Meal Planning: do you a 'big' shop on the same day each week? What's your weekly routine for planning / shopping?

[Chocchops72]

I'm really struggling to get to grips with meal planning. We are 4, 2 adults, 2 teenage DS. We aren't on a super tight budget but we do live somewhere that food - especially meat / fish / dairy - is not cheap (France).

Shopping has become a bit of a nightmare since I went back to work a few years ago. I used to pick bits and pieces up en route home from work, but now cycle so don't pass any shops. We don't generally do a 'big shop' weekly (initially it was because it used to be a total nightmare to mark in our street so we hated using the car): I do a big Lidl shop once a month, but inevitably end up going to smaller / more expensive local supermarkets and local fruit and veg markets after the first couple of weeks, but only with a caddie (shopping trolley).

Basically, I'm wondering if my failed attempts at meal planning are because my shopping is so chaotic? It gets so complicated and I seem to end up having to think about food / cooking / nipping to the shops all the bloody time.

I also get totally hung up on trying to satisfy far too many criteria in my meal plan / eating: health considerations, minimising cost, reducing meat, higher welfare etc when we do eat meat, speed of preparation, batch cooking / leftover possibilities, AND individual preferences! It makes my head spin. It was so much easier when I was a SAHM and had time!

Is online shopping an option op? I have a young family and find it much much easier than traipsing round.

To answer your question - I tend to do a big shop every 8/9 days (partly to minimise food waste because I felt inundated with a weekly shop), and then typically buy bread and cucumbers (no idea, they seem to vanish from the fridge) in between. Crucial to a successful week here, I've learnt, is either a) being happy to eat the same meal twice over (eg beef casserole for dinner on both Mon and Tues) or b) something like a roast chicken with potatoes where, a la the Mumsnet stereotype, it can keep us in meat and then soup for 2/3 days. So we eat repetitively, basically. But a month between shops would test me severely.

How about a taxi back from the shops if parking is such a nightmare?

I work full time and have 4 kids and a DH and 2 dogs and I do one online food shop which is delivered once a week. I finalise the contents on a third afternoon and it comes early Friday. If I forget to do it, it sends me food anyway based on my previous orders which has been a lifesaver on more than one occasion.

I do think about what we are going to eat each week, but I don’t meal plan exactly. I think “mince, chicken breasts, sausages, lamb chops, tortellini, ok that’s 5 suppers, we are eating out for one, kids are getting dominos for another, DH and I will have an omelette that night” and then I add bread, milk, veg, dog food and washing up liquid or whatever.

we have a whiteboard in the kitchen everyone writes on if they notice we are running low on something - this week it said “butter, soya sauce, kitchen paper toothpaste”.

seems to work. I keep fairly good freezer and larder contents so we can always put together a simple meal.

I don’t have the time or the inclination to go to a supermarket and I would either buy too much because I’m hungry or forget stuff because I’m disorganised. I’m sure overall I spend less than if I did. I go to a supermarket maybe once every 2-3 months.

We are a family of 4 and think we have a good system going, it works for us.

Big order from the butcher every 4-6 weeks, split everything up into portions and freeze (around £60pm).

Then weekly meal plan on a Tuesday evening, DP does the online shop and it gets delivered on a Wednesday (around £100pw).

We usually do a quick supermarkets trip over the weekend to top up on fruit, bread, milk and maybe weekend treats (around £20).

