being able to cross-check what we have in the house while I'm adding to my basket means I usually only buy what we need and have space for and I'm much less likely to have my head turned by some deal or fancy new product.

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FoolishMythology@reddit (OP)

I used to shop online and it did work a bit better for me, but I’ve got my licence now and I’d rather go to Aldi just because of how much cheaper it is, I have been considering heading back to online shopping though.

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adhdventures@reddit

You can click and collect with Aldi, or I use it to make a list before I go and to get a good idea of cost. Still gives you the option to browse, but you also cover your bases. Also when you look at your basket each section is divided, e.g., fridge or cupboard, so it's easy to pick up what you've chosen. Another thing I usually do is just add what I think I need or want, then go through and work out how many meals that adds up to (as long as it's 5/6 I'm happy as I'll probably have a takeaway/eat leftovers/ can do from the cupboard for the other days). After checking what I've got, I'll either remove unnecessary items if it's looking too expensive or add more if other way. Hope that helps!

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R_Eyron@reddit

I start with a list of all the meals I'll need to eat until my next shop (e.g. 6 lunches, 7 dinners). Then I list which I'll be in the house for versus on the go somewhere (e.g. prep work lunches or loads of time for a home dinner). Then I write how long I'll have to prep, cook and eat. So, I end up with something like 'dinner away quick' and I can decide which meals I can plan that are sufficient for a dinner, can be eaten away from home, and won't take long to eat because it's a busy day (sometimes this would be something basic like a pot noodle just to keep me fed). Or something like 'lunch in long' and I can plan an elaborate home cooked feast for that lunch.

Write down which of my meals fit each of these things then compare it to what I have in the house. If it's something like a stew it could take me ages to prep a serving but if I have time in the week to batch cook 7 weeks worth of stew, I can instead make a stew in about 20 minutes by reheating from frozen, so what's already in the house versus what I'd need to prep in advance changes my plans sometimes. I also make sure to note down if anything will require fresh ingredients that go off quickly, so I make those earlier in the week and leave my prepped or long lasting meals until later.

I write down a few snack ideas and do a run around the house for things I might be out of like shampoo to make sure I'm not tempted to buy more food if I have to find them in a shop midweek instead. Once I know what I want, I write out all the ingredients in the order that I'll pass them in the shop so that I don't get distracterd by food that I'll just end up wasting (doesn't always work out but it's the best system I've come up with so far). I've recently started mentally tallying how much I spend when I go around the shop to see if I need to plan around budget as well, but right now I don't consider budget when planning meals because I never go above what I can afford.

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powpow198@reddit

Meal plan

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Melonski-Chan@reddit

Make a list of meals we want to eat.

Make a list of what we need (and a note of what we already have.)

Make a shopping list.

Leave room for wildcards and cba days where it’s a chef Mike special of an oven jobbie.

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sleepyprojectionist@reddit

I batch cook all of my evening meals on a Sunday.

I have usually picked a meal (or two if I’m feeling adventurous) by Friday or Saturday.

I have a look at recipes for inspiration and make a shopping list.

I go shopping.

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Ok-Train5382@reddit

I plan meals the day I go shopping, just mains. Then I buy that stuff and buy some extras for breakfast (for gf) and lunch.

That’s it.

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International-Bat777@reddit

I pick my proteins for the week first. I'll have a rough idea of what I want, but I'll have look to see what's new or on offer. Then I'll pick a load of veg etc to go with it. I buy rice and most spices in bulk so I can be very flexible with what I cook.

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MaidInWales@reddit

We used to be haphazard, no meal planning, no shopping list, threw a lot of perishable food away as a result. COVID changed all that as we're both clinically vulnerable and didn't want to spend any longer than we had to in the supermarket. It worked for us and the habit has stuck.

