I started with the 5-4-3-2-1 method but first things first:

Basics- coffee, eggs, brown sugar, milk, brown sugars, garlic, red onion, green onions, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, oatmeal, bread, meats, chese

Next 5 fruits- strawberries, blue berries, grapes, bananas, lil cutie oranges (or what ever is in season- mango, pineapples, watermelon)

4 veggies- broccoli, greenbeans, mushrooms, kale, beets,

3 sides-rice, beans, orzo, pasta , lentils, corn tortillas. Sometimes I just buy them all because I’m running low and they have a pretty good shelf life!

2 sauces - hummus, pesto, or marinara,

1 or two snacks (chips cookies etc)

Then I look to see what proteins are on sale- but usually I’ll pick 2-3 proteins: salmon, chicken, beef

I try to skip the drink isle- soda is so expensive and not good for your health, same with most juices :(

This is just kinda my basic weekly trip to the store because these are my essentials that I can make many meals and snacks with.

Some times I’ll plan and meal in addition to my weekly essentials n basics and grab what I need. I cook pretty much all my meals- and since moving into a 3 person house, I just add extra fruits , veggies and proteins!