Family of 3:
Every day - add things to list on phone as necessary
Wednesday - Meal plan/write full shopping list
Thursday - place order for Saturday
Friday - add all the stuff I've forgotten/make any changes
Saturday: Food delivered

I tend to do a big weekly shop on either Sat/Sun - but am hoping to move that to Thursday's once my youngest starts school.
We have a wipeboard on the fridge, & as things run out/get low we add them to this list.
About once a month I go to the butchers & bulk buy certain meats (mince, bacon, sausages etc) & DH portions it out & we freeze it - we have two freezers.
The night before I go shopping, I make a meal plan of the dinners for the week, taking into account any preferences or activities that might impact the cooking time available. I have a list of meals we like; the ones our DC deem acceptable, etc. I then write the ingredients I need on the list (checking the cupboard etc first to see if we need them, don't have spares etc). I then add in stuff for lunches, breakfast, snacks & any other household items.
We aren't always completely rigid with the meal plan; sometimes we'll change it or decide against something, but I tend I make sure we have 'emergency freezer' or cupboard staples to cover any of this.
I split my shop between Aldi & Sainsburys, but if necessary will go elsewhere if I'm missing an ingredient or have to wait till later in the week to get something.
That's how we do it - works reasonably ok for us.

Weekly shop here. Atm I go to Aldi and pop next door to Booths (the NW England equivalent of Waitrose) for the few bits I can’t get or don't like from Aldi. I'm starting a much more full-on job in a couple of weeks though, so I'm going to be doing an online shop instead, probably from Asda.

Imo there is no reason for shopping to be chaotic or for meal planning not to happen if you want it to (unless you live in the wilds of nowhere with no access to supermarkets). Plan your week's meals. Buy it all in one go.

I appreciate what you're saying about individual preferences, healthy earing, food welfare etc, but those things complicate your choices whether you meal plan and do a weekly shop or whether you shop in dribs and drabs. So I don't see why it wouldn't still be more efficient to meal plan and do a weekly shop. Sounds to me as though it just feels lije it would be difficult because you're simply not used to doing it.

I do a big shop once a month for meat (portion and freeze) tinned and dry goods, cleaning stuff and frozen veg etc. I then top up once per week with milk, cheese, yogurt, fruit and salad. I meal plan once per week.

I sit down once a week, do an inventory of what we have and plan the menu using some of that and some new recipes - always with the family diary at my elbow so I make a note of nights when I might need to just reheat something quickly as opposed to nights when there’s time to cook something from scratch. I then make a list and stick to it at the supermarket. Through the week I inevitably get some fresh fruit/veg and milk etc as top ups. I always keep loads of bread type products (bagels, croissants, panini rolls, garlic bread) in the freezer. Also ice cream and lollies.

I almost always cook more portions than we can eat if it’s something that can be frozen (just double up ingredients, takes no longer). I then freeze the extra in individual portions (Chinese takeaway size plastic boxes off Amazon) so these can be quick grab and go meals at a later date.

I think you could do with diarising in a day of batch cooking to get ahead of yourself and then make the planning session a regular part of your routine before you do the main supermarket shop. I really rate www.the batchlady.com for recipes and ideas about “being kind to your future self”

Those of you that do online shops - is it not a lot more expensive that shopping yourself? Aldi / Lidl don't do online (do they?) and the supermarkets in France don't have anything like that stratification they do in the UK - there's no equivalent of the Asda v's Sainsbury's gap, for example. They are all just expensive!

@Fairislefandango Yes I suspect a lot of it is discipline or the lack thereof- I'm not particularly disciplined, and the little self-motivation I have gets very easily worn down by the competing priorities! DS2 starts a new activity in a couple of weeks which he'll need driven to, and there is a Lidl nearby so I am looking at this as an opportunity to instigate a regular weekly shop, with the meal planning etc tying into that.

So your top tips / tools so far seem to be:

A regular rather than scattergun shopping routine - whether that's weekly, two weekly, monthly, whatever: need to do a 'main shop' etc
Coordinate the shopping day(s) with the meal planning day
(Running) inventories of what you have
Menu planning and a shopping list created from that
Whiteboard to note things that are needed / finished

I'm sure I used to do all of this! Just seem to have less headspace to give it these days.

we have an online shop delivered every Saturday AM. Every Friday night I give the fridge a quick clean and check what we've got, then menu plan for the week ahead. I ask the family what's they'd like, and no one can remember any dish that I've ever produced from the kitchen. I will roll my eyes and carry on.

