Do we really love popping into the market every day or two to pick up fresh produce, something the kids requested for dinner or something we forgot? Don’t you ever think to yourself, “How I wish I could do this just once a week!”

And really, if you add up the time you spend driving, parking, shopping, loading bags into the car, pulling bags out of the car—you are probably spending an extra 3-5 hours a week shopping that you could be spending relaxing with your family. Impulse shopping is also much, much more expensive than planned shopping.

It is entirely possible to limit the amount of time and money you spend shopping with just a little bit of planning. With the help of standardized pantry lists and a little mental reprogramming, you can become a shopping wizard.

Plan and organize your list

The first step is to build your own customized grocery list. Look in your pantry and fridge and really study your dietary and buying habits, then build a list that realistically addresses your preferences and needs. I find it helpful to list items under these categories, but you can choose your own:

• Meat/Protein
• Dairy
• Grains
• Breakfast
• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Canned
• Beverages
• Baking
• Personal
• Pantry
• Pets
• Paper Goods
• Cleaning Supplies

Some items, like meat or produce, you may prefer to purchase at a premium or specialty market and it helps to have a weekly list to reduce the number of trips and impulse purchases. Other items, like cleaning supplies, are much cheaper when purchased in larger sizes or at discount stores.

Think in menu groups

Planning a week’s menu in advance is helpful if you want to save money and time, but let’s face it—how many of us really stick to our plan? But if you learn to think in terms of “menu groups” then you’ll always have something quick and easy to pull together. For instance, make sure you’ve always got enough meat, starches and vegetables on hand for three protein+carb+vegetable meals. If you or your family like to have a pizza night, or turn to pizza for those exhausting, busy days when there’s little time for anything else, stock up on pizza doughs, canned tomato sauce, bulk shredded mozzarella, and toppings. Homemade pizza is much cheaper (and more delicious) than expensive frozen versions, or delivery. Pasta and risotto are two wonderful basics that you should always have on hand (assuming no dietary restrictions). Stock some tomato and white sauces in the pantry and you can whip up a quick meal with leftover chicken or seafood, some random vegetables, and some penne or linguine. Keep some chicken broth on hand and you can make a satisfying, aromatic risotto with practically any leftover meats and vegetables.

Buy multi-purpose foods

Like pasta and risotto, some foods are always a good investment. Broths can be used in risotto, soups, crockpot dishes or drunk as a beverage. Another multi-purpose example are avocados—although they can be expensive, they can be used in small amounts in salads or omelettes, and when they get mushy they’re great for homemade guacamole. Having foods on hand that you can prepare in a variety of ways will help you prevent unnecessary trips to the store.

Fads are NOT your friend

Fad diets and advice are not a friend of your time and money budgets. Those protein shakes that are so frequently promoted as being great for your waistline? They’re really designed for people who are already athletes or working out intensely. Unless you’re spending an hour or more in the gym every day, you’ll be better off planning a diet that incorporates a wide variety of fresh, fibrous, healthy foods.

Smell the vine-ripened tomatoes in the store. Do they really smell fresh off the vine? If not, they were probably ‘vine-ripened’ in cold storage. In that case, you’ll be better off buying plain old plum (Roma) tomatoes which are less prone to bruising and rot, will last longer, and taste just as good.

Instead of buying ‘lean’ cuts of meat and skinless chicken, you’ll get better value (and flavor) by buying bone-in cuts and large packs of chicken cuts with the skin on. These are the best cuts for roasting and crockpot cooking, plus the fat in the skin makes it unnecessary to add butter or oil, while adding flavor to vegetables and other starches. Or, just remove the skin yourself and either toss it, freeze it, or make tasty pet treats from it.

The freezer IS your friend

Many people under-utilize their freezer, cramming it with kid treats, expensive frozen dinners, or leftovers that will probably never get eaten.

Buy your meat in bulk packs to save money, and as soon as you get home, separate cuts into resealable baggies in sets of 2-3 cuts per bag. Instead of buying over-priced and highly over-salted canned soups, make one big pot of delicious homemade soup a week (see Mr. Sunday’s Soups for inspiration) and freeze the leftovers in small resealable containers. (Although I think you’ll be surprised at how quickly a family can polish off even a big pot of soup or gumbo.)

