This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.
This whole blog redesign has certainly been a fun trip down memory lane! Along with the obvious aesthetic changes, we have been going back through old posts and updating them, adding better pictures, and just trying to streamline the look of things a little more. For some posts, this just meant quickly tweaking a few things. Other posts required a complete overhaul. Like this one, for example. 🙂
You see, my grocery list was one of the first organizational printables I ever created. It’s still the one of the ones I use most often. And the version I had here on the blog was still that very first printable I had ever made…and it was obvious. 😉 So it got a pretty new look, and I am sharing it with you again today– in two different versions!
If you haven’t already figured it out, I happen to be slightly neurotic about my grocery list. I used to just write it down on a piece of paper like a normal person. When I realized that I was walking back and forth across the store multiple times to get the items I needed in different aisles, I began breaking my list into categories so that I could easily see what I needed from each section of the store. Soon after that I realized that I could just make a printable version and wouldn’t have to rewrite all of my categories all the time. Plus it would be prettier too. 🙂
I definitely wanted to be able to do my meal planning on the same page as my grocery list for simplicity’s sake. I know meal planning isn’t for everyone, but it has been a total time and money saver for me. We throw away much less food, and there’s never rarely the panic of “What am I going to make for dinner?!” So I use the boxes on the left side of my printable to plan meals, then write my categorized list using the rest of the sheet, and my grocery trips go oh-so-smoothly!
Click here to download the free printable one week grocery list!
Eventually I read the book Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half by Steve and Annette Economides. They only do their grocery shopping once a month and share amazing tips for saving money in many areas of life, but particularly at the grocery store. While I haven’t gone to once a month shopping yet, I did move my grocery trips to once every two weeks after reading their book and therefore needed a two week list to accommodate my new routine.
Click here to download the free printable two week grocery list!
Because I go into the store with an organized plan, I save money by only buying what we need for the next few weeks, and I save time since I know exactly what I need from each section of the store. It’s such a simple tool, but it really is one of the printables I use most in our day to day life!
After my grocery list printable was such a huge help, I began to make printables to help me organize just about everything, and of course I share them with you too! Here are some of my other favorites:
The Simple Technique that Helps Me Be Insanely Productive Every Single Day
Happy planning!
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.
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Great printables! I started meal planning this year and it definitely gets easier to plan for two weeks. I just have trouble with the non meal items: drinks, snacks, breakfast to go items. I end up running out before my two weeks. Part of the problem is the fiancé is a snacker and he blows through it so darn fast! I keep telling him, “that’s all we have for two weeks.” Does he listen? Haha!
Thanks, Bethany! I had the same problem with our snacks! I started storing them out of sight in the back of the extra pantry instead of on top of the fridge in plain view, and *miraculously* they seem to last longer. {Hopefully my boys won’t read this and find out my secret! Ha!} Thanks so much for reading!
~Abby =)
Thank for the lists. They will come in handy. I too have a small kitchen, but am able to shop once or every two months even. I have a large freezer (besides the one with my fridge) so I am able to make ahead and freeze meals instead of using up my cabinet space.I can cook, freeze and stack MANY meals just on one shelf. So even before I bought my large freezer, I could still get several meals in my freezer in the fridge. Also, I freeze everything! I buy several bags of chips to last a month or two and freeze them. Saves me space in the cabinet. I freeze tons of stuff. Never had any problems with anything. Thanks again for sharing your lists.
Freezing chips?! You may have just opened up a whole new world to me, Miss Lucy! Thanks for the ideas! A chest freezer is definitely on my wish list so I can maximize storage. Someday! 😉 Thanks for visiting the blog!
~Abby =)
Meal planning is the only way to go. Saves time and money. If everyone knows what is for dinner, then anyone 🙂 can cook. I work full time out of the home so it is great to be able to leave the sitter directions to get dinner started. This way dinner is only 30 minutes away when I walk in the door. The weeks where I do not get a chance to meal plan or grocery shop and we are just taking it day by day are the most stressful weeks.
I totally agree, Kathy! It is so nice not to have to scramble at dinnertime each night. I like the concept of “anyone” cooking… 😉 Thanks for visiting the blog!
~Abby =)
OMG, I have been dreaming up this list (the one on top) for a long time, and I’ve never seen anyone create it until now! I do not like to plan out breakfast and lunches, but rather have a list of things we can choose from. But, I like to plan out dinners because I can plan the type of meal that need for that day (crockpot, quick and easy, etc). Thank you so much!
Miss Kayla, your comment just made my day! You are so sweet! Thank you so much for visiting the blog!
~Abby =)
I echo your uber Type A analysis. I, however, respect and admire that! I am in the middle of overhauling my grocery lists, and this was a ton of good info.
Visiting from IHeartOrganizing.
LOL! The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, right? So maybe I’m on my way… 😉 Thanks so much for stopping by the blog, Jen!
~Abby =)
Hi Abby!
You are AMAZING!!!! My Husband always wants to know “WHAT ARE WE HAVING FOR DINNER!” This way he can just look on the LIST. Good Idea!
Thank You for Sharing!
Thank you, Vicki! Glad I could help! Thanks so much for reading!
~Abby =)
I love this — thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you! And thanks for stopping by the blog!