I have a bit of a formula that I work to. Monday is my non working day, so I will cook double of a dish that takes a while and reheats well - chilli, hearty soups, bolognese. On Thursdays we have leftovers from Mondays. On Fridays we have beige freezer food - vegeburgers and chips, pizza etc because by the end of the working week I CBA.

So that's only really four meals left to think of. I then fill in the gaps trying to get a bit of balance so we're not eating eg pasta every night .

I really fucking hate meal planning and find it absolutely frustrating and tedious, but think on balance it's the least worst way of attempting feed the family well with minimal palaver.

I really fucking hate meal planning and find it absolutely frustrating and tedious, but think on balance it's the least worst way of attempting feed the family well with minimal palaver.

@TheTurn0fTheScrew Thank you for giving me permission to hate it as well!

I do a weekly food delivery (Sainsbury). Not always exactly the same day - depending on what's happening.
The 'planning' bit tends to revolve mostly around the protein element, so will look something like this:

• chicken x 2-3 meals
• minced beef or turkey
• salmon/prawns
• burgers/ sausages
• joint of some sort
• fish fillets

We then sort of mix and match with the carb element as we go - potatoes, rice, pasta, noodles etc as well as veg, depending on what we have fresh (use first) or in the freezer Weekly staples like bread, milk, veg get repeated every week automatically. We also have a kitchen whiteboard which things are added to as we run out/ get low. I finalise it all the night before the delivery and tend to wander around the house with my iPad, accosting each family member to check if there's anything they need, as well as doing a general check for cleaning products, loo roll etc. This also is meant to catch any special requests for the coming week (wine for a dinner party, pizzas for movie night etc)

On the day it's delivered anyone and everyone in the house has to help bring crates in and unpack, although I will then check the delivery over and put away hide the chocolate and biscuits

@TheTurn0fTheScrew
I ask the family what's they'd like, and no one can remember any dish that I've ever produced from the kitchen. I will roll my eyes and carry on.

This is TOTALLY my experience too!

Me, the night before the delivery: "Does anyone have any special requests or need anything?"
DS1: Nah, whatever, I'm good...
DS2 (headphones on) - ignores me
DH: Did you check the board?
Me (rolling eyes....) Yes.....

DH, on the day of delivery: "Did you get any of that obscure French pickle?" that I said I like two years ago, but haven't mentioned since
DS1: "Muuuummmmmm - have we got any CR2032 batteries - the scales stopped working last week.......?"

😡

Hmm that shop would blow our budget for a month! I just checked the price comparisons btw Tesco's and Carrefour (which isn't even as nice as Tesco's sometimes) using chicken breast as a comparison. The French supermarket is at least 2 times more expensive /kg for similar products 🙁. Standard (not basic) chicken breast Tesco's £6.47/kg, Carrefour £12.61/kg. Meat is outrageously expensive here now.

But that's an aside.

Oh & to say I don't do online deliveries - we had to use them a few times due to quarantine/lockdowns & hated ending up with short-dated food, so despite the inconvenience of going myself, I prefer being able to choose my own food with the dates I need & then I can adjust the menu etc if products aren't available on the shelf.
Over here Aldi do Click & Collect, but not delivers & neither does Lidl. If they're you're go-to supermarkets, you'll need to shop in person.
With regards to meat, do you have butchers? Would they be more expensive than the supermarkets? It might be you'll need to look at stretching meat like mice with pulses (lentils or beans) or look at cheap cuts which are more tricky to cook, like ham hocks/pig knuckles; beef skirt etc?

Mince not mice!!! Christ, hope it doesn't come to that!!!

I do one big food shop per week usually on a Friday based on a meal plan I make for the week ahead (in our case Sat-Fri). It’s rare that we need to go to a shop to pick up anything else during the week now.

We have been hit quite badly by the price increases, so I have started to make a few more vegetarian meals per week or go for cheaper cuts of meat for meals where it doesn’t really matter. That has helped keep costs down a bit. The shopping part is easy, as the list is done in advance when I make the meal plans if that makes sense.

