What Comes First, Meal Plan or Grocery List?

That's a great question! And the answer is...both. It completely depends on how you approach your month. I used to shop the flyers- every Thursday night when the new flyers came, I'd find out what was on sale, and plan my meals and grocery list for the following week accordingly.

When I first wrote this post more than 3 years ago,  I wrote: 

​"Over time, though, we've started to do more of our shopping at one store, rather than several. We found that for about the same price for most foods, the quality of just about everything is better at Costco. Because of this, I now meal plan for the month, rather than the week, and do one big grocery shop based on the entire month's plan."

But meal planning and grocery shopping work with you as you are NOW, as your life is TODAY. As your life changes, so will the way you structure your meal planning and grocery shopping, and I want to tell you that it's a good thing to look at how it's working for you and adjust accordingly. There really isn't a right or wrong answer.

For example, summertime shopping may be impacted by garden-fresh fruit and vegetables, farmers markets, and other seasonal foods. I like fresh fish tacos, salads, and other lighter meals in the summer, such as grilled souvlaki with a big Greek salad on the side.

You may be travelling more or camping often, and that dictates how you plan your meals as well. And today- well, it's cold outside, with blowing wind and snow- winter is here which means hot food for me. Salads just don't appeal when the wind is howling and snow is hitting our windows.

How does the time of year impact how you shop?