We do a menu plan for the week and use that to draw up a shopping list, then I go through the cupboards and check if we're running low on any of the basics (spices, stock cubes, tinned tuna or tomatoes, etc). We're not rigid about the list, if something is on an offer too good to miss or something new grabs us, we'll get it. We eat a lot more healthily and throw very little food away now.

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efeberenguer@reddit

I have to admit i am a list-maker so this how I roll If i need to be quick: I take a piece of paper and draw 7 columns (each day of the week) and 3 columns (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and then I start writing the things I’d like to have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the first column, if I want them for more than one day, I draw an arrow to next column to the right (the next day).

Usually I eat pretty much the same mon-fri then have more variety on the weekends.

You can use the paper as a list, or you can write the things you notes on your phone. All the best, and remember: progress! Not perfection!

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elleriun@reddit

Using Chat GPT to come up with recepies i can cook with X, Y, Z for me meals for the week.

After that i do my shopping and cook it all up.

Got some tasty meals so far, no bad ones yet.

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minisaxophone@reddit

If it’s in your budget, look at trying a meal delivery service (eg. Gousto, Hello Fresh) as they send you ingredients and recipes (for 2 but it’s lunch the next day)

Will also long term teach you cooking skills and a wider variety of meals

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Low_Sodiium@reddit

Thoughtfully write a list after inspecting all cupboards, then generally disregard said list and throw in masses of snacks & shit we don’t need like unsupervised feral kids.

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lovesorangesoda636@reddit

We have a bank of recipes which can build out a week of meals.

A basic week looks like this

fake nandos (spicy chicken and rice)
stir fry
pizza
bolognaise (or lasagne or chilli) - covers 2 nights
something "fancy" for Saturday
pasta bake for Sunday.

It helps that if we have leftovers it becomes my lunch.

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SlySquire@reddit

Used AI to great success. Chatgpt has free access now.

Ask it this

"You are a nutrition expert in the UK. Give me a 7 day meal plan with recipes. I want these to be healthy meals at a cheap price point. Provide me with a shopping list of items."

Follow the shopping list and recipes. Anything you don't like tell it to change.

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FoolishMythology@reddit (OP)

I’ve never thought of that before, I’ll give that a try

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nathderbyshire@reddit

You can also make a list of everything you own, take a picture of it and upload to GPT or Gemini and ask what you can make with these and it'll try to do recipes with just those ingredients or tell you what you'll need if there's something missing. Recipes are one of the most stable things I've found to use them for

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madame_ray_@reddit

I get regulars and what I think will be good for sandwich fillings, mail meal proteins, vegetable side dishes etc. And nothing too labour intensive.

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elbapo@reddit

I do a big shop where i get a regular selection of the basics which i know will always consume. And topping up stuff which can be stored/keep/freeze.

This way im basically covered and always have the basics- and can basically survive.

Then- i top it up with bespoke small shops. Usually fresh ingredients for say a particular meal i might want with smaller shops as per when. Usually fresh /perishable stuff and say ive run out of some random spice or whatever.

I try to cover as much as possible in the latter in a big shop- but never fully succeed.

But its good because i can combine variety with staples, and fresh with bulk bought.

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TheTritagonistTurian@reddit

We get it delivered by Asda, this is how it usually goes:

My partner (F): I’m doing an Asda order, what do you want for dinners this week?

Me (M): I dunno whatever, just get what you usually get.

She moans and complains and says fuck you then order your own food if you’re not going to be helpful.

The Asda order arrives and it’s got everything I need.

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Snickerty@reddit

I find it difficult to get portions right when cooking, and of course, a lot of stuff is not sold in servings for one. One of the most confusing things I see with other people's menus is that they seem to be a new thing every day.

Monday ArmenianTuna Pasta Bake Tuesday: Fijian tofu noodles with alpaca bean comfit Wednesday: Sudanese Pea Rissoto with bacon glaze

Etc etc.i just sounds like there is a lot of leftover and waste. Plan what you are doing with the leftovers, even if it is soup. I add in a leftover day, usually the night before shopping day for maximum leftover use. "Shove it in a pan with egg, and rice" is a favourite even if uncle what's his name would have kittens.

