Do you know what food you have in the kitchen? Taking a grocery inventory can help you plan better meals and save money. Reverse meal planning for the win!
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Eww. Just the words, grocery inventory, sounds next level nerd, doesn’t it? But, trust me it’s good to be a nerd, especially where money and meal planning are concerned.
Taking a grocery inventory doesn’t have to be super complex or time-consuming. It’s the data you’re after. Specifically:
- what food do you have on hand?
- what meals can you make with it?
Knowing this information can help you meal plan better and save money.
Funnily enough, the concept of meal planning with what you have has a new name: reverse meal planning or backward meal planning.
What’s as old as the hills is now new again. Again.
What’s reverse meal planning?
Reverse meal planning involves looking at your grocery inventory, the food you have on hand, and planning meals based on what you have instead of dreaming up meals and then shopping for them.
Why meal plan from your grocery inventory?
When you meal plan based on what groceries you have, you can do a number of things:
You save money. Instead of buying more and potentially overspending, reverse meal planning allows you to use up what you’ve already spent money on.
You get inspired. Meal planning from all the possible options in the world can feel overwhelming. Reducing your options reduces overwhelm. Focusing on the food you already have on hand keeps your options somewhat limited and forces you to make some choices. Chances are you’ll rediscover some old favorites.
You avoid food waste. This is a huge win for your wallet. Wasting food is wasting money so any time you can use the food instead of it going to waste, you’ve earned some cash.
You learn to shop better. I currently grocery shop for a large family, 7 adults, on a budget. I’ve learned that if you find yourself stumped to use up an ingredient, you will learn to shop better, buying that offensive item less and focusing on foods you truly love because those are easier to cook with.
In many ways, reverse meal planning is basically a year-round pantry challenge, focusing on your grocery inventory before you go buy more. It’s a key strategy to eating cheap.
How to Reverse Meal Plan
Reverse meal planning is super simple. Our great-grandmothers did this whenever they had excess food on hand: make dinner with what you have.
1. Take a grocery inventory. What food do you already have on hand?
You can’t reverse meal plan without knowing what food you have. You’ve got to write it down or keep track somehow.
If your pantry and food stores are extensive, then focus on the proteins and the more unusual ingredients as well as those that are nearest their best-by dates.
Write them on a piece of paper or download a grocery inventory app. The apps are best for tracking products with barcodes. If you buy a lot of plain ingredients and bulk items, then paper is your best option.
We’ve got an inventory worksheet in our printables library, free to subscribers.
2. Once you’ve got your inventory, start a list of meal ideas.
Reverse meal planning means creating menu ideas based on what you have. Where to start, though?
Prioritize what needs using and focus on the proteins on your grocery inventory as those are typically the more expensive items. You’ll save more money if you can use those this month instead of buying more.
Feel free to write down more menu ideas than you have proteins for. This will give you options instead of feeling locked into a special meal this week. Highlight the ones that you choose.
Need meal planning inspiration? Don’t think you have much? Check out What to Make for Dinner When There’s “Nothing” to Eat.
3. Fill in the gaps with what’s on sale.
If you don’t have enough stuff on hand to make a week’s worth of meals, then check out the grocery sales. The featured proteins of the week are good options to add it.
Remember that shopping the sales and clearance can be a great way to stretch your grocery dollar. Stockpiling groceries, or buying extra for the future will give you more options when it comes to reverse meal planning next week.
As you go forward, keep your grocery inventory updated so that it’s easy to reverse meal plan next week. Cross off what you use and be sure to add what you buy to your inventory.
More Meal Planning Tips
What do you think?
Let’s chat in the comments!
This post was originally published on August 26, 2012. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Kitty
I am going to do my first food inventory. I have ten eggs left out of a carton of 12. Do I count each egg or just the carton? Help!!!!!!
Jessica Fisher
Don’t overthink it. Ten is fine.
Tamara
Just want to confirm that you can definitely use the ‘tamale’ Maseca for making tortillas. In my opinion the the masa will turn out a bit more dry so I’d just take note that you might need to increase the amount of water you use by a smidge.
Jessica
I have never used the “Maseca for Tamales” (brown bag), so I do not know. I recommended that the previous commenter contact the manufacturer to confirm that they are close enough to work for tortillas. I really don’t know.
Nicole
I love shopping my pantry, freezer and fridge to make meals with before I buy anything! We have had alot of times where we haven’t had very much money just enough to get by. I have then had to make do with what I had! In our family friday nights is left over night we pull everything out of the fridge left over from the weeks meals and heat it up. I get a night off from cooking and nothing goes to waste!
Brandette W.
You are too funny! We lived in Southern CA our whole lives, born and raised in the Long Beach & Cerritos areas. We moved to the mid-west right after we got married…been here for 6 years now. There is so much we miss, but so much we love out here too. The ethnic foods is the main thing we miss dearly! So, whenever I can try to experiment and make homemade to replicate the good mexican restaurants back home…I do my own little happy dance let me tell you girl. And yes….Las Palmas rocks! It’s the only brand my Mom ever used for her homemade enchiladas…and still does.
Brandette W.