We have definitely saved money and cut down on food waste since I started meal planning religiously (we had to once our twins were born). A great bonus is that it’s actually made our evening routine much easier too, as we’re never worried about what to make for dinner or having to go out to buy extra stuff, so it’s actually helped us get more organised and save time too.

We have definitely saved money and cut down on food waste since I started meal planning religiously (we had to once our twins were born). A great bonus is that it’s actually made our evening routine much easier too, as we’re never worried about what to make for dinner or having to go out to buy extra stuff, so it’s actually helped us get more organised and save time too.

That's definitely the dream! I think it was easier when I was a SAHM despite having young kids, my whole focus on on the domestic scene. Since going back to work my focus has definitely shifted, and we have become more 'cash rich, time poor'. It has definitely been more costly (and wasteful) to wing it.

Chicken IS much more expensive in France we find - other meats are less so.
We also bulk out mince, so bolognese has grated carrot & veg, or lentils etc.

The DSs are big young adults and get through a lot of protein so I buy BIG packs (2 x 1.6 kg) packs this week for example. We'll cook one meal and roast the remaining chicken breasts at the same time, then slice and have cold in the fridge for the rest of the week for sandwiches, salads, stir fries etc.

Shopping in person would probably be a bit cheaper as I'd be able to spot the reduced/ deals items, but that would probably be offset by all the stuff I'd end up buying on impulse!

I also object to trailing around, pushing a heavy trolley, loading, unloading etc every week so delivery suits me. I will buy extra bits and pieces if I'm out somewhere too.

We have local butchers, but they'd be much more expensive and are located in inconvenient places with poor parking. Food shopping could end up taking several hours! Deliveries are over and done with in minutes!

I have to say, I tend to run our household with 'high stock levels' so we could probably manage to make meals from the cupboard and freezer for a couple of weeks or more if we had to.
We also have lots of leftover single portions in takeaway boxes for quick meals.

@TooHot2022 Yep, I can see the value in a one-stop-shop. My time is worth more now that I have less of it to spend on domestic stuff.

@TooHot2022 and yes, chicken is outrageous here. Pork is far better value... but then I get stuck in the fact that it's intensively farmed ... but I can't afford free range... but trying to get the family to eat veggie is a hill I'm not prepared to die on... round and around we go!

@Chocchops72 Both my DSs are quite health conscious/ into weight training /protein shakes etc.
I've found I have more luck bulking things out with beans/ pulses than I do with veg like mushrooms and onions. A lot of our meals start with tinned tomatoes, chickpeas, lentils, couscous!

If it helps, a friend of mine showed me how she meal plans in the form or a spreadsheet with columns for Protein/ Carbs/ Veg/ (Pudding)/ Extras and rotates about 2-3 weeks of meals. Can be subdivided into Fresh/ Cupboard ingredients too so that as fresh/ chilled supplies run out you can switch over to tinned & frozen!

I don’t know if this will help OP, (or anyone else of course) but I actually use an app called Family Wall. There is a free version if you just want to use the shopping lists, but you have to pay for the pro version for the meal planner feature. It has been a game changer in our house, so totally worth it for us. I’m sure there are similar apps as well if not available or cost-prohibitive.

It has our meal plan and shopping lists on the one app and can be amended by any adult in the household. I do hate food shopping/meal planning decidedly less since I started using it. Both adults can access and update the shopping lists, to do lists, meal plans etc, so it’s easy to stay organised.

I was so disorganized before, but since I’ve used it my family think I’m a different woman since having my twins!

I meal plan religiously every week. It definitely stops waste (we rarely bin anything now) but I find it tedious. I do one big shop on a Saturday morning and then a top up shop on a Wednesday coming back from work. The top up is always small and consists of fruit&salad. The benefit of the after work top up shop is that it's also the same time the heavily discounted food goes out so I occasionally pick up meat/bread to freeze from that.