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resting_up@reddit

Probably easier to plan and buy if you do your shopping online and then you can add to the buy list when you think of it (one day I'll get round to doing that until then I'll keep on over buying).

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Gloomy_Use5525@reddit

I have a running shopping list on Google Keep for easy access, and I add to it as soon as I run out of something or think of something I want.

I do a weekly shop each Monday. Sunday evening I plan what meals I'm having for the next week - breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, snacks. I know what ingredients these meals consist of and how much I'll need, but if you're cooking a new recipe then look at how much you'll need. If it's a lot less than the portion you're able to buy, make a note to make that meal again later in the week/next week to use that ingredient up before it goes bad. Always choose the longest date you can on your produce.

Once I've done the shop I check the dates and make a note of what meals need to be made on what day depending on when the ingredients go bad (if they're all long dates then I don't assign meals to specific days).

That will give you a good start! It's a learning curve, so good luck☺️

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2Nothraki2Ded@reddit

I plan the meals for the week. Taking into account doing a bit of meal prep and some reuse. Like say doing a roast dinner and then making a curry with the left overs. After that I write all the ingredients out in order of sections in the shop and look at quantity and and substitutions in recipes that work over two. Then I put the meal plan on the fridge once I get home. A key to success for us is flexibility. I make the bulk of our meals from scratch, but still buy pizzas and frozen chips. I make some bulk meals that are easy and can be frozen and I make some complex meals. I try to plan the food around our calendar and projected energy/time levels. If we have a really busy week I might by some ready meals, I might do a load of food prep on Sunday.

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Nine_Eye_Ron@reddit

Whiteboard on the fridge

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That_Northern_bloke@reddit

Have a look at the nectar offers and use those as inspiration

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imtheorangeycenter@reddit

But those are basically geared around what you've previously bought.

Loo roll is a terrible starter.

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That_Northern_bloke@reddit

Only the thin stuff, quilted multiply goes wonderfully when stir fried, plus does many portions

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imtheorangeycenter@reddit

I suppose you could brush it with butter and treats it like filo.

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Dysprosium_164@reddit

I usually plan 3 different meals for my food shop, and then have those for 2 days each. The 7th day is a wildcard where I can get takeaway, go out with friends, or just grab a ready meal or something. Having the same meal twice means I usually only have to cook every other day, too.

I get what you mean about figuring out how much you need, though. Supermarkets don't really cater to portion sizes of 1, except for pre-made stuff like ready meals. I've learned what kind of quantities I need through trial and error, sometimes you make far too much and end up with 3 days of food rather than 2. Other days you end up a bit hungry still because you under-portioned. It's another reason why cooking every 2 days works, because you can buy enough for 2 people, which is much easier to find in a supermarket.

I make sure I don't waste anything by only buying what I know I need for the week, unless it's something dried, tinned or frozen. That and making sure anything that goes off quickly gets priority in the meal rotation.

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JarJarBinksSucks@reddit

I just go in, but what I want. Get home realised I haven’t bought anything that I want, buy takeaway

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anonoaw@reddit

Pre-kids, I would make a list of meals for the week and then do a weekly shop for those things - it was planned enough that it stopped me constantly going to the shop, but flexible enough that if plans changed or I didn’t fancy something I could shuffle it around.

Now that I have kids, I meal plan religiously. In a Friday I plan the meals for the week with exactly what we’ll be having for what night. When my daughter was tiny I would also plan what she was having for breakfast and lunch every single day, but now I just make sure I’ve got our usual breakfast and lunch stuff in. The meal plan each week factors in my work schedule and any plans we have so that I don’t plan a meal that takes an hour on a day where I need to be able to have dinner ready in 20 minutes.

Then I place an online delivery order to arrive on Sunday morning ready for the new meal plan week to start on Monday.