A customized shopping list is the number one key to making good use of your time and money. And with practice, you’ll even begin to think differently about how you shop and spend.

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When the weather is heating up, it’s time to reach for an icy, tinkling beverage. Here are some suggestions for naturally sweetened and unsweetened beverages that also have some summertime flavor.

Ice teas

Herbal teas are delicious, but small packaged boxes can get expensive, especially if you’re making quarts of iced tea for your friends or family. Look for places where you can buy teas, herbs and dried ingredients like hibiscus in bulk, perhaps at organic or health food stores.

Once you’ve found a source of affordable, quality teas and dried flowers you can create your own tea blends—they will be so delicious no one will ask for sugar!

You can make citrusy tea blends with hibiscus, rosehips, lemongrass, and dried orange, tangerine or lemon peels. Soothing teas can be made using chamomile, peppermint and other herbs. Dried hibiscus flowers impart a deep rose color to the tea, and studies report that hibiscus tea dramatically lowers blood pressure. From the garden, you can also add seasonal flavors with fresh lavender, mint, or basil.

It isn’t necessary to boil the water for tea. Just add 4-5 tea bags to 2 quarts of cold water, or tie the equivalent in loose tea, dried flowers and herbs in a square of cheesecloth and let it steep in the refrigerator. A large glass or clear plastic pitcher will let you see when the tea has steeped.

Thick and Rich Smoothies

Summer and bananas go together like sea and sand. If you have some bananas that are starting to turn brown, just peel them and freeze in a resealable bag. Instead of making fruit smoothies with ice cubes, just use your frozen bananas! (Kids also love frozen banana treats – try dipping in milk and then rolling in cocoa or coconut.)

Smoothies aren’t just for the health-conscious—they’re a great way to create a thick, cold “shake” from ingredients in your own fridge, orchard or garden without investing in expensive, sugar-laden ice cream. Kiwis are also great for smoothies. When totally ripe, just shave off one end of its hairy skin and gently squeeze—the fruit should pop right out of its skin! In fact, when kiwis get too soft to look attractive when served fresh they are at the perfect stage for freezing. Just pop them out of their skins and freeze them. Blend some frozen kiwis with orange and pineapple juice for a delicious pick-me-up. Or add some fresh lime juice and a shot of Tequila for a kiwi margarita!

Pretty much any fruit that isn’t too fibrous to whir in a small blender will be great in a smoothie. Just add a small amount of milk, juice, water or yogurt and whir away. If you find neglected or forgotten fruit in your refrigerator, pick out the best of it and freeze it in a gallon size resealable bag. You can add all kinds of fruit to the freezer bag until you have enough for a smoothie—unless of course your family discovers it and relishes the frozen berries and fruits as snacks.

Lemonade and Citrus Refreshers

Homemade lemonade made from fresh lemons is so vastly different from powdered versions, you wouldn’t recognize it as the same beverage! And it requires very little in the way of ingredients. For a quart of lemonade, take 3 to 4 lemons, halve and juice. Add a ¼ cup of sugar or Grade B maple syrup. (The maple syrup has important minerals and nutrients that sugar does not have, and it’s much more flavorful.) For a little extra zip, add a pinch of cayenne—it’s surprisingly tasty! Add a full quart of water. If you like to sip lemonade slowly on a hot day, you can use less water, resulting in a strong, tart beverage which you can then pour over a full glass of ice, which will melt down to just the right level of sweet-tart pleasure. You can also combine your lemonade with a splash of sparkling water for a light, bubbly beverage.

Any citrusy fruit can made into a refreshing drink, although the sweeter fruits are better for juice. Lemons, limes, and grapefruits make the best summertime beverages, plus they require less fruit! You can turbo charge any citrusy drink by adding a few crushed berries for color and flavor, lavender, or mint leaves.

Sweet-tart drinks can also be frozen in popsicle cups with wooden sticks, frozen in mini-muffin tins for delicious “ice cubes”, or made into a frozen sorbet for afternoon snacking or a light dessert.