Tools to Make List-making, Grocery Shopping and Meal Planning Easier

On top of the knowledge and skills one must have in order to be an efficient meal planner, there are also physical must-have tools.  The following items are simple and cheap, yet they are very useful workhorses when it comes to list-making, shopping and meal planning.

Coupon Organizer

A coupon organizer is a nifty tool for keeping your coupon collection neat.  There are many colors and designs to choose from.  An accordion-type organizer with several tabs for separating different types of coupons is a big help.  There are coupon organizers which attach to grocery carts, some which are small enough to fit inside your purse and still others which double up as organizers at home.  Couponing becomes easy, fun and clutter-free with this simple item.

Clipboard

A clipboard attached to the ref or kitchen wall provides a hub for listing down grocery items that need to be bought.  Members of the family can just jot down what they need and the appointed family shopper can simply tear off the page each week and bring the list to the grocery.  The latest clipboards also come in quirky and fun designs to liven up your kitchen.

Small Accordion File

Having a cute accordion file that fits inside your bag is one of the most helpful things you can ever have.  In it you can stash your coupons, your grocery lists, shopper’s reward cards, weekly menu, receipts and even loose change.  This file is designed to keep your bag tidy and your shopping tools easy to spot and reach for.

Reusable Bag

On your way home from work, you stop by the grocery for some necessary shopping and you find yourself carrying several plastic bags of goods.  Some get thrown inside your dressy bag in an effort to reduce the number of bags you carry, damaging your bag in the process.  You can skip the hassles of such a common scenario by just bringing along a reusable, heavy-duty cloth bag which you can fold and stash into your office bag, ready for duty when the need to shop comes.

Household Management Binder

If you still don’t have one, you’re not taking home management seriously.  A homemaking binder keeps everything in one place.  The list of household supplies, chore assignments, cleaning schedules, menus, recipes, budget plans, emergency numbers and all other things pertaining to home management are there, ready for reference.

Stackable, Single-serving Plastic Containers

The plastic containers you will find very useful are those which are transparent for easy viewing, single-serving for dividing up food during bulk cooking, stackable for easy organizing and leak-proof for better food hygiene.  Have several of these utility containers at hand for storing single servings of soups, sauces, stews and leftovers.