Advice please for meal planning & food shop - fed up going to supermarket every single day!

[Poppysball]

I have ADD and so I find organising and planning difficult. I have tried to meal plan and do a once a week online shop but it never lasts. My brain can’t seem to think ahead further than today when it comes to planning a week’s worth of meals. Recently I have been going to the supermarket every day and, as its school hols, I have been taking one or more dc with me which is even worse as I am focussing on them and not what I’m buying and then come home with half the stuff missing! The other day I went and got all the stuff for a chicken meal but forgot the chicken!

It’s not helped by the fact they are fussy and don’t all like the same food. I am trying to look after myself better and eat healthier and really don’t want to eat all the stuff they do. Sometimes I end up cooking us all different things or I end up having pizza/pasta again because it’s easier but I don’t want to eat this stuff.

Aswell as the dread of going to the supermarket every day, I am spending too much as of course I am buying other things I didn’t plan for.

Because I find it difficult, I hate doing a big food shop and find just being in the shop overwhelming, but equally I am sick of going there every day especially with dc’s in tow!!

Please can anyone help? I know this must seem like such a basic, simple task to most people, but it isn’t for me and I’d appreciate any ideas to make it simpler.

I write the days of the week down the page them split the page into Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Then write what you ste having for every meal. You can swap them around but you know what to are having.

Plan to do at least 1 meal that will give you left overs for another / batch cook maybe a lasagne / roast chicken etc.

Then list what you need underneath the plan including veg and fruit add snacks for the kids check the cupboards and you are set.

I'd start by working out a list of meals that you can all eat together, so that you are not cooking three different dinners each day.
Get the children involved with this, get them each to write down a list of three or four meals they like.
Then use that as a basis for a menu to cover a few days, start with any meals that appear on more than one list.

Point out that whilst they won't each get their favourites every day, their own favourites will come round, and that on the other days they will still be getting a tasty nourishing meal.

Use the menu to create a shopping list, perhaps for two day to start with. Then increase the number of days as you get better at it. Do your shopping on line, when you can concentrate on it, that will help you reduce your visits to the shops and limit impulse purchases.

Lots of online supermarkets have an "instant shop" facility where you can just click to reorder a previous order, so that might help you.
I hope you can work something out, as it must be totally draining to be worried and frustrated about meals all the time.

Could you start by just planning your main meals?

I've found the list section in my phone really helps. I write a list of meals, you could start by doing 3 days, then write another of things you need to buy.

Now I've always got my meal plan and shopping list with me and I don't lose the bits of paper I've scribbled them on before I get to the shop

If you start doing just 3 days worth at a time, it might not be so overwhelming. Just make sure you have enough milk, bread and things for breakfast and lunch so that you don't have to nip to the supermarket in those 3 days

Please can anyone help? I know this must seem like such a basic, simple task to most people, but it isn’t for me and I’d appreciate any ideas to make it simpler

I don’t think this at all. I cope with a pressured job capable of lots of multitasking. My house is neat, tidy and clean. I have a whirlwind of social stuff going on and am never late or double booked. But can I make sure I always have milk in the fridge? Nope. Can I plan a day head meal wise? Nope.

Would I like to be more organised? Yes! Have I tried? Yes! Have I ever succeeded? No!

I totally sympathise and I don’t have ADD to make it even harder. It is a skill that baffles me so you are not alone. I have nothing constructive other than support.

Looking on YouTube, type in budgeting uk and lots come up about feeding family for week, they show you detailed meal plans etc and great for ideas on how to plan etc

We just meal plan dinners and make sure we have enough cereal, milk, bread, cheese etc in the house for breakfasts and lunches. Get everyone to chip in ideas for the meal plan and I write up on a whiteboard in the kitchen the days of the week and the dinners we're having. I can then write the shopping list next to it and can quickly note something on the whiteboard shopping list when we run out of it.

Try and get a couple of meals a week that will use some of the same ingredients and when you can, cook double the amount and freeze it. Tonight for example we had homemade chicken curry which I made in the slow cooker but I made a big batch of it as it doesn't take any longer to cook curry for 6 than it does for 2, so we had dinner but I've also got two more portions frozen for nights when I can't be bothered or quick lunches heated in the microwave.