M. Suzanne Terry

My calendar makes me happy. It’s a bit scruffy, but it’s beautiful to me.

For this shopping trip, you are buying staples. Once again, I suggest that you buy only the things on the list you made yesterday. Building a pantry takes discipline, but less than you would think. It doesn’t have to be a constant, weekly (or however often you shop) drudgery. As long as you have your staples list and you keep up with it, it should pretty much be a no-brainer from here on out.

This is the last time I will ask you to stick strictly to your list at the store, because once you are in the practice of meal planning, you will find that you have a lot more freedom all around, and this includes shopping. You will have kitchen that is designed to work especially for you, and this means you are making less food go farther, which saves you money. So if you see a deal on your favorite ice cream, or if you see something wonderful in the bakery that you want to try, you don’t have to eye it forlornly as you avoid it in order to stay within your budget, because your meal plan is stretching your budget for you. Meal planning gives you a lot of wiggle room. I have easily thinned my grocery budget by 20% since sticking to my plan, which means better wine and not having to scrimp elsewhere to enjoy the occasional evening out.

So go forth and shop, Stick to your list, and dream of all the things you’re going to do with the extra money.

I’m sharing my Epic Meal Planning strategies for Write 31 Days – click to see the master list.