What is a MUST HAVE grocery list? It’s the list of ingredients you “must have” to get through your week.
How do you create a MUST HAVE list? Think through each meal of the day with the questions below. Write down the things you always use. This may mean you need to keep a notebook in the kitchen for a week or two, and simply track what you ARE using. Let’s get started!
1. Breakfast
- Do you have eggs in the morning? Figure out how many in a week and add to the list.
- Do you serve a breakfast meat with those eggs? Write down bacon, sausage, turkey or whatever on your list (and multiples if you need ‘em – I know I need 1 package of bacon, a 1-pound roll of breakfast sausage, and a 1-pound roll of ground turkey each week).
- Do you have cereal some mornings or maybe overnight oats? Then you’ll need to add cereal, milk, yogurt, oats, and fruit to your list.
- What about toast? Then you’ll need bread and maybe butter, honey or jam.
2. Snacks
- How many snacks do you need for each person each week, particularly ones you need to pack “to go?” (my husband needs 5, my son needs 7-10, and I need 10)
- Do you prefer prepared snack bars or something homemade that requires ingredients? Put all of these needs on the list!
3. Lunch
- Do you pack these “to go” during the week? What goes in them? I almost always either use leftovers OR have one dish that just goes into lunches for the week (like chicken or egg salad) so I don’t have too many things I repeat. But if you make sandwiches, you will need to add bread, maybe PB&J or deli meat and cheese to your list. Fruit is a good thing to add here, plus maybe some healthy chips, carrots or celery.
4. Supper
- Chances are there won’t be quite as much the same every week here except maybe meats or something special you do every week like a pizza night. But you might prefer chicken over beef or always use fish once a week. There are times it’s good to get the meat you don’t need…when? Check out the answer here!
This MUST HAVE grocery list is the skeleton of your weekly shopping list. Enter in your favorite software (I use a spreadsheet) and save it to print out each week. You simply check if you need any of these items (based on what you have left in the house) and mark them out or mark the quantity you need. Now add anything extra you need for the week, and you’re off and running!
Here are more resources to help you cook smarter!
