Streamline your grocery trips and meal preparation with this complimentary printable list and planning collection.
Life presents many unknowns, but after 30 years managing a home, one truth remains constant: the family requires nourishment.
Every single day!
I have cultivated a reliable method for both meal planning and grocery procurement over the years.
Today, for the first time, I created my own set of printable meal planners and grocery lists.
I truly wish I had started this much sooner!
This reflects how I organize my lists, but previously, I used only plain paper from scratch. Hopefully, this makes things easier for everyone; please feel free to utilize them.
Let's make organizing mealtimes in our residences enjoyable!
Guide to Using the Free Printable Grocery List and Meal Planner
This meal planning and shopping list package contains 5 free printables, including:
- a printable grocery list
- a weekly meal planner
- a monthly meal planner
- a list detailing freezer meals
You can obtain the entire collection via the VIP printables library. Click here and input the VIP password to retrieve it.
If you have not subscribed to the VIP newsletter, click here to join the VIP newsletter (or use the button below). Subscribing grants you immediate access to the password!
Begin by focusing on meal planning first
I find that the most straightforward approach to creating a grocery list is to establish the meal plan initially. Considering your preferred cooking and shopping style, I have provided both a weekly and a monthly meal planner.
When we were newly married, I primarily planned meals on a monthly basis for two specific reasons:
- This reduced the number of trips to the grocery store, which was somewhat challenging in our rural setting.
- Ultimately, it conserved both funds and stress over the long haul!
Now that it is just the two of us and our pantry space is more restricted, I usually prefer weekly grocery and menu planning.
Incorporate freezer meals into your planning
I genuinely enjoy batch cooking and storing freezer meals for later consumption.
With that in mind, I’ve included a printable freezer meal list -if you’d like to record meals you put in the freezer, along with the dates you put them in.
I also put them in categories – as that’s how I do it. If you want some ideas for great freezer meals, here are a few:
Soups & Crock Pot Meals:
- Taco Soup
- White Chicken Chili
- Sausage & Tortellini Soup (don’t freeze it with the tortellini in it)
- Sweet & Sour Sausage
- Creamy Carrot Soup (but don’t freeze it with the cream!;)
Casseroles/ One Pan Meals:
Mexican/ Pasta
- Beef Burritos
- Chicken Chimichangas
When I do freezer meals, I tend to make more than one each at a time, so there can be lots of meals tucked away!;)
Take stock of your pantry and refrigerator as you make your grocery list
Once I have the menu planned, I start making my grocery list.
For years, I’ve created categories in my grocery list based on the layout of the store I shop at the most. I’ve included that exact category list as a printable, if it helps you, too.
If your store is arranged differently, though, I included a blank printable grocery list that you can put your own categories in.
When we were in a hurry grocery shopping for the month, my husband and I would use the 2 cart shopping method. I would cut the list in half. He would start at one end of the store. I’d start at the other, and we’d finish in half the time! It worked like a charm…
Want some help with home organization and decluttering?
I’ve put together a free Home Organization series just for you! Included in it are:
- Quick fifteen-minute tidying routines designed for daily completion
- Further helpful materials and suggestions for particular areas such as arranging kitchen cabinets, pantry setup, and decluttering small closets
- Complimentary printable checklists
