How do you plan your meals and food shop?

Bluebell - I'm with you, never plan meals. Always plenty in to knock up a tasty meal and make a decision an hour beforehand.

greenlady102

BlueBelle

I don’t ever plan, meals Why would I ? I might not fancy a, b or c on a particular day
I buy in stuff in a weekly or sometimes fortnightly shop that I eat and like, and then chose at the time of hunger what I fancy.

Me too!

I do so agree, don’t all these planners look at their menus and think sometimes “omg it’s * chicken pie day AGAIN,”. I really fancy a Beanburger?

Sorry I posted twice by mistake!

No planning meals..choose on the day ,usually at 5pm when I walk knto the kitchen! I eat healthily, back to basics, meat,fish,cheese and loads of veg and fruit and yoghurt.
I also shop at random when stock of fresh foods are getting low. I get a sense of urgency if I can't see lots of fruit and veg in my kitchen!
Works for me but I can see that planning works for others 😀😀

I plan meals only when having guests, and cook as much as possible in advance.
Otherwise, I have a few meals in the freezer for days when it's impossible to go out. Normally, I cycle to the shops nearly every day and get something for that day.

I must be the exception here...I don't plan at all, just cook something from fridge or freezer on the day. I always have meats etc in the freezer and basics such as eggs and cheese and large selection of veg and fruit. But the actual menu is decided on the day..usually at around 5pm when I walk into the kitchen!
BTW I eat healthily, always go back to basics meat,fish and so on with vegetables and fruits( no ready meals or snack meals)
I do tend to do a boring shop with similar on the list each week,!! Topping up fresh food and freezer if needed..
It suits me 😀😀

I plan our meals for the following week on Sundays. Sometimes days may get swapped around depending on the availability of ingredients. We have Ocado on alternate Wednesdays. Other times we go to Tesco and M&S. Meals are written out on the menu planner from Amazon which I’ve found to be invaluable, not least because DH can see what’s on it without asking me several times a day what’s for dinner.🥴

I was told about an app called Supercook (if I remember rightly) where you put in whatever ingredients you have available and it suggests a meal with instructions. Haven't tried it myself but could be useful.

I put this on the 'frugal' thread but I'll put it on here as well in more detail.
My son and I made a list of all the meals we like to have about ten years ago. He does most of the cooking. We wrote the meals out on small pieces of paper and arranged them on a four week grid. There are some repetitions because we have some favourites and We try to plan to use certain foods up over a couple of days e.g. Sunday roast chicken, Monday chicken and mushroom pie, Wednesday soup. We also included a takeaway once on the four week grid. We don't always stick rigidly to the plan but mostly we do. It's on a whiteboard on the kitchen wall so it's easy to make changes.

It works really well for me as the main shopper. It's taken the daily/weekly decision making pressure off me and we've wasted far less food than we used to when I shopped randomly. I'm ten miles from the nearest big name supermarket so shopping is a trek. We have a corner shop for odds and ends but frequent shopping isn't my favourite thing to do.

i don't meal plan, never needed to even when i had my son and dh to feed as i lived with a fruit shop on the corner and a butchers/supermarket, i had a lot less waste back then as i just bought what i needed that day. i got an iceland delivery this morning, mainly because i can't get out as the lift in my building has been out of order for 3 weeks, i have plently of food but will probably end up making a sandwich. i think meal planning is great for busy families but i don't always feel like eating what i had intended to and as i only have myself to please i don't bother.

Don’t plan daily but have a fair idea of what we usually eat so go with the flow! My mum made the same meals on the same day each week didn’t plan to live like that!😂x

I don’t plan meals in advance, apart from when we have family to stay, just decide the day before, depending what is in the fridge/freezer. I usually do a supermarket shop each week, plus a visit to our local farm shop. Each to their own, whatever fits in with their lifestyle. We’re all different, thank goodness. 😊

Not a planner either, though I know that we’ll have fish and chicken every week at some point. I usually know, though, what we’re having the next day. Always have basics in the cupboard, fridge and freezer. I’m lucky that I have shops nearby.

