Tentative Master Grocery List

[Saving in So Cal]

I have been couponing for years and am a big believer in it. However, I was buying a lot of things just because they were a good deal and not because I needed or wanted them for a meal. I thought about developing a monthly or weekly meal plan and using that to dictate my choices, but my life doesn't run predictably enough to do that effectively. So, I developed a Plan C.

I eliminated all my cookbooks except two: my bread machine cookbook and my Better Homes and Garden cookbook. These are the cookbooks I use most frequently and that work best for my tastes and cooking skills.

Then, I went through the books and developed a list of ingredients I should have on hand to make the recipes that work best for my family with minimal advance planning (i.e., just need to take meat out of the freezer, etc.). This list is now my tentative master grocery list. From this, I can determine what items to include in my price book and what coupons I should focus on obtaining.

Although it's still a work in progress, here's my list:

Dairy: Milk, butter/margarine, American cheese, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, and yogurt.

Produce: carrots, celery, onions, potatoes, apples, oranges, bananas, in-season fruits and vegetables

Meat: ground beef, chicken leg quarters, whole chicken, chicken breasts, on-sale meat

Frozen foods: peas, mixed veggies, broccoli, corn

Dry goods: split peas, saltine crackers, spaghetti noodles, egg noodles, rice, oatmeal, cereal

Canned goods: chicken broth, tomato soup, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, refried beans, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, jelly

Seasonings/condiments: salsa, green chilis, worstershire sauce, ketchup, mustard, mayo, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning blend, pumpkin pie spice, Mexican seasoning mix, poultry seasoning, Parmesan cheese, beef bouillon, chicken bouillon, minced garlic, barbecue sauce, olive oil, vinegar, seasoned bread crumbs, onion soup mix

Baking supplies: molasses, nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds), raisins, cooking oil, brown sugar, white sugar, honey, flour, baking power, baking soda, vanilla, nonfat milk powder

[Dido]

That's a great idea. I am very slowly developing a price book, but one thing that slows that process down is listing *everything* I buy at a trip. I really should develop my own list of the essentials and just focus on pricing those.

[boefixepa]

I have something similar developed from the things I use. It's a basic panty idea and I believe the most cost effective way to save money. I understand the concept of coupons, but I can't say I've seen many coupons for the staples you just listed. If you cook from scratch most of the time, use a price book, bulk shop, and find the best price in your area for the staples I feel you are doing better, both money and health wise than couponing.

[flash]

I politely disagree...many people believe you can't find coupons for those items, but I've got more than a few on each item shown. Quite a few for meat, produce, pantry basics. I haven't paid for meat in quite awhile, it's become a joke in my blog.

But yes, a good list to start a price book with.