Grocery shopping is my worst but unfortunately it’s a necessary evil. It’s no secret that food prices have soared in recent months and so I have been making a really big effort to keep to our grocery budget every month but still make delicious dinners. Because let’s face it, there’s nothing worse than dull, boring food.

This is how I actually plan meals and do the weekly grocery shop that keeps our family fed (and happy!) on a budget.

Why Weekly Meal Planning Works for Us

The biggest trick that I have learnt is to plan for the week ahead.

I like to do a weekly shop as opposed to a monthly shop. I find that I end up spending less money and there is also a lot less wastage.

Usually I know if/when we will be going out for dinner so I will know how many meals I need to make for the week. I then sit down, recipe books in hand and I literally write down every single dinner that we will be eating.

Our Typical Weekly Meal Plan

Our dinners change depending on the season and what we’re in the mood for, but here’s a real-life example of what a week might look like:

• Sweet and sour pork
• Pumpkin and bacon risotto
• Mexican mince wraps
• Steak and veggies
• Roast chicken, potatoes and veggies
• Chourizo pasta
• Chilli con carne

For my breakfast, I try to have egg on toast most mornings with some avo (now that it’s in season and isn’t costing an arm and a leg) and a smoothie.

For lunch I normally have left overs, a tuna salad or a sandwich and then I tend to have a smoothie again when the late afternoon hunger pangs hit.

I don’t really plan my lunches, I just always make sure there is some tuna in the cupboard and salad goodies in the fridge, so if there aren’t any left overs, I can still have something yummy but also healthy.

Dan has the same thing every day for work (apparently that’s how he likes it, heaven knows why!): dry cereal for breakfast (he just adds milk at work), two ham and cheese rolls for lunch and then some biscuits for a snack.

Writing the Grocery List

Now that I know what we will be eating, I go through the list and write down everything that I need to buy to make those dishes.

Out of the 4 weeks in the month, there will be a grocery shop that is more expensive. The reason for this is that I need to stock up on goodies like olive oil, washing powder, handy andy, garlic, potatoes, that sort of thing.

But the other 3 weeks are usually much lighter on the budget. Here’s what my shopping list looked like just the other day:

Tip: Planning your meals before you shop = fewer impulse buys + less wastage.

Grocery Shopping Tips That Actually Work

1. Use Loyalty Cards

If you shop at Pick n Pay, Spar, Checkers, or Woolies and haven’t signed up for one of their loyalty cards, you really should, it is so worth your while!

Loyalty cards really  helps in January when everyone is slightly poor after over indulging in December. Oh, don’t forget that Dischem and Clicks also have great loyalty cards – a sneaky excuse to buy more make up…

2. Use SnapnSave

Another nifty little tool that I have discovered recently is the Snapnsave app. It works like this:

1. Every Friday, new discounts are loaded onto the app.
2. You then book the deals that you want, there are only a certain amount per deal so sometimes you need to be quick! If you miss out on a deal, you can ask to be notified when one becomes available.
3. After you’ve booked the deal, you have 48 hours to use it. So you go and do your shopping as normal.
4. When you get home, you snap pictures of your till slip using the app. This shows Snapsave that you bought the discounted item that you booked.
5. Once the till slip has been approved, the discounted money goes into your virtual wallet. You can cash this out at any point at any of their participating stores (Pick n Pay, Checkers, Spar, Baby City, Dischem, there are a whole lot!).

So although you buy the item at full price, you will still be accumulating the saving and you can use it when it suits you. My plan is to do a big ol’ Dischem haul!

Affordable Meal Inspiration Without the Fancy Ingredients

Unlike my dear husband, I get really bored of eating the same meals all the time and so I decided that I wanted to try out some new recipes. Trouble is, so many of the recipes called for exotic ingredients, and those cost a pretty penny!

One day I picked up the Pick n Pay Fresh Living magazine (it’s free if you have a Smart Shopper card). I was blown away by the variety of recipes and the fact that they were so affordable! So now, every month I pick one up and take inspiration form them when planning my meals.

Other go-to resources:

• The Yuppiechef website also has a whole bunch of delicious recipes. In fact, I’m going to be making their chilli con carne for dinner tonight. It makes so much that I’m going to freeze the left overs and use it for our Mexican wraps later this week.
• Big batch cooking – Making larger quantities is always so handy, especially for those crazy days when you don’t have time to cook. I often make big batches of stew, chicken a la king or even lasagne. It’s not much effort because I’m making that for dinner anyway, I’m just making more of it now.

This is what works for us: weekly planning, clever shopping, and sticking (mostly) to a budget. It keeps things simple, delicious, and less stressful.

Do you have any fail-proof tips to keep your grocery bill low while still eating well? I’d love to hear them—drop them in the comments or DM me!

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