Frugal Friday: getting organized

One of the most important ways that I save money for my family is by getting myself organized.  By planning ahead and using good time management, I am able to do a lot of seemingly small things that add up to saving a lot of money.  

My most complicated organizational task is always making my meal plan and planning my groceries.  In order to make the most of coupons, sales and my well stocked pantry I follow a 3 step process.

Step One: Saving Inspiration

• I clip coupons and save them in a small wallet that I keep in my purse.  In that same wallet I keep a recipe card that lists what coupons are there and when they expire.  I only keep coupons that I know will be useful to me, on products that I use often in my house.  It is important to pay attention because sometimes I find a coupon for a new cleaning product or food product and set is aside, only to find that the product I already use is cheaper, even without a coupon.  
• I make note of recipes that inspire me by putting sticky tabs in cookbooks and magazines, saving websites on my IPad, and bookmarking magazines in my Zinio app.  I also keep a kitchen journal where I record recipes that my family really enjoys along with any changes I have made to the recipe to suit my tastes and needs.  This provides me with another source of inspiration for tested recipes that are all in one place.  

Step 2: Taking Stock and Making a Plan

• First I check my fridge, pantry and freezer to see what I have and what I think should be used up.  I keep quite a large variety of food in my pantry so there are many things that I know I always have (because if I use it up I add it immediately to my grocery list).  In addition, if any item that I usually keep stocked in my pantry goes on sale, I will stock up on it and store it until I can use it.  There are always items in my pantry that are not my usual items, but that I have bought on sale knowing that I can work them into my meal plans.   I also buy meat in bulk and then package it in portions for my family and freeze it.  In spring and summer when produce is in season and I can buy it cheap, I will often freeze some for future use as well.  I usually use plastic zip-top freezer bags and label them with the date as well as what the item is and how much is in the bag.  Also in my freezer will always be heat-and-eat meals that I have frozen for a day when I don't have time to cook.   However, none of this stocking up does me any good if I don't keep it organized and make sure I use it up before it goes bad, so I have to check it regularly and keep it very organized so that I can always see what I have.  

My upright deep freeze, organized according to food type
with each item clearly visible.

My pantry organized so each item is visible

• Next I will go back through my recipe inspirations and choose according to what I have and want to use up.  My weekly meal plans follow a regular pattern: One vegetarian meal, one egg based meal, One meal of fish or seafood, 2 meals of chicken or pork, and 2 meals of beef or lamb.  So for a two week period I know exactly what kind of meals I am looking for.  I also take leftovers into consideration.  If I am making a beef pot roast or a whole roast chicken, I know these will feed my family for at least 2 meals so I plan accordingly, using recipes for leftover beef or chicken.  I also check my calendar for dates when we will have house guests to feed or special occasions to consider. There are also nights when we will be extra busy or when we will not be home.  These things all get taken into consideration.
• I use an app called Corkulous on my IPad to organize all of my daily, weekly and monthly tasks, as well as my meal plans.  I slot my meals into my plan boards so that  we have a well rounded plan for the week, and all special considerations are accounted for.  

Here is my board for next week. Each item can be moved around, so tasks can be moved from day to day and meals can be slotted into place as needed.  On the bottom I keep tasks that I do weekly or biweekly so that I can just move them into the area for the day when I will complete them.  I also note P and D's play groups here, as well as any appointments or personal activities for the day or week.  As I complete tasks I either delete them or move them to the bottom.  At the end of the week I have an empty template that can be filled up again for a future week.

Step 3: Making the Grocery List

• When I make my grocery list, I list all of the ingredients that I will need for the two week period I am planning.  I check all of the recipes that I will be using and note all of the ingredients that I don't already have.  If I know I will use up all of something in my pantry, I add that to the list too.  I consider any kitchen projects that I want to complete like baking or making yogurt and make sure all the things I need are on my list. Then I add the basics like milk, yogurt, butter and snacks as well as items for breakfasts and lunches (which I don't plan out) like cereal, fruit, cheese sticks etc.  Lastly, I sort them out in a number of different ways (I use an IPhone app called Anylist).  I usually sort them into two lists. 
•  The first list is of things I can do on a major grocery haul to one of the big stores, like Costco or Superstore.  On this list I put all of the items for the first week of groceries, plus all of the ingredients that I know will keep for the full two weeks.  I also place on this list all of the items that I know I need to get at the shopping location (at Costco that means things that I buy in bulk and get the best price available, and at Superstore its the things I know I won't find at the smaller grocery stores, like specialty international items or store brand favourites).  This will be my grocery stop for week one and it is usually where I spend the bulk of my budget.
• The second list includes items that I need to buy fresh for week two of my meal plan, as well as things that are on special at the store I am going to (usually one of the smaller stores, like Sobey's or Safeway). This list is usually quite short so it means just a quick trip to the store for myself or Suneil.  
• If there are any items that I want to pick up from a specialty store I will put them into lists accordingly and also make a note in my weekly plan to make that stop.  For example, I will often by Italian sausage or deli items from the specialty Italian shop, or Indian spices and ingredients from the Indian grocery store. 
• Lastly, when the grocery fliers come out, I check them all to see if there are any deals that I can't pass up, and if there are I will add those items to the relevant list.  I also go through my coupons and decide if I will use any of them.  Then I make a note on the item in my grocery list so that I will not forget to pull out the coupon at the store.  

Because I have a system for noting recipes I want to try and meals I want to make, and because I keep my pantry and freezer well organized, I am usually able to complete Steps one and two in a few hours while watching TV in the background.  I always leave myself a free afternoon to get this done.