Throughout the week, we add stuff to our Alexa shopping list that we need/have run out of. An hour before the cut off for editing the online shop (on a Saturday afternoon), I check the Alexa list and add any items to the food shop.

It means we rarely need to do a top up during the week, waste way less food, and crucially I don’t have to decide every night what to cook. I spend an hour once a week deciding what we’ll eat every single night and then I don’t have to make the decision.

I also have a rotation of meals that I move through so I don’t have to constantly start from scratch. And most weeks we’ll have one pasta dish, one curry dish, one Mexican-ish dish, one soup or stew. But I’ll mix it up within that so I don’t have to think too hard but equally we’re not just eating the exact same thing every week. When I get bored of what’s in our rotation I’ll flick through my (many) recipes for some ideas and inspiration.

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shadowed_siren@reddit

We stopped buying ingredients for meals and started buying by “categories”.

So each working week we know we need 5 protein, 5 veg, and 5 carb. We usually eat what’s going out of date first.

So for example we’ll buy a couple pieces of chicken thighs, lamb chops, a pork steak and a salmon. A bunch of mixed veg and some rice and potatoes. Whatever is closest to its use by date gets used first.

Then we get stuff for breakfast - but it’s generally the same things every week. Yogurt, croissants, coffee.

We have milk delivered - so I don’t generally worry about that.

If I’m craving a “meal” (spaghetti bolognaise or chili usually) then we get the stuff to make it. But that’s typically a weekend thing. During the week it’s as simple as possible.

It’s honestly lifted a huge mental weight by doing this. I used to stress about meal planning and then not having something for the recipe and cooking it then washing up. It was exhausting. Now we put the meat in the oven, steam the veg, cook the rice - it’s done in 20 minutes and there’s very little washing up.

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Austin83powers@reddit

We just decide what we're having for dinners etc for the week and then make a shopping list keeping in mind how much ingredients we'd need and making sure fresh stuff won't go to waste. Curry at the end of the week or fortnight usually solves that issue!

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InviteAromatic6124@reddit

Plan meals at the start of the week and list ingredients that you need.

Add things to your list as you run out

Work out what you can make with what you already have

Keep the basics on standby in case your plans change or you don't have time to cook what you planned

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soraie_@reddit

We base it off of a list of meals we usually have every week and build from there. There's some good deals on meats (3 for £10) that usually gives us a good basis and then go from there. We try to mix it up so chicken, beef, fish, sausages etc once a week so it varies. I've found that doing this helps keep each meal different and we don't get fed up too easily. Also nothing too complicated, start with your meat of choice and then a carb (rice, potatoes, chips etc) and then bulk it out with veg or a side!

One absolute lifesaver though has been ingredient prepping (not meal prepping) that way when it comes to actually 'assembling' meals it's easier to put together and we've found there's less wastage that way since it's quick to grab.

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morocco3001@reddit

Meal prep / batch cooking. Buy the things I need for the recipe, make 3-5 meals, eat the same dinner for 2-3 days, and freeze the rest. Repeat midweek. Next week, I have a freezer with 3-5 meals in, so I can skip half the food shop, and most of the cooking.

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Boredpanda31@reddit

Write out a meal plan and stick to it. Makes it much easier to work out what you'll need for the week ahead.

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hhfugrr3@reddit

I don't, I just go in, make up some recipes in my head, buy stuff to make it all with, then forget everything and order a pizza.

I am quite fat!

