Looking for an awesome grocery list?!

I plan my families meals every week, and 150 dollars has to feed 5 people a week. So it's a little tough but I manage! Here are some of my tips:

1. Base your shopping on what is cheap and what is in season. Your local grocery stores probably have a weekly circular listing all of their sales. Go through and circle everything that is on sale and is a good deal. (make sure it lists the savings of your item, if it says something like 'surprisingly low price!' it may not be on sale) the first things you should look for are buy 1 get 1 frees, and 50% off deals. Once you have circled your sales you can...

2. Check your coupons! If you get redplum, the paper, or any other kind of circular that has coupons clip them out! Most grocery stores will let you use a 'manufacturers' and 'store' coupon on one item... But that is rare unless you're a coupon guru. Anyhow, check and see if any of these coupons match any of the sales. If they do, and it is an item you use (even if you don't need it) go ahead and buy it. You'll probably save 75% of what you would have spent normally, and even if you don't need it now (and it isn't perishable) when you DO need it, it will be there and you will have saved money on it. Also, check and see if there is anything that you need NOW that may not be on sale, but you may have a coupon on it. If you live in the South, Publix is one of the best places to use coupons, they are NOT picky about them at all!

3. Base recipes off of the sales/coupons/cheap ingredients. If you find that turnips are 75% off this week, find a recipe for turnips that you can use before you buy them. Make sure the recipe doesn't require you to buy too much extra stuff, and feel free to omit anything you do not find absolutely necessary in a recipe. A cookbook that sorts recipes based on dominant ingredients is the best! One of my go-to's is Tammy Algoods "Southern Cooking" cookbook, as it is based off of cheap, and seasonal ingredients.

4. Keep a full pantry! If you keep a pantry full of the staples of a kitchen in bulk, you will not have to buy very much at the grocery store. Almost all recipes will call for 2-3 or more ingredients from your pantry, and it is always convenient, and cheap (if you can get it on sale) to have a pantry stocked full. Here are some things to always keep on hand: Brown Sugar, White Sugar, Molasses, Vegetable Oil, Canola Oil, White Vinegar, All Purpose Flour, Self Rising Flour, Powdered Cocoa, Cream of Mushroom Soup, Bread Crumbs, Lipton Onion Soup Mix, Italian/Ranch Dressing, Confectioners (powdered) sugar, Sweetened Condensed Milk, Evaporated Milk, Lasagna Noodles, Elbow Macaroni, Spaghetti, Tomato Paste, Kidney Beans, ETC. You may also want to keep these ingredients in your fridge: Pickles, Worcestershire, Ketchup, Spicy Mustard, BBQ Sauce, Milk, Tabasco/Hot Sauce, Eggs, ETC I know you said you are a single guy and this is a LOT of stuff. I tend to do a lot of baking hence the sugar and flour, but you'll need that stuff in cooking, too! I also buy my flour and sugar in 10+ pound bags.

Here is a short list of recipes I frequently use, and the ingredients I can use that are cheap/on sale.

-Macaroni & Cheese (cracker barrel, I shred it at home) with Savoy's Andouille sausage
-Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and honey glazed carrots
-Sausage and Spinach lasagna
-Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings (made with a whole chicken, homemade dumplings)
-Po' Boys (Shrimp you can get on sale at times, and the slaw and baguette on the side is extremely cheap)
-Chicken Enchiladas
-Scalloped Cheesy Potatoes
-Homemade baked beans
-Lentil Soup
-Buttermilk Chicken you can fry or bake

And there are many many more, those are just a few I can think of off the top of my head. If you are interested in any of my favorite cheap and homemade recipes, just let me know! Good luck!

First list all the staples such as cereal, milk,bread,butter, spreads, such as peanut butter & jelly etc,potatoes.Make sure you have sugar,salt,spices & herbs on hand.Store such things in air tight containers or glass jars with lids (old coffee jars are great)
Pasta meals are cheap.We eat a lot of pasta bakes,lasagne & bolognaise,etc.They don't require as much meat as other meat meals & there is Tuna pasta bakes as well. So put some pasta & rice on your list,canned tuna,cheaper cuts of chicken for curries or chicken pasta bake,ground/minced beef for lasagne,meatballs etc.If you have a freezer buy frozen packaged vegetables as there is no waste there.Try to buy generic brands of pasta,bread,canned tuna,vegies ,milk etc.It can be a big saving.Leave TV meals etc alone,it's crap & expensive.Don't buy more dairy products,bread or eggs than you can use in a week,there's always a chance you may miss several meals per week due to dining with friends etc & it can be wasted.Check local stores for specials. Good luck,it isn't easy,but you'll get there.

Canned chicken. white breast meat only is a good staple. You can open, drain and pour bottled bbq sauce over it. Mix and heat. Good for quick sandwiches. Also use the chicken and make chicken salad. Add sliced red grapes, celery, chopped pecans, small amount of mayo,plain yogurt mix for dressing. Or put plain in a salad with your greens, tomatoes, mushrooms,etc. whatever dressing you choose. Broccoli, steamed then drain and add good butter sprinkle with oregano. Eggs you can make omelets, add side of sliced tomatoes with slice of whole grain toast. oroweat 12 grain is excellent for toast. Green bell peppers can be stuffed with ground beef, rice, corn, onions and baked. Take Hunt brand of roasted red, diced tomatoes unseasoned and cook over low heat, small amt chopped onion, basil, touch of olive oil and cracked black pepper. Cook up a pot of pinto beans and cornbread. Buy canned beans that are already cooked. the best are ranchstyle brand. get the plain ones. add a small amount of water if they are too thick. add small amount of ketchup, use hunt brand. has no high fructose corn syrup added. then cut up onion, add small amt of garlic powder not garlic salt, black pepper and a bay leaf. let it simmer til heated and flavors are mixed. remove t bay leaf before serving. Frozen corn is always a good side dish. Make some broccoli soup. Jiffy brand is a good cornbread mix to buy. comes in a blue and white box. If you can, cook it in a cast iron skillet in the oven. May have to go online to research how to season and use.Martha Stewart online. taste of home.com, emeril.com and southernliving.com are good sources for recipes you can print out and make your own cookbook to suit your taste.