Planning Ahead Series {Part 3}: My Monthly Master Grocery List

I’ve always been a person who makes lists and plans ahead. You may say that it’s a major issue. The gratifying sensation of checking items off a list has become almost an addiction for me. I’m getting there, I swear.

Being Nichole at Nichole Sheley, working from home, and settling into rural life all necessitate meticulous planning and preparation on my part.

The focus at NS for the past two weeks has been on future preparations.

First, I told you how I only go grocery shopping and menu planning twice a month.

Then I told you every detail of my strategy for preparing meals for two weeks.

We’ve finally arrived at the day when we take on the colossus of grocery stores. And I won’t even try to soften the blow. The list is lengthy because we are only going to the store twice a month. Making fewer excursions into town means you can bring more goods back with you each time. So here I will discuss how to make a grocery list for a month.

When it comes to making monthly grocery shopping lists, I’ve tried a variety of approaches. I’ve tried everything from a mobile app to a handwritten note on a post-it. My monthly master grocery list has become more in-depth since I started shopping every other week.

You can download your own version of my monthly grocery list here:

From Meal Plans to a Typical Grocery List

In that case, you might first observe that I have a grocery list that will last a month.

You ask, why the change? Don’t you go grocery shopping twice a month?

Actually, I do. But I made a master grocery list, and now I only have to print it out once a month. This list includes both the staples I stock up on every two weeks and the more occasional goods I might only buy once every couple of months. Highlighter is the key to unlocking the mystery. A monthly split between two trips and two hues. It’s a done deal.

Now that you have your menu set for the next two weeks, you can figure out when to go grocery shopping. This is how I envision it working out.

After I finish my monthly shopping, I print off my monthly master grocery list and stick it to the fridge. If I run out of something, I’ll mark it with a highlighter so we don’t forget to restock it.

When I’ve finished my latest two-week meal plan, I go to my monthly master grocery list, which I keep on the fridge, and mark off the ingredients I’ll need.

Of course, as I prepared the dinners, I took stock of the ingredients I already had on hand so that I wouldn’t have to write down every ingredient for every recipe.

I usually take a fast inventory of my non-perishable supplies a day or two before I plan to go shopping to make sure I have everything I need.

After knowing the grocery list basics, I’m all set to go shopping.

The true challenge in making use of this monthly master grocery list is adapting it to your particular need.

Other symbols on my list designate which stores carry the products I need to buy. In my shopping list, I highlight the goods I frequently purchase from Sam’s Club. I get the rest of the stuff I need from Harvest Market down the street.

Finding what works for you is a matter of trying different things and not being hesitant to commit to one strategy for an extended period.

Healthy Grocery Shopping

I’ve been attempting to make a change to healthy eating; therefore, I’ve switched to using a master grocery list once a month.

Listening to a podcast by Chalene Johnson is how I learned this brilliant concept. Chalene is not only an expert in health and fitness but also an extremely well-organized businesswoman. Because readers kept asking, she sent a sample of her actual grocery list. Based on Chalene’s excellent example, I decided to use a spreadsheet to keep track of my grocery purchases.

Because I am in the process of altering our diet, I have gradually expanded our master grocery list to accommodate four weeks’ worth of purchases. So, on the actual shopping list, I write a lot of notes and brands to search for.

As my family and I have been trying to eat healthier, I’ve been researching options online for shopping lists. The following are some of my favorites:

• Balanced Bites Healthy Shopping Lists





• Live Simply Real Food Printable Shopping Guides





• Weed ‘Em & Reap A Whole Foods List





• 100 Days of Real Food Grocery Shopping Template

Generally, I have a low level of brand loyalty. However, as part of my effort to switch to more natural, nutritious foods, I’ve been giving the companies featured in these guides a go. What I enjoy and don’t like are becoming more evident to me as a result.

Moreover, I am studying food labels in preparation for the day when I buy store brands. The goal is to avoid being a die-hard fan of any one brand. If you want to save money when grocery shopping, one of the most important things you can do is not to be brand loyal.

Further, I have organized the monthly master food list I use to shop at most supermarkets by section. And I try to avoid including unhealthy alternatives and sections. You’ll find that the sections devoted to perishables take up a far bigger percentage of the paper than those devoted to dry goods and pantry basics. This way, I can get the products that don’t need to be kept cold out of the way first and the items that do need to be kept cold until right before I check out.

One more benefit of making a comprehensive list before going shopping? I think it’s an excellent way to save cash. This master monthly grocery list makes it easy to see at a glance what I need to purchase each week, and it’s a lot. I shop methodically, never giving in to impulse buys or deviating from my list.

Do you mind if I share a secret with you? As I type this, I feel a twinge of insecurity. I’m unsure if it should shame me to share the specifics of my weekly menu and shopping list. Perhaps I am more peculiar than I realized. Or perhaps there is another person in the world who shares my mental frequency. That, I suppose, remains to be seen.

Well, the data is out there now, so make use of it if you can! And if it turns out that I’m just a crazy old lady who overthinks every aspect of her weekly trip to the supermarket, then so be it! But let me stray. Getting back on track.

Get a printer, a highlighter, and try out the monthly master grocery list. You can make as many changes as you like, including personal preferences and modifying the list as necessary. It’s your list now, so have at it, gal.

Did you miss my post on meal planning for two weeks at a time? Check it out here:  Planning Ahead {Part 2}: Meal Planning Basics

Looking for other tips on how to plan meals and grocery shop just a couple times a month? Don’t forget to read Planning Ahead {Part 1}: How I Plan Meals and Grocery Shop Just 2 Days a Month!

Plus, if you’re interested, you can find images of our current meals and dishes on the Nichole Sheley Instagram page.

If you have a moment, please leave a comment at the end of the page and join the discussion. To that end, I would appreciate your feedback on the following:

• Can you describe the contents of your current shopping list?





• Which do you use more often, a paper list in the store or your smartphone? I have used both, but I prefer using paper and pencil. But if you can convince me otherwise, please do share!





• How can having a grocery list aid in making better food selections?