Meal Planning

I am a big fan of once a month grocery shopping.  I have cut back our grocery bill tremendously by switching to shopping once a month and planning out a month of meals.  It really cuts down on the impulse buys and I don't have to worry everyday about what to make for each meal.  I love making lists so this was really right up my alley.
First I print out a blank one month calendar and write in the days.
Next I see what we have planned for the month, anything that might effect meals or require snacks to be packed for the kids if we will be in the car or away from home for awhile.  I greatly dislike stopping for fast food anymore.  I like to make as much as I can from scratch myself.  There is something so great about serving your family meals that you specifically prepared for them that is nutritious as well as not filled with ingredients you can't even pronounce! 
I have a list of recipes that we like to have often and I reference it as I start planning meals.  Remember to account for breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts and in snacks.  We still have little ones so I need to make sure they have appropriate snacks available to them during the day.  Their little tummies cannot hold enough to make it in between meals like us big kids.  ;)
Don't forget to also account for visiting guests and always have a backup plan for unexpected guests.  I love to make freezer meals so I always have some extra in case we find ourselves with unexpected company.  Even simple things as some frozen cookie dough can go along ways to transforming your hostess ability.
Once you have your list of meals and snacks planned for the month start gathering your recipes.  Either in a spreadsheet or just on paper calculate how much of each ingredient you will need.  If you are starting once a month shopping try to plan any recipes that need fresh ingredients around the time you go shopping.  Any recipes that can be made from frozen, home canned or pantry items can go at the end of the month. 
Once you have a list of how much you need of each ingredient its time to plan the big shop.  I carefully review each store ad matching coupons and sales and plan the trip.  Some things I buy in bulk from stores like Costco but anything else I try to buy in one stop at stores like Wal-Mart that will price match and accepts other stores coupons.  Be prepared to fill your vehicle with groceries, often resorting to packing it in, on, under and/or around your children, as well as by bringing coolers!!  Especially during the summer or if you live in a warmer area.  It's not worth losing a months worth of frozen or refrigerated food because you didn't bring a cooler or two...or three....
I know what you are probably thinking...what about things like bread, milk, produce, etc. that must be purchased fresh???  I bake 90% of our bread so that has never been an issue for us but you can also freeze your store bought bread if you do not bake.  If you plan to use it up within the month just throw it in the freezer in its plastic bag and it will be fine.  Any longer then that and I would wrap it or put in a freezer bag to prevent freezer burn.  Make sure to place it where it won't get smashed!  If freezer space is an issue freeze it carefully then once frozen and no longer at risk of being smashed you can move it to where works best for you in the freezer or stack it.  Milk can also be frozen, I usually open it and remove about a half a cup or so to allow for expansion when it freezes.  Even cheese can be frozen however I recommend waiting to grate it until it thaws or it could clump.  If you need to grate it first be sure to not pack it into a container when freezing our you could end up with a giant clump when you thaw it.  Store bought shredded cheese is typically coated in flour or cornstarch or similar so it can easily be frozen without clumping problems.  Fruits and veggies we usually use frozen or home canned so by the end of the month we are still set for fruits and veggies in our diets.  Herbs are a little trickier but one thing I have found that seems to work for me so far is taking the amount of herbs that I need for a recipe and freezing it in ice cube trays so I have premeasured amounts ready to go.  Once they are frozen remove them from the ice cube trays and store in either a freezer bag or other freezer safe container in your freezer.  If a certain recipe calls for an ingredient that must be fresh simply plan on making that recipe soon after grocery shopping.
If something comes up and plans change or we go through more of something then I had planned on then I will have my husband stop at the grocery store on his way home from work and pick up what we need.  It really isn't an issue.  At least attempting the once a month shopping has greatly helped us reduce our grocery expenses.  And as we all know, every little bit helps!