~Abby =)
Hi Abby,
I do something similar with my grocery list, except I have the items we regularly already typed in. That way I don’t forget to get milk because I just check it off on my list! This has mostly eliminated the extra trips.
I do have a question about shopping every two weeks: what do you do about fresh fruit and veggies, and even milk? I shop once a week mostly because of these kinds of highly perishable items.
That’s a great idea, Kim! I might have to start typing in my staples… 🙂 As far as perishable items go, I do a couple different things. I try to plan my meals in such a way that we use the things that have the shortest shelf life first, then move through to the ones that will last longer. I freeze some produce. You can even freeze milk, though I haven’t gone that far. Danielle from Blissful and Domestic has a wonderful post about how she does fresh fruits and veggies, and she only shops once a month: https://www.blissfulanddomestic.com/2012/07/fresh-produce-on-budget.html
I haven’t gotten THAT good yet. 🙂 Thank you so much for stopping by the blog! It was great to connect again after so long!
~Abby =)
I LOVE these printables! I would love for you to share this at my link party “Organize My Life” that opens every Monday night. Stop on by https://maryorganizes.com!
Thanks so much for the invite, Mary! I linked up! Hope you have a great week!
~Abby =)
I love your organized shopping list – functional and pretty! Thanks so much for linking up at Organize My Life! -Mary
Thanks for inviting me to share, Mary! Have a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Awesome printable. I can’t wait to try it. I plan to get a bunch bound into a spiral notebook!
Thank you, Karin! Great idea with the spiral notebook. Thank you so much for stopping by. Have a great day!!
~Abby =)
Just saved and printed out a copy! Hopefully the printable will help me streamline my grocery sopping! Thanks!
Thanks, Lauren! I hope the printable is helpful. Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
I love the printables. I used to go grocery shopping every two weeks but started to go every week and set a weekly budget. This seems to workout better for my family. They get the snacks for the week and I meal plan and buy what I need for the meals. I then buy the other things like milk and essentials. I was throwing away too much food doing it every two weeks and my veggies and fruits would be wasted quicker. I still like the printable and will use it weekly!
I wish I had your knack for printables! These are so nice and it does help with organizing and planning. I would spend more time making them than actually using them, so I am glad to get some great ones here! Thank you!
So glad they are helpful, Elizabeth! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Thank you so much for this post and of course the awesome FREEBIE printables. I have not tried meal planning but hopefully this will start me in the right direction.
I love the idea of having a mni version of the menu on the list. Often I get to the store and realize I never completed the list and I’m missing at least one day’s meal ingredients and can’t remember what I planned. At least if I had the menu there, I’d be sure to figure out the primary ingredients I need to make it even if I don’t have them all written down on the shopping list itself!
Good morning, Abby! I just wanted to say I LOVE all of your printables and blog. I am working on your challenge and am SOOO thankful for all of the advice, tutorials, printables and most of all confidence to be able to do what I have been wanting to do for a very long time but didn’t know quite where to begin:) I am really thankful for you:) Unfortunately, I am happy problems printing off the grocery list. Idk if it is my printer or what is going on but I am definitely trying to print that one. Groceries are a HUGE financial issue in our home and this would definitely help me stay on track:)
Thanks again for everything! You are wonderful!
I like printables, too! I made a grocery list a few years ago that was organized by my favorite grocery store aisles. I listed the common items under each header, highlighted what I needed that week and then could zoom through the store.
Thanks sooooo much for this printable shopping list! I actually would do this sort of outline with pen and paper each time I would make my grocery list so this is going to be a great timesaver for me now. Every second counts in day so a few saved will add up over time! Keep the great ideas coming! Thanks again!
Thank you!! So helpful and inspiring.
I totally need this in my life!! Thanks for the freebie!
Thank you. This list is perfect. I always write my list based on the layout of the store. This is a great compliment to my get in and get out tactic.
How did I not know that I needed this in my life? I’ve been doing this by hand for years and I’ve always just shopped for what I needed – so meal planning first, and grocery planning never… This is definitely going to make that whole process a lot easier – thanks so much for sharing!
Love this grocery list! I do all of the meal planning, and the hubs does the actual shopping. (Who knew we could save so much money by sending the “Don’t-Deviate-From-the List” guy to the store??) We tried a grocery shopping app and (gasp!) my tech-loving husband texted me in a panic because the digital grocery list had “too many categories and didn’t make sense!” Ha! I’ve been handwriting it for months now.THIS printable is a game changer. 🙂
I will be trying this printable for the first time with my handwriting wife and I am so tech-loving! I hope this works out best than my categories in my app.
Good luck! 🙂
~Abby =)
Thank You so very much!!!!!
I’ve tried to meal plan and go to the grocery store once every two weeks but can’t manage it. How do you keep produce fresh for 2 whole weeks? I take sandwiches for lunch to work & buy boars head meat which lasts 7 days max. How do people do this?
Hi, Lucy! We try to eat things in the order that they would go bad. 🙂 So that helps us make the most of our fresh fruits and veggies. We actually live right next to a little farm, so I will stop in there sometimes in between major grocery trips if we run out of the fresh stuff. And we’re big fans of leftovers for lunches, so we just cycle through whatever we have in the fridge for that. I hope this helps!
~Abby =)