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  Organized Dinner Planning and Grocery Shopping
by Brandie Valenzuela


If you are someone who frequently finds yourself deciding what to make for dinner at 5 o'clock in the evening, this is for you! Being more prepared in your meal planning and grocery shopping, not only can save your sanity, but it can save you money, save you time, and it can help to make sure that your family is eating better.

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Step 1 - Make a master list (either on paper or on your computer) of the meals that your family enjoys eating. To make this job easier, you may want to think of smaller groups of food -- for example, think of meals that you make with ground beef, chicken, or other main ingredients. In my family, we often eat meals from one of four "categories", so I have my list separated according to those:

American (such as hot dogs, sloppy joes, hamburgers, bar-b-q chicken, etc.)
Mexican (tacos, burritos, enchiladas, etc.)
Oriental (eggrolls, stir-fry, sweet 'n' sour chicken, etc.)
Italian (calzones, pizza, spaggetti, etc.)

Step 2 - Determine how often you will shop. For example: weekly, every two weeks, monthly, and so on. I find it easier to shop weekly, because that way I can take advantage of weekly store specials, and plan my meals accordingly.

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About the Author:
Brandie Valenzuela is the editor of Scrapbooking with Brandie.

 
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