Hi Jessica! I had a question about the homemade corn tortillas you linked to in this post. I would love to try making them!! I went to our local Walmart tonight to buy the Maseca flour you mentioned, but the bag I found in the mexican aisle was Maseca brand but said for tamales. Is this the right stuff? I didn’t end up buying it because I wasn’t sure if it was. It had recipes on the bag for the masa for tamales and the tamales themselves, but nothing mentioned of corn tortillas. Any ideas or help for a newbie to homemade tortillas? When we lived in southern CA I would have had no problem finding the stuff, but in the middle of farm country in Indiana…not so much I guess.
Jessica
I bought it at Walmarts in Kansas. Sometimes it was on the flour/baking aisle and sometimes in the Mexican food aisle. I “think” that I have compared those two packages and the ingredients list looked the same. I use the white bag for both tamales and tortillas: http://www.mimaseca.com/en/productos-maseca/d/maseca-corn-flour/1 But, I can’t tell from the site if the brown bag does in fact have the same ingredients: http://www.mimaseca.com/en/productos-maseca/d/maseca–masa-for-tamales/3 I bet you could write them and ask.
Brandette W.
@Jessica,
Hmm, I looked both in the mexican aisle which is where I found the brown tamale bag and then I checked the flour aisle as well cuz you never know. Nope, nothing. I am going to check Amazon maybe, see if it is price friendly or not to go that route. I may be able to find it at a mexican grocer, if we still have any open here. We had several in recent time, but the 2 that were relatively close to us closed.
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question and link the products. I really appreciate that you did that for me!
Jessica
@Brandette W., oh, honey. I was once a CA-girl stranded in the Mid-west. I did a happy dance in Walmart the day they expanded their Mexican food aisle and started carrying my favorite enchilada sauce (Las Palmas). I’ll do what it takes for my fellow compatriots. 😉
Amie
THANK YOU! Money is tight; school is starting and we are selling our house so we are trying to save every penny. I have a day off and I wanted to bake and came across this before I got started. I immediately went to my freezer and started! Holy Smokes I can feed the 4 of us for probably 2 weeks out of it. I couldn’t believe how much gets pushed to the back or how many bags of biscuits I had with only 1 or 2 biscuits left in the package. I feel so accomplished and it’s only 9am! Thanks again for the spreadsheet and tips!
Jessica
yeah!
Kelly
Thanks for this series! I’ve been sharing the posts in a meal planning group at CafeMom. This are great tips, especially for beginners.
Rebecca
This is great advice. There’s no better way than to “shop at home” first before you go to the food store. That way, you are sure to use up a lot of foods that otherwise would have gone to waste. Plus, you can come up with creative ways to incorporate them into your meal plan 🙂
Fleur Phillips
I love meal planning! It makes such an enormous difference to how your week runs. It is terrific to only have to shop once & know that you will have all the things you need to make dinner that week. I like to factor in our after school activities and plan a slow cooker meals for the nights when I know we will be arriving home late and tired! Thanks for all the great tips!
Kristen
I do it much like you do, although I don’t always write it out. Perhaps I should on occasion. I plan my menus by looking at the sales, first, and then my pantry. My meals are planned around these two things. I’m doing an eating from the pantry challenge this week as I’ve already used my budget, and want to thank you for all your encouragement, as I do so. You’re amazing, Jessica.
KimH
I tend to look at the meat I have in the freezer & then fresh veggies that need to be used up and go from there. Of course, I take inventory of leftovers we already have in the frig.
This is a week of lots of leftovers. My mom & step-dad were visiting from Tx and we ate well while they were here, having a big family & friend bbq & then just cooking & eating since my mom has always been a real foodie from way back when.
I cleaned the frig out the day after they left but we still have some odds & ends I’d hate to toss out.
I’d also love to take a serious inventory of the goods I have in my freezer & pantries but time is at a premium for me right now. I work outside the home, am still gardening, trying to get all my produce put up, have had out of town company for 11 days this month, spent a day taking Senior pictures for a great niece, and a bazillion other events that have taken every moment of my time.
Yesterday, after the Heartwalk, I came home & took a nap, and did nothing but read email once I woke up. I never take naps. 😉
Inventory… yes.. soon! Thanks for that inventory sheet.. I think I’ll use it.. eventually. 😉
jan
I just realized yesterday that my subtle pantry/freezers cleanout MUST be working when we did a quick review for TS Isaac preparation. A moment of anxiety to see not so many canned items but am ok now…your fridge would have done me in though! That baby is B A R E!! 🙂
victoria
Hi Jessica. I have a question about tomato “burnout.” You listed pizza, then pasta, then chili. I often do that too and I’m getting sick of all the tomato based meals. Any ideas on shaking the tomato rut? Thanks!
Jessica
That’s an interesting question. When I made the plan, I was keeping in mind “pork burnout”. I don’t know that the tomato based meals get to us if the toppings and sides are different enough.
harriet
Last month we had to buy a new A/C unit ($4000). The car insurance and taxes was due on both cars too. Therefore, we are relying on the stock in the pantry and fridge to get us through for a few weeks. I got out some cookbooks last night and went through them trying to find some new and interesting recipe’s to keep “eating at home” interesting. We are sorta doing the freezer and pantry challenge together this month 🙂
I am grateful that I have learned how to stock-up on sale items. My goal today is to take inventory of those items and plan our meals for the next two weeks. Good timing on your post.