Meal Planner and Grocery List

Who this is for

The week's meals and the shopping they need, on one sheet. Plan breakfast, lunch and dinner for each day, then write the shopping list underneath, grouped the way the shop is laid out so nothing is forgotten and nothing is bought twice.

Anyone who shops once a week and wants to stop deciding what is for dinner at six o'clock — families, shared houses, people cooking for one and batch cooks.

What this helps you track

• What is being eaten on every day of the week, meal by meal
• The shopping that follows from it, written in shop order
• Meals that can share ingredients, which is where the waste goes
• Which nights need something quick because of what else is on

How to use it

1. Write the date the week begins, then check what is already in the fridge, freezer and cupboard.
2. Fill the dinners first — they decide most of the shopping — then lunches and breakfasts.
3. Mark the busy evenings and give them the quickest meals or leftovers from the night before.
4. Go through each planned meal and write what you need to buy in the grocery list, under the right aisle.
5. Take the sheet shopping, or fill it in on screen and print or download the completed page.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Do I have to plan every meal?

No. Many people plan dinners only and leave the other columns blank or write 'usual'. The sheet works with whatever you fill in.

Why is the shopping list grouped by aisle?

Because a list in the order you thought of things sends you back and forth across the shop. Split into the fresh and chilled end and the cupboard end, you walk it once. Rename the groups if your shop is laid out differently.

Can I reuse a week?

Yes. Fill the browser version in once, download it as a PDF, and you have a standard week to print whenever you want it. Keeping two or three of these saves most of the planning.

Does it include recipes or portion sizes?

No. It is a plan and a list. What you cook, how much and for how many is yours.