How to save time and sanity, at least for a week

Getting ready to do one of the most hellish tasks I have to do weekly. Grocery shop!!!! Sorry, I am not an extreme couponer so I can't teach you how to hoard more than you need, just for bragging rites that you have enough worthless shampoo and deodorant for the next Apocalypse! But I do have a few tips to make it less painful and maybe cut those extra trips out for you. I try to plan a weeks worth of dinners, and try to utilize the local ad's from our grocery stores, ( Taos is very small so we only have 4, a co-op, a bargain type save, a higher end and your typical everyday store.) Unlike bigger cities that have a ton of grocery stores to choose from and Sunday flyer's with a ton of coupons to save, I have to be a bit savvy and make a few more stops but in the long run  I save almost 40%. I hate being on a tight schedule so I plan my weeks menu to be flexible and able to redesign a dinner on a moments notice. I FREAK out if things get too planned, so I have learned a few tips to stay on track. So I leave a generous interpretation for dinners. Also, as my girls are get older they have homework some nights that could choke a cow, time to make dinner is cut in 1/2. So unless everyone eats at 9pm we have quick changes that  keep everyone from becoming a puddle and too far past sanity to matter.
      So, where am I going? Plan out easy meals you can do ahead of time, give yourself the leeway to make a dinner that may not be the pyramid of healthy eating, but everyone ate, are full and you didn't strangle you kids in the process. My freezer sucks! It's the size of a shoe box so I can't make and freeze a few dinners ahead, it holds my proteins, ice and a few veggies for my upcoming week. And now that we got a new 6 quart ice cream maker my space is even smaller, but DAM homemade ice cream is worth it! Fresh veggies are great, but plan to use them with how they hold up and use frozen veggies for later in the week. Unless you want to add extra trips to pick up fresh all week. I love salads because you can make it different every time and if you buy whole romaine it will keep for the week. Make food your kids will eat, and don't become a short order cook. I am sorry but butter noodles are not a staple for any child. Don't give in, I hate it when I hear parents cry about how their kid wouldn't eat dinner, threw a fit so they caved and made them what they wanted. I did fall into that category, 3 kids ago but snapped out of that quick. Make your dinner, give it to them and if they don't eat, "Oh well". They won't starve for one night, they don't get treats that night and they eat a big breakfast the next day.
   I love my cookbooks and the internet for fun easy recipes, other friends and parents have great ones to share also. I think if I get enough followers I will work in a spot to share good food to make and other tips to share.
    I also try not to repeat the same menu every week or month. There are a few main stays that do repeat a few times a month but we don't like the same food all the time. We try to have a movie night or family night every week if all work out. So the girls get to decide what to have and make, when they cook there are no leftovers and we are teaching them some good skills.
    I stock up on the basics, it also helps with what you have to pick up on the weekly grocery trip.You can adjust your list to reflect what you eat more of, that's a sanity saver. So once a month I stock my pantry with all the basics I use. It has saved me in a few binds when an emergency happens that taps my grocery budget. I will post later on, the basic list to use, you can tweak it to your style but it will be so tight you could feed a family of 7 on $40 bucks til payday. Really I have done it with $40 and 12 days til payday, and it wasn't Ramen for dinner once!
   I hope this helps and one more sanity saver, if you can time it, go shopping without the kids. When we go it's the extra side show to watch at the grocery store, everyone holding on to the cart and all 5 asking for everything that's not on my list at the same time. WARNING: stray from your list and blow you budget twice as fast. If you can buy the store brand, you can save 25% by just doing that.
     And last, have fun even if it means a stop at the coffee shop and splurge on your favorite drink, then you have a good beverage( don't go buzzed you will buy everything that isn't on your list and your family will wonder why the pantry is stocked with chocolate, wine, beer and gourmet chips, and wonder who is going to eat an entire wheel of aged Gouda!) and hopefully in a good mood and you're not hungry. Even though I would love a grocery store I could get a pint of Scrumpy Jack and shop for an hour in sheer bliss!  But then I may go shopping a few times a week and in the morning! hahahaha Now off to hell I go and back, Thanks Johnny for watching the girls while I go.