Grocery Shopping

 I love grocery shopping.  Unless the kids are with me or my wife is there or for that matter anyone is with me.  Grocery shopping is something that I enjoy taking my time with and making certain that I get what is needed and only what is needed.  I am not an impulse shopper and only shop for what we can use throughout the week.  I don't like to waste food and doing the shopping is my way to control the waste or so I think.
 For most of the men reading this you will probably think I am nuts as most guys want nothing to do with grocery shopping.  "This is a job for the wife as she does the cooking and knows what we need, I would just buy what looks good to me at the time."  I have heard this a few times and can't say I disagree as I used to be like that.  The problem is that my wife is worse then me and she would be the first to admit it.  She would go out without a list and come back with what would now be 2-3 weeks worth of groceries.  We both liked snacks and we would always have something in the house.  Chips, cookies, ice cream, pastries, these were always available.  How can you be without snacks when people stop by to visit.  Better yet, how do you argue with a pregnant wife when she wants ice cream, every hour.  For guys, beer and chips are a must to have available, as you never know who is stopping by and I was no different.  Now don`t get me wrong beer is still a must, but the chips are only purchased when needed.  Come to think of it I could use some right now.  Oh well, I will settle for a carrot stick.  Good thing I grocery shopped earlier today.  Oh, I was kidding about the carrot stick, I have not gone that far over, yet.
 My goal is to create a list of needs for the week and shop only to this list.  In fact my wife has managed to get me creating a weekly meal plan allowing me to narrow down my shopping to this plan.  Taking into consideration items that do not appear on a meal plan, such as toiletries and condiments.  Today, for example, I spent $140 for everything I needed for the week.  I also look for sale items and take advantage of these as well.  For example, Jane`s frozen chicken nuggets are usually $10-12 a box, last week on sale for $6 at Walmart.  Now, I don't read all the flyer's, as the gas to drive around is not worth it, although I do take notice of two local grocery stores and try to keep an eye on their sales.
 Now, if you are asking "who is this guy?"  I am a stay at home dad that would like to continue to be a stay at home dad and this will help me accomplish that.  Or, the real answer is I have know idea, but it keeps getting worse, just ask my wife.  I am like the guy from the commercials that would tear a Kleenex in half in order to ration.  "Dad can I have a banana?"  "How many have you had today?"  Seriously, my kid wants fruit and I am questioning how many he has eaten.  I need to see a professional about this.
 Until the shrink arrives I found a couple sites to share that offer suggested meals and meal plans.  Recipes for Kids as well as Meal plans I hope you find something that helps.  Kraft Foods and Campbell's also offer great menu ideas that I have used many times.  As for the weekly plan itself I found it easiest to start with a list of meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.  From there I inputted them into days of the week and did what I could to stick to the plan.  I am not perfect at this, although it has helped. 
 Once again, I am looking for feedback on what works for you and how you achieve your success.  If you cannot leave a comment on the blog site I am also on facebook search Dad`s Can Do It Too!  This is a group that you can also leave feedback on.