I have never planned in my life and my food caddy is always empty except for fruit and veg peels. I eat what I like when I like, and shop when I feel like. I only have lunch and dinner and often don't cook a full meal. I mainly live on veg & fruit, cheese, yogurt and a little Rye bread, but often spoil myself with a cake or dessert when I go out. Never buy meat just for myself, but will cook it if I entertain, which is very seldom these days. I obviously live alone. I couldn't bear to give so much advanced energi and thought to my food intake. I love food incidentally but eat on the spur of the moment.

I use a notepad and pen to write down that week’s menu and then I make the shopping list on the opposite page of the necessary things to buy. I take the notepad with me. This method has the added benefit of if undecided what to have, I can look back over previous menus and shopping lists.

BlueBelle

I don’t ever plan, meals Why would I ? I might not fancy a, b or c on a particular day
I buy in stuff in a weekly or sometimes fortnightly shop that I eat and like, and then chose at the time of hunger what I fancy.

Me too!

Kim19

I eat what I fancy when I fancy and seldom do much 'real' cooking (unless something heady like scrambled egg counts!). I do a daily riverside walk and end up in the local supermarkets where I have a look at the bargains. Regularly lucky there. First meal is late morning and is super healthy whereas teatime indulgence is totally whimsical. Works wonderfully for me.

I’m the same, never want anything but tea/coffee first thing, so first meal is more of a brunch.

I always have plenty of back up bread, butter, eggs etc. I share a house with my daughter and family but I wouldn’t want to put her to the trouble of shopping for me were I unwell. I think I must be a bit anal as I go into a panic if I don’t have a spare of everything. Oat milk is delivered from Amazon and works out much cheaper than Tesco. Other than that I like to slope around the shops being tempted!!

Fleurpepper

Galaxy

That way madness lies FP

Not quite sure what you mean here? I do not like routine, and love to seek out great bargains and use a bit of flair and imagination. The idea of planning for a week, never mind weeks- is just not for me. Madness? Ah well, why not.

Exactly Fleurpepper.. I’m with you! Probably worse even …actually live in ‘ organised chaos’ …works for me!

I have a pantry list which includes dry and canned goods, fridge and freezer. Each time I finish or come near finishing something I put it on the shopping list. I plan the meals as I shop usually in Aldi of Lidle. It depends what fish, meat etc they have in.

I live alone and don't do meal plans. It's great . I eat what I like when I like. Monthly delivery from Tesco. Anything in between I get from nearby Sainsbury or Morrisons.

WOW! All you planners! Well in comparison I’m a mess. I have IBS and tho in a sense I plan what to eat for a few days ahead..my body often tells me “nope don’t fancy that today… “ and occasionally revolts…so I do end up wasting some foods, as I have to only eat a light ‘something’ after a bout ( I have the D version ( diarrhoea) …then all my plans go out of the window!
Luckily I live alone, but ‘planning’rarely works!
Also tho I do often cook a ‘batch’ of something and eat it a few days on the trot …I do like eating what I fancy, when I fancy it.!
So basically that is what I do. I have ‘staples’ in the fridge/freezer and buy ‘add ones’ most weeks. My main shop is ordered and delivered…which is wonderful - no lugging heavy bottles, etc, back from shops any longer. I don’t drive, so no weekly shop…I buy what I need when I need it to top up - if the weather is too bad to go out I make do with putting together bits from basics here. Or nowadays a trip up the road for fish and chips or a call to Uber eats. No more ( ex) husband saying “ it’s too hot, it’s too cold, too spicy, too bland, I don’t eat cooked cheese…” etc etc
I please myself ad hoc, and it’s great!

I eat what I fancy when I fancy and seldom do much 'real' cooking (unless something heady like scrambled egg counts!). I do a daily riverside walk and end up in the local supermarkets where I have a look at the bargains. Regularly lucky there. First meal is late morning and is super healthy whereas teatime indulgence is totally whimsical. Works wonderfully for me.

Sounds delicious!

Some ‘meal planning’ of mine last night, involved making rather more colcannon than dh and I would eat, so I could have some to fry for my typically late breakfast this morning - with mushrooms and scrambled egg. 😋