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Raecheltart@reddit

I am quite fat

Same

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FoolishMythology@reddit (OP)

This the exact same thing I do, it’s like I’ve got zero object permanence

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Frog_Life2000@reddit

One major thing that helped me was long life/frozen alternatives when it comes to waste. Some of a bag of mixed frozen veg is great to add to each meal, and I know it won’t just sit and go bad in the fridge. For fresh stuff I try and pick ingredients that can be multi-meal, so if I buy a pack of sausages for example I’ll make sure there’s at least 2 meals on my list that’ll use them. It’s a hard thing to figure out as you have to just go by trial and error sometimes but you’ll get there!🙏🏼

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Imaginary_Garbage_47@reddit

I make a meal plan, I'll try and make sure the first and second meal have similar ingredients. Sunday - roast chicken dinner

Monday - chicken pie and mash(leftover chicken and potatoes from Sunday)

Tuesday - fish, chips, peas(chips from leftover potatoes from Monday)

Wednesday - keema curry and rice

Thursday - egg fried rice (leftover rice from wednesday)

Friday - fry up (eggs from Thursday)

Saturday - toad in the hole (sausages from Friday)

Repeat that sort of idea. I'm not too strict on bread/milk, that can be bought at the local shop easy enough. Most meat can be frozen so if you didn't want anything a couple of times in a row you can just freeze most ingredients.

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OddFunny2674@reddit

I get food delivered every Saturday and then I book my next shop the following day.

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Academic_Visual116@reddit

Meticulously plan and write out listof items needed & wanted

Go to shop

Ignore list

Come home with.pile of items bearing no resemblance to contents of list, but always not including the one thing you absolutely must get when going to the shop

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beingthehunt@reddit

I kinda have three methods at once. I have a list of like ten or so meals with the ingredients so i can just pick seven for the coming week and get what I need for them (even if the ingredients are just pie and chips). For other stuff I have a whiteboard in the kitchen to write down anything that's running low. Lastly I also just have a google sheet document of every grocery item so I can go around and check if I need it.

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Scarred_fish@reddit

Just keep a running list throughout the month. If it's getting too low, add it in. Also make a note of anything new you might need if you spot (or think up) something new you want to try.

It's really easy once you get used to it, you just need to start.

At the end of the month, tidy up your list and do a rough budget - if there is anything you can't afford, leave it for the next month.

Nothing wrong with batch cooking and freezing, indeed it's by far the most economical and sensible way to do things. Just remember you can do it with multiple meals. Once you have a variety built up, if you get caught out you can just grab a tub or box and see what you end up with!

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Mr-Incy@reddit

These days I take a cursory glance in the fridge, cupboard and mentally make a note of what I need, sometimes forget it when I get to the shops, and always when walking around the shop decided on what I am going to cook over the next few days, I work shifts so cooking is determined by what shift I am on.

Make a list of the meals you like to eat.
Create a menu of what meal you are going to eat each night.
As buying food for one can be difficult because most things are portioned for at least two people, think of meals that use similar ingredients so you can use the 'leftovers' from one meal prep for another meal you cook a few days later.

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OkCaterpillar8941@reddit

We meal plan which helps with cutting out the random unused stuff. Because we were eating the same meals all the time we set up a WhatsApp group where we send recipes. Maybe buy some recipe books like Jamie Oliver or Fay Ripley as they have straightforward recipes. I have stuck some blackboard paper on a cupboard and this is where I write everything that's finished or coming to the end. It saves a lot of time checking. Write the dates on things when you open them so you get an idea of how long things last.

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Speccy97@reddit

I live next to an Aldi, so me and my dad just shop on a day to day basis. Maybe when I pass my test will do proper food shops. It's only the two of us so we don't really need a lot of shopping

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Willeth@reddit

Whenever I run out of something, I add it to my list. Whenever I think I might want to make something, I add it to my list. When I'm getting low on stuff and can't make the regular meals I like, I go and buy the things on the list.

The list is on Google Keep and I can add to it from my phone or with my Google Home easily, so it's trivial to just add stuff throughout the week as and when.

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a2thehip@reddit

Make a list of everything you have in the fridge, freezer, cupboards etc then make a meal plan from what you have and then make a shopping list for what you need extra.

Things like rice, pasta, couscous will last ages so don't worry getting to much of those.

Fresher foods are harder but freeze whatever you can to make it last longer.

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Do your